Parliamentary Speeches
333 speeches by Marie-France Lalonde — Page 6 of 7
Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, with regard to (a) and (b), Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, IRCC, understands the importance of the decisions on visa applications. IRCC recognizes that timely decisions are essential. Every case is assessed based on the information provided by the applicant and in accordance with Canada's immigration laws. The time it takes to process an application varies according to …
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Mr. Speaker, on June 6, I had the great pleasure of visiting the brand new plasma donor centre in my community of Orléans. The state-of-the-art donation centre is located in Place d'Orléans Shopping Centre. Donated plasma can be given to those in need of a plasma transfusion or to create plasma protein products such as immunoglobulins, which can be used to help Canadians in need. Currently, there …
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Mr. Speaker, our doors are always open for people who identify as LGBTQ escaping from violence and persecution in their country. We work closely with organizations such as the Rainbow Refugee society, the UNHCR and others to help sponsor LGBTQ refugees from abroad. We are supporting at least 55 service providers to make them feel at home. We have a role to play to make sure LGBTQ people feel safe …
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Mr. Speaker, let me remind this House that since January Canada has welcomed over 43,500 Ukrainians. We have launched the Ukrainian authorization for emergency travel, which made it easier, faster and safer for Ukrainians to come. We secured three targeted flights to get Ukrainians to safety and we are also providing a one-time direct payment of $3,000 per adult and $1,500 per child to them. We st…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned, we are one of the only countries in the world to have implemented a humanitarian stream to welcome even more Afghan refugees based on their particular vulnerability, including women leaders, LGBTQ2 people, human rights defenders, journalists and members of religious and ethnic minorities. With our standard refugee program, the humanitarian stream works through a referr…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, following the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan last summer, the government initially committed to resettling 20,000 vulnerable Afghan refugees, and we have now increased that commitment to bringing at least 40,000 Afghans to Canada. On July 23, 2001, the Government of Canada announced special immigration measures for individuals with a significant and enduring relationship with the …
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Madam Speaker, let me remind the House that last year we welcomed in our country over 405,000 new permanent residents; the greatest number of newcomers in a year in Canadian history. In 2022, we have already hit another record, processing over 246,000 PR applications and 216,000 work permit applications. We are going to continue to invest in our immigration system, and I urge the member opposite t…
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Madam Speaker, we know that immigration is essential to combatting the labour shortage. IRCC is prioritizing work permit applications for in-demand occupations. I know that I mentioned this week that we have processed 100,000 applications, but in fact, 216,000 work permit applications have been processed this year, compared to 88,000 applications over the same period last year. We will continue to…
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Madam Speaker, as the member for Orléans and a resident of the riding, I want to share the incredible stories and accomplishments of two members of our community. First, I want to celebrate the accomplishment of Stephen Poloz, the former governor of the Bank of Canada and a finalist of the Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing. Mr. Poloz’s book, The Next Age of Uncertainty: How the World C…
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Madam Speaker, if last year has taught us anything it is the importance of those who provide care to members of our community to allow them to stay in their homes and receive the care they need in their communities. Last year, we welcomed more than 4,000 new permanent residents through our caregiver stream, and this year we are expecting to see another 6,000 new permanent residents through the car…
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Madam Speaker, we understand that decisions on immigration cases can have a profound impact on individual's lives. Every case is assessed based on its merits in a fair manner and in accordance to Canadian law. Each case is unique, but all applicants can expect impartial, professional treatment and clear, accountable decision-making. Due to privacy, I cannot comment on a specific case, but it would…
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Mr. Speaker, our government remains very firm in our commitment to resettle at least 40,000 Afghan refugees. Despite all the challenges, there are now more than 14,500 Afghan refugees who have started their new life here in Canada. We continue to process applications for Afghan refugees day and night. We have mobilized our entire global network to process visas and issue them on an urgent basis. W…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member again for her questions, because that allows me to tell her exactly what we are doing above and beyond what I have shared with her. When we talk about the services that we are going to continue to provide on March 30 of this year, we are also extending settlement program services, which actually are typically only available to permanent residents, to make them avail…
