Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, we need to revamp our asylum system, but there is no magic solution. Closing Roxham Road is not a good solution; that would just move the problem elsewhere. Suspending the safe third country agreement would have the opposite effect. What we need to do is modernize the agreement, and that is what we are doing. We are working with the United States to find a sustainable, permanent sol…
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Madam Speaker, we are going to continue to work to improve the situation at Roxham Road, but we have international and domestic legal obligations that we are following to the letter. We are trying to process people in a humane way, to recognize that human beings who are coming into Canada are sometimes very vulnerable. We are going to meet our legal obligations while we work toward a permanent sol…
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Madam Speaker, let me begin by thanking my hon. colleague for his advocacy to grow the Canadian economy and to support international students. Canada has had one of the strongest economic recoveries of any developed nation in the world when it comes to bouncing back from COVID–19. Despite the fact that we have recently hit near the lowest unemployment rate, there are nearly a million jobs availabl…
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Mr. Speaker, our system for asylum seekers must be robust and humane. There is no magic solution, and closing Roxham Road is not a realistic solution. Suspending the safe third country agreement would likely have the opposite effect of what we are looking to do. What we need to do is modernize the safe third country agreement, and that is what we are doing. We are working with the United States on…
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Mr. Speaker, as the member opposite knows very well, the Canada-Quebec accord gives Quebec the exclusive authority to select the majority of its immigrants. We have always respected Quebec's jurisdiction with respect to immigration, and we will work closely with Quebec to support its objective of welcoming the immigrants it needs to deal with the shortage and ensuring the development of businesses…
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Mr. Speaker, closing Roxham Road is not a solution for our borders. It would not solve the overall problem. As the member opposite knows, Canada shares the longest demilitarized border in the world. Roxham Road gives officials an opportunity to obtain identification documents from these asylum claimants and prevent dangerous crossings. We need to modernize the safe third country agreement, and tha…
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Mr. Speaker, it is important. The solutions proposed by the Bloc Québécois would simply move the problem from one place to another. The safe third country agreement is an important bilateral tool for managing refugee claims at the land border between Canada and the United States. Contrary to what the member opposite believes, the agreement is a bilateral one. It is essential to work with our partn…
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Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table, in both official languages, a detailed plan from my colleague, the hon. member for Surrey Centre, namely Motion No. 44, concerning permanent residency for temporary foreign workers, under Private Members' Business. This document includes plans to expand pathways to permanent residency for temporary foreign workers and international students with significant Cana…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague, who, I would note, is a champion for mental health and has been since the day that I met him. Children who are fleeing war are among the most vulnerable people in the world. I am so pleased to share that, earlier this week, I was able to announce that through a partnership with the Kids Help Phone it going to be providing services in Pashto, Dari, Ukraini…
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Mr. Speaker, with great respect to my hon. colleague, nothing could be further from the truth. As of today, there are more than 30,000 Ukrainians who are being provided with safe haven here in Canada. Yes, the federal government has offered charter to nearly 1,000 Ukrainians. I want to thank both Air Canada and The Shapiro Foundation for their extraordinarily generous donations, which are going to…
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Mr. Speaker, our immigration system needs to have a compassionate approach. The hon. member knows we are not at liberty to discuss the specific details of individual case files on the floor of the House of Commons. I am happy to continue the conversation we began together about this specific case file. We are aware of it, but we are going to continue to look at the details and ensure the rules wer…
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Mr. Speaker, the hon. member asks a very important question. We developed, in an emergency situation, a brand new model of temporary protection, because we heard of the vast numbers of people who wanted to come but also want to go back home when it is safe to do so. It is really important, though, that there be additional supports that are atypical for people who come as visitors to Canada, becaus…
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Mr. Speaker, again with respect to my colleague, I would point out that there are more than 30,000 Ukrainians who have already arrived in Canada. We have not seen this pace of arrivals of people who are fleeing war and persecution in any other initiative that could be comparable in the history of Canada. It is extraordinary to see so many people who have been provided with safe haven so quickly, b…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his sincere concern for his constituents. With respect to caregiver programs, last year more than 4,000 permanent residents were welcomed to Canada through caregiver streams. We anticipate that this year the number will be 6,000. As I shared earlier in response to a separate question this afternoon, we are actually processing people for permanent residency …
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to place the response to this question in the appropriate economic context and I would like to remind the hon. member that, to date, Canada has seen 115% of the jobs lost during the pandemic returned. Our GDP is ahead of prepandemic levels. We are at the lowest rate of unemployment in the recorded history of Canada. At the same time, we are going to launch a number of mea…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by thanking the member for Etobicoke Centre, who has been a tireless champion for Ukraine and Ukrainian Canadians from the beginning of this war. This unjust war of aggression is an affront to humanity and the very values that underpin the international legal order. Canada has opened its arms to provide safe haven so far to 30,000 Ukrainians or more, who have alr…
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Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague concluded her remarks by talking about the importance of transitioning away from a top-down approach when it comes to decision-making processes that impact indigenous communities. In our home province, Mr. Speaker, you would appreciate the changes that were embraced when the keys were handed over to Mi’kmaq communities when it came to the education system. They saw t…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the employers out there who are working hard to bring in workers to fill gaps in the labour force. It will help kick-start one of the strongest economic recoveries that is already taking place. We have put tons of resources into boosting the processes and capacity of the department, including $85 million in the economic and fiscal update to target work permits, study p…
