Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, there is no question that the COVID-19 pandemic has posed unprecedented challenges for our immigration system, when we continued to have demand to come into Canada at a time when our borders were closed. However, I have good news for the member opposite. Month after month, we have set records in our nation's history, due in large part to the work of my predecessor, the member for Eg…
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Madam Speaker, there is no question that in our agricultural sector, and across different sectors in the economy, the role that immigration plays in welcoming workers to the economy is very important for our collective well-being. I can advise the hon. member that yesterday I had the pleasure of having a conversation with my Quebec counterpart, Minister Boulet, to discuss the source of internation…
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Mr. Speaker, I think all members of the House will agree on the importance of Canada making good on its commitment to resettle 40,000 Afghan refugees. Members on the opposite side are asking when people are going to arrive. Two weeks ago, when I was asked this question, I said 3,800 were here. Earlier this week, when I was asked the question, we had more than 4,000. I am pleased to share that by t…
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Mr. Speaker, the truth hurts sometimes, but the reality is that if the members of the opposition would like to frame this in the context of the recent federal election campaign, I would point out that the government campaigned on a commitment to bring 40,000 Afghan refugees to Canada. The Conservative Party of Canada campaigned on a commitment to end the government-assisted refugee stream altogeth…
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Mr. Speaker, if the hon. member wants to frame this in terms of the recent election campaign, I would point out that on this side of the House we campaigned on a commitment to bring 40,000 Afghan refugees here. On the opposition side, members campaigned on a commitment to end the government-assisted refugee stream. He criticizes our—
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Mr. Speaker, I hope the hon. members opposite will take the occasion to allow all members to speak when it is their turn. The opposition is asking questions about the timing of an election when we are dealing with the worst humanitarian crisis that could be happening in the world today. We have made one of the most substantial commitments to resettle 40,000 Afghan refugees in our country. More tha…
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Mr. Speaker, the situation in Afghanistan is nothing short of heartbreaking. The reality is that we have made a substantial contribution by committing to bringing in 40,000 Afghan refugees, and I point out to the member that the effort is well under way. More than 4,000 Afghan refugees are living in Canada today, another 1,200 in third countries have been approved to come to Canada and another 9,5…
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Mr. Speaker, we have to acknowledge that there has been a rapid and serious rise in the cost of housing across Canada, but we were wise to this fact long before the pandemic. That is why we advanced the national housing strategy beginning six years ago, which did not seem to get the support of the opposition parties at the time. We are going to continue to make the kinds of investments that have a…
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Mr. Speaker, it is hard to figure out what metric the member is pointing to when we are confused about which is higher and which is lower. With great respect, what has not wavered is our commitment to ensuring that we are investing in building supply and investing in programs. There is a new rent-to-own program so people who are renting can afford a place to call home, which will have generational…
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Mr. Speaker, every Canadian deserves a safe and affordable place to call home. With respect to the hon. member's question, I would point out that is precisely why our government brought in the national housing strategy, which has seen more than $72 billion planned to help ensure Canadians get the housing they need. Since 2015, in just the past six years, our government supported the creation of ne…
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Mr. Speaker, with great respect, the attempt to politicize the question of the resettlement of 40,000 Afghan refugees is entirely inappropriate. The reality is that every morning when I wake and every night when I go to bed—
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Mr. Speaker, I take enormous exception to the allegation that any member of the House is playing roulette with the lives of some of the world's most vulnerable people. The reality is that Canada stepped up to make a world-leading commitment to bring 40,000 Afghan refugees here. As the member pointed out, there are more than 4,000 here today, 1,200 more in third countries and 9,500 more in Afghanis…
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Mr. Speaker, this year we accepted a record number of foreign workers. We set the most ambitious immigration target in our history. This year, we have already supported over 345,000 new permanent residents. Month after month, we are supporting a record number of immigrants, who are contributing to our community. We will continue to innovate and modernize our system, because we know that immigratio…
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Mr. Speaker, what the Conservatives seem unwilling to recognize is that there is a global phenomenon caused by interruptions to the supply chain, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, that have caused labour shortages in economies right across the world. Thankfully, as the Minister of Finance just shared in our other official language, more than 100% of the job losses from the peak of this pandemic have n…
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Mr. Speaker, before I begin, let me say that it is nice to see a fellow Bluenoser in the chair today. I would point out that Canada has now recovered more than 100% of the jobs lost during the peak of the pandemic, but we still suffer from the same labour shortages that are affecting competitive economies right across the world. In order to address the labour shortage, we have a number of facets t…
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Mr. Speaker, on an issue as important as addressing systemic racism in the public service, we need to ensure that we behave like adults when we are having conversations. I thank the hon. member for the very responsible conversation that we were able to have just a few hours ago, where it was not framed in necessarily quite the same way. The reality is systemic racism is a real threat, not only to …
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Mr. Speaker, I am sure the hon. member can appreciate the exceptional nature of a once-in-a-century pandemic that required exceptional measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and to save the lives and protect the well-being of Canadians in our communities. As the public health imperative changes, we have domestic and international legal obligations that we will meet in a way that respects the d…
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Mr. Speaker, the origin country of an asylum seeker does not change the legal obligations that the federal government is required to meet, both domestic and international. Further, I find language is being used to spark fear and division among Canadians and to turn them against people who are showing up at the border. We will treat some of the world's most vulnerable people with compassion and res…
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