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Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to respond to the hon. member's questions because I do not need to pretend we care. We do care. Canada is firm in its support of Ukraine. Ukrainian immigrants are an important part of Canada's cultural history, and we continue to support the courageous people of Ukraine. As part of our commitment to support those fleeing Russia's unjustifiable invasion of Ukraine, our go…
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Mr. Speaker, I am smiling because I always enjoy my opposition colleague's dramatic flair. Let us applaud that lively performance. What I can say on behalf of members on this side of the House is that our government is working very closely with Quebec to make sure workers can work. As I made clear, we have twice as many work permit applications as last year. We will always make sure that Canadians…
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my colleague's question. We know that immigration plays a key role in combatting the labour shortage. IRCC is prioritizing jobs in high-demand occupations. I would like to point out again that in the first quarter of this year, the department processed more than 100,000 work permit applications, which is nearly double the number processed over the same period last year. W…
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Madam Speaker, I thank the member for his great advocacy. We both sit on the immigration committee and I know how passionate and involved he is. We have welcomed over 32,000 Ukrainians to Canada, and certainly our commitment continues to be to helping Ukrainians as they come to Canada. We will continue to support them. Just last week, we announced we would be welcoming a charter flight next week i…
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Madam Speaker, on individual cases, I would certainly appreciate having this conversation with him. As the member well knows, there are numerous measures we have put in place to ensure that individuals can come to Canada. As I mention all the time, we will continue to be there to welcome as many Ukrainians as possible in Canada.
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I am always pleased to have a conversation with the hon. member. I am very happy to report on the settlement. Earlier this year, we made an announcement that we were going forward with $35 million for our rural and small communities. I had the privilege last week to go to Moose Jaw in Saskatchewan, where I announced $14.2 million that will be distributed among 11 rural communities. …
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I am truly honoured to rise to answer the member's question. Canada stands firm in its support for Ukraine. Ukrainian immigrants are an important part of Canada's cultural history, and we continue to support the courageous Ukrainian people More than 32,000 Ukrainians have arrived in Canada since January 1 of this year. As part of our response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Immigra…
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Mr. Speaker, I am very sensitive to the issue that is raised by the member. Certainly, as we move forward on numerous measures, we want individual Ukrainians to come as fast as possible. I am happy to report in the House that over 24,000 Ukrainians have made their way here. I had the privilege of meeting with some of them last week when I visited Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Let us not forget our ne…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Madam Speaker, last week I met with representatives of Nova Oculus, a Canadian company that has developed a promising new medical device to treat age-related macular degeneration, or AMD. This incurable disease is the leading cause of blindness for more than two million Canadians over the age of 50. Nova Oculus is currently awaiting regulatory approval from Health Canada for a new form of AMD trea…
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Mr. Speaker, if it were a matter of will, there would be 40,000 Afghan refugees here already. The reality is that every step of the way we are facing obstacles that were not present in other resettlement efforts. There are a number of factors that we do not fully control, such as safe passage out of Afghanistan and the ability of Afghans who want to resettle to leave the country. We are committed …
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, as a Rotarian, I was pleased to attend the Rotary District 7040 conference last Saturday to hear from Michel Rodrigue, president and CEO of the Mental Health Commission of Canada, and our own Dr. Vera Etches, medical officer of Ottawa Public Health, on the impact of COVID-19 on mental health. Their insight and experience in the field were very insightful and presented valuable lessons…
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Mr. Speaker, so far, more than 12,600 Afghan refugees have arrived in Canada, and more than half of those arrived through our special immigration measures for Afghans who assisted in Canada's mission in Afghanistan. Another two flights are arriving later this week. We will not stop until we reach our goal to welcome at least 40,000 Afghan refugees to Canada.