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Mr. Speaker, we know that immigration plays a key role in combatting the labour shortage. IRCC is prioritizing work permit processing for in-demand occupations. This year, we have processed more than 200,000 work permit applications, which is nearly double the number processed over the same period last year. We will continue to ensure that Canadian employers have access to the workers they need to…
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Mr. Speaker, as I just answered in response to the previous question, we are making unprecedented investments in Canada's immigration system to ensure that we can smoothly welcome people to Canada who make essential contributions to our economy. I would like to point out to the hon. member that we are now in an economic context in which we have seen 115% of the jobs lost during the pandemic come b…
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Mr. Speaker, addressing the labour shortages is a top priority for our government, and that is why we are putting additional resources toward processing cases, including work permits, to ensure that people have access to the workers they need. I would advise the hon. member that the average processing time for work permits in the province of Quebec today is 33 days, which is among the very best av…
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Mr. Speaker, Nazifa's killing was a tragedy that I think on every day as we seek to develop policies that would expedite the arrival of more Afghan refugees. However, with great respect, the hon. member's suggestion that we issue a single-journey travel document would not achieve what he says it would achieve. What the member is seeking to do is have the Canadian government issue a document that w…
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Mr. Speaker, with great respect to the hon. member, there are now more than 13,000 Afghan refugees who have arrived in Canada [Technical difficulty—Editor].
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Mr. Speaker, I would remind the hon. member that in fact many of those who have served Canada have already arrived in our country. Just last week, the most recent charter plane carried approximately 330 government-assisted refugees who have come to Canada as a result of their service to our effort in Afghanistan during our mission there. We are going to continue to do whatever we can to make sure …
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Mr. Speaker, our system for refugees must be robust and humane. There is no magic solution. Asking to close Roxham Road is not a realistic solution. It will only shift the problem to another location. Suspending the agreement will have the completely opposite effect. What we need to do is modernize the safe third country agreement, and that is what we are doing by working with the United States on…
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Mr. Speaker, our government has been consistent in its commitment to the most vulnerable people in the world. We continue to work closely with Quebec to comply with our national and international refugee obligations, while still protecting the health and safety of Canadians. We are aware that the number of crossings has increased since COVID‑19 restrictions have been relaxed, and we are working cl…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question and for the many conversations we have shared seeking to only improve the government's efforts to welcome more Afghan refugees. I take his efforts as being sincere. I will point out that we continue to work with different departments to ensure that we can put a plan in place to succeed in the effort to bring 40,000 Afghan refugees to Canada. Th…
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Mr. Speaker, the member's use of one party's name for his own political interest is beyond disgraceful. The reality is the Conservative Party of Canada campaigned on a commitment to bring precisely zero Afghan refugees to Canada. When they were in power over the course of four years, they were able to bring 800 people to Canada. Their extended families were not allowed to come. That demanded that …
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Mr. Speaker, the kind of circumstance the hon. member described is exactly why we have made one of the most substantial commitments of any nation in the world to resettle 40,000 Afghan refugees here in Canada. I am pleased to share that, as of this week when we arrived in Ottawa, there were 12,600 Afghan refugees. Today, there are 12,900. By tomorrow, there will be 13,200. We are seeing a regular …
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Mr. Speaker, I have heard of pitching around a hitter in baseball, but never on the floor of the House of Commons.
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Mr. Speaker, if you go to the Conservative Party platform from the last election, you will not find a commitment to resettle any particular number of Afghan refugees.
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Madam Speaker, if the last few years have 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 to receive the care they need in their communities. In the last year, we have made final decisions on approximately 6,000 cases, with nearly 2,800 caregivers who have arrived, or more than 4,000 if we include their familie…
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Mr. Speaker, over the last number of months, we have taken a number of steps to boost the processing capacity of IRCC, with $85 million announced in the fall economic statement. We have made available an additional $385 million to be processed in the recent federal budget. We are launching a modernization of the digital platform to boost processing time further and creating more immigration level …
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague from Scarborough Centre for her passion for Canadian citizenship and for her work on behalf of her constituents. Since April 2020, more than 240,000 applicants have become Canadian citizens through virtual oath ceremonies. We had to pivot our strategy after it became impossible to host large events for people together in a room. We are now hosti…
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for her advocacy for vulnerable Afghans. It is, indeed, the vulnerability of the people in Afghanistan that has justified such an extraordinary response by the Government of Canada, and I remind her that we have committed to making one of the most substantial resettlement efforts of any country in the world, with 40,000 Afghan refugees destined to be settled in…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the Bloc Québécois member for his question and his collaboration on immigration issues. Like him, I was informed of this situation this morning, and I extend my heartfelt sympathy to Ms. Tombi. I discussed this case with the Bloc member earlier. Although I cannot comment on specific cases here, I can assure the House that I will be looking into this case.