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Mr. Speaker, Canada's economic recovery is well under way. As of March 2022, 73,000 jobs have been created, lowering the unemployment rate to 5.3%. In fact, Canada's economic recovery is outpacing many employers' ability to find workers, resulting in labour shortages across the country. That is why we have announced changes to the foreign worker program to ensure it continues to meet the needs of …
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Mr. Speaker, we recognize that, once again, temporary foreign workers are vital to the Canadian economy. That is why as part of the workforce solutions road map, we will eliminate the limit on low-wage positions for seasonal employers, extend LMIA validity for low-wage occupations, and extend the maximum duration of employment for the high-wage and global talent streams from two years to three yea…
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Mr. Speaker, we know that immigration is critical if we want to address labour shortages. IRCC is fast-tracking work permits for occupations in demand, such as health care, agriculture, food and seafood production. In the last quarter, we processed over 100,000 work permit applications, nearly double the number processed in the same period last year. We will continue to ensure that Canadian and Qu…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. Last year, we welcomed over 405,000 new permanent residents, the largest number of newcomers in a single year in Canadian history. I would like to let my esteemed colleague know that, in the first quarter of this year, we set even more records. We processed over 157,000 permanent residence applications and issued over 100,000 work permits and o…
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Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. member for her advocacy on this. Last year, we welcomed more than 405,000 new permanent residents: the greatest number of newcomers in a year in Canadian history. In the first quarter of this year, we hit even more records, processing over 157,000 permanent residence applications and issuing more than 100,000 work permits, and we are processing over 10,000 study per…
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Madam Speaker, more than 24,000 Ukrainians have come to Canada since the beginning of January. As the Prime Minister announced, we will charter planes to bring more Ukrainians to Canada. I also want to acknowledge Canadians and Quebeckers for being so generous and for coming together to welcome Ukrainians at this historic moment for Canada. Again, I thank the member for her question.
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Madam Speaker, as I said, more than 24,000 Ukrainians have arrived and hundreds more are arriving every day. I would also like to mention that we have introduced an innovative program in partnership with Air Canada, The Shapiro Foundation and Miles4Migrants. It will allow us to welcome 10,000 Ukrainians and their families. These are free flights to Canada. More than 2,000 Canadians have donated mo…
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Mr. Speaker, I always appreciate the opposition's questions, and I am always grateful to my colleagues for their support for immigration and the work our government is doing for temporary foreign workers, because we know they play an important role and are vital to food security. I would also like to emphasize that these people are entitled to safety. We have taken several measures over the past f…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. This is a very important question, because immigration is key to addressing the labour shortage. Once again, I would like to inform my colleague and the House that during the first quarter of 2022 we processed more than 100,000 work permits, which is nearly double the number of applications processed during that same period in 2021. We will conti…
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Mr. Speaker, we know that immigration is an integral part of addressing the labour shortage. IRCC is prioritizing work permit processing for in-demand occupations in industries such as health, agriculture, food and seafood production. I would like to point out that in the first quarter of 2022, we processed more than 100,000 work permit applications, nearly double the number of work permits proces…
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Mr. Speaker, the member is right: Quebec selects the majority of its immigrants. Every year, Quebec issues more Quebec selection certificates than the immigration thresholds set out in Quebec's immigration plan. The federal government cannot process more files than Quebec asks it to. We cannot exceed Quebec's thresholds. We will respect Quebec's jurisdiction in immigration. We will process applica…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize the great advocacy of International Students Overcoming War, or ISOW. As a student club from Wilfrid Laurier University, this student-led and student-funded humanitarian initiative fights hard to ensure that the right of education and higher learning is safeguarded globally. ISOW is committed to supporting the Canadian humanitarian mission to address the educ…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for Dufferin—Caledon for his work on this legislation. The government is firmly committed to reuniting families and their loved ones abroad. Family members are an important part of our immigration system. Canada has one of the most generous and comprehensive family reunification programs in the world. Through this program, we help to keep families…
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Mr. Speaker, immigration is essential to our economy. What is going to get things moving is an increase in Quebec's immigration levels. Quebec is allowed to receive up to 28% of the immigrants who are welcomed to Canada each year, but it has chosen to accept only 13%. If Quebec really wants to improve wait times for the tens of thousands of people waiting for permanent residence in Quebec, it only…
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Mr. Speaker, perhaps now would be a good time to talk about the Canada‑Quebec accord. Quebec is entitled to 28% of the new permanent residents that arrive each year and chooses to welcome 13% of them. It selects 74% of the immigrants who settle in Quebec, and this includes their language skills. The federal government transfers Quebec nearly $700 million a year, with no conditions, for the facilit…
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Mr. Speaker, I really enjoy my colleague's energetic style in the House. His position is an honourable one. As we on this side of the House have said on more than one occasion, immigration is essential to our economy. As the member knows, Quebec sets its own immigration targets. Last year, the province welcomed nearly 50,000 new permanent residents. This year, Quebec has significantly increased it…
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Mr. Speaker, we know that immigration is an integral part of addressing the labour shortage. IRCC is prioritizing work permit processing for in-demand occupations in industries such as health, agriculture, food and seafood production. I would like to remind the House that in the first quarter of 2022, we processed more than 100,000 work permit applications. That is nearly double the number of work…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
I am honoured to rise this evening to respond to the hon. member's question. I want to start by saying that Canada remains steadfast in its support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Ukrainian immigrants have helped build this country, and we will continue to stand with the courageous people of Ukraine in upholding the values that our countries share. More than 24,000 Ukrainians …
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Mr. Speaker, as I said, I realize how much my colleague wants to make this happen, but the Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency travel really is the fastest, safest and most efficient way for Ukrainians to come to Canada. I also want to point out to my colleague that we have approved over 85,000 applications under this special program, and we have welcomed 24,000 Ukrainians to Canada since t…
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Mr. Speaker, I would again like to thank the member for the question, but he is well aware that Quebec sets the selection criteria for immigrants coming to Quebec, and that includes language skills. Immigration is crucial and, as I have already told the member, we have welcomed more than 50,000 new permanent residents to the province. Quebec and Canada are working together to welcome more immigran…
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Mr. Speaker, immigration is essential to our economy. As the member opposite knows, Quebec sets its own immigration targets. Last year the province welcomed over 50,000 new permanent residents. This year Quebec has increased its immigration targets significantly, which will help reduce wait times. We will always work very closely with the Quebec government to ensure that the immigration system con…
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Mr. Speaker, we know that immigration is vital to fighting the labour shortage. IRCC is prioritizing work permit processing for in-demand occupations in industries such as health, agriculture, food and seafood production. In the first quarter of 2022, we processed more than 100,000 applications for work permits. That is nearly double the number of work permits processed in the same period last yea…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I had the great pleasure of meeting with representatives from the Canadian Alliance to Rebuild Hargeisa Market and members of the Somaliland community. Their presentation was very informative and taught me about the history of Somaliland, a very small country that is going through tragic times as a result of the fire that destroyed Hargeisa market. This market is the heart of the coun…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, on Monday, April 4, I had the privilege of participating in a local fundraiser in support of Ukraine. Thanks to Mayor Jim Watson and local elected officials, Councillors Matt Luloff, Laura Dudas and Catherine Kitts, for joining us. The community of Orléans was invited to visit the drive-thru set up at Soul Stone Restaurant to pick up delicious, traditional Ukrainian delicacies, perogi…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my speaking time. I am so very pleased to speak in favour of Bill C‑13 today. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is always looking for innovative ways to let people know what is so great about living in Canada and to attract newcomers. Our mission includes ongoing dedicated outreach to francophone immigrants. As founding members of our nation, we francoph…
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