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the sense of humour my colleague always brings to the floor of the House of Commons, and I thank him for his advocacy for chartered flights, which we have announced, by the way. It is no laughing matter that we were able to reach a partnership with Air Canada, The Shapiro Foundation and Canadians who would like to donate not just Aeroplan points, but other different kinds…
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Mr. Speaker, our mission at the outset of this effort was to create the fastest possible pathway for Ukrainians to get to Canada where they could benefit from the safe haven our country could offer. I am pleased to share that, as of last week, more than 56,000 Ukrainians have already been approved to come to Canada in the first few weeks we were making approvals. This is something Canadians can be…
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Mr. Speaker, while the hon. member is busy collecting Subway coupons and writing jokes at the table, we are busy bringing Ukrainians to Canada. There are 16,000 Ukrainians who made it to Canada already this year. In the first few weeks, since we introduced a new program, almost 60,000 more have been approved. We are starting to see flights come. We have set up reception at the airports in Toronto,…
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Mr. Speaker, I point out that the member who posed the question is an absolute champion for international students, and I thank him for his advocacy on this important file. I am pleased to share that last week I had the opportunity to make an announcement in Saint John, New Brunswick, that the federal government would be extending open work permits to those who are facing soon-to-be-expired or rec…
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Mr. Speaker, I find this question ironic coming from a member of the Conservative Party, which previously tried to design a program that specifically excluded these same individuals from coming to Canada as refugees. I would remind the member again that if his electoral campaign platform is reviewed, there was no commitment to welcome Afghan refugees to Canada. We will continue to do whatever we c…
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Mr. Speaker, let me state on the record that I have done no such thing. Those who worked alongside the Canadian Forces are heroes every bit as much as members of the Canadian Armed Forces who had a presence in Afghanistan. With respect to this specific group, we actually created a stream to resettle the extended families of previously resettled interpreters. Last week, I was on hand as we welcomed…
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Mr. Speaker, I do take the hon. member at her word, but with respect, I would like to point out that the challenges facing the refugee resettlement in Afghanistan are like nothing we have ever seen. I would remind all members of this House that the Taliban, a listed terrorist entity in Canadian law, has seized control of the territory. Many of the specific individuals who we made a commitment to a…
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Mr. Speaker, I would caution the hon. member as she seems not to be aware of the fact that Canada has one of the best fiscal positions of any developed economy in the world. We entered this pandemic with the lowest debt-to-GDP ratio of any G7 country, and our AAA credit rating has been reaffirmed by major credit rating agencies. I would point out as well that Canada, this year for the first time, …
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Mr. Speaker, there are a number of things that we have advanced to address processing times and I would point out that chief amongst them is an $85-million investment across five lines of business, including work permits that were included in the economic and fiscal update, which the Conservatives continue to delay. In addition, we have hired more than 500 staff who are full trained and producing …
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Mr. Speaker, it is an interesting frame that the member uses when she puts it on the floor of the House of Commons. If we asked the group of workers around the world any country they would like to come to, to explore new economic opportunities, the number one choice they would make is Canada. This is something we should be extremely proud of. Canada is winning the global race for talent. The only …
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Mr. Speaker, Canada must welcome many Ukrainians who are fleeing Vladimir Putin's unjust war. We have been working very hard to make sure that we can get as many people here as quickly as possible. That is why we introduced new expedited programs, and I am pleased to share that more than 12,000 Ukrainians have arrived in Canada already this year, with another 12,000 who have been approved just in …
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for her compassion. As the parent of an infant child, I cannot even imagine the horrific circumstances someone like Khrystyna is dealing with as she flees this horrific war. We put forward measures that are going to expedite arrivals, and so far we are seeing that this is one of the largest and fastest humanitarian efforts in the history of Canada. We are respo…
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Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to share with the House that we have now had more than 12,000 Ukrainians arrive in Canada since the beginning of the year. Two weeks ago today we launched a new program that would expedite the arrival of Ukrainians, and we have now seen 12,000 more approvals under this new program in just the last two weeks. We are going to continue to do what we can to welcome as many pe…
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Mr. Speaker, I remind the hon. member that typically refugee resettlement programs take years to implement to welcome people in large numbers. Over the past number of weeks, we have implemented new programs to allow those in Canada to stay. We have waived fees for new applications. We have found every application by a Ukrainian national that is in our queue already and are processing those applica…
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