Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, we all know that anyone who commits a crime in this country, regardless of their immigration status, be it Canadian or not, is treated according to the law, to the fullest extent of the law. Judges make decisions. There is absolutely nothing in the immigration law that allows for sentences to be discounted. As I stand here today, let me wish everybody a very happy Canada Day as we con…
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Mr. Speaker, I do want to wish the colleague a very happy July and August, wherever she is with her family. Perhaps in the fall she will come back with a bit of a better spirit. We have continuously said that no one can commit a crime with impunity. Serious crimes deserve serious consequences. There is nothing in the immigration law that does not allow that. In fact, public safety and law enforcem…
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Mr. Speaker, that colleague has asked that question a number of times, and it has been answered. Let me tell him what Canadians do want to know. Canadians know that the government is focused on building a stronger economy to responsibly manage migration. We have tightened our processes, and the latest numbers prove it: the temporary resident population is down 73%; asylum claims are down 63%; the …
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Mr. Speaker, I have good news. Here is what Canadians need to know. Our plan for responsible, sustainable immigration is working. The non-permanent resident population has declined. We are focused on attracting skilled talent, like health care workers, construction workers, researchers and engineers. The numbers do not lie. Our plan is working.
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Mr. Speaker, I have been clear. Just because someone has a Canadian ancestor, this does not mean they are automatically eligible for citizenship. They must definitively prove their link to Canada at each and every generation. Genealogy websites are not enough. My job is to safeguard the integrity of our citizenship program, and I will do everything necessary to protect that.
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Mr. Speaker, it was this government that put the ban on. The ban continues. We will continue to protect Canadians.
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Mr. Speaker, let us get the facts straight. I answered four hours of questions in committee of the whole for all Canadians to hear. I was very clear in my response that IRGC officials are inadmissible to Canada and have no place in our country.
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I am not sure if the opposition wants to hear the response, because all I hear is heckling.
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Mr. Speaker, let us try this again. As we have repeatedly said, IRGC officials are inadmissible to Canada. They are not being admitted. There is a ban; that ban continues to be in place. Any senior officials who have served in the Iranian regime since June 2003 onward are not admissible to Canada.
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moved that Bill C-16, An Act to amend certain Acts in relation to criminal and correctional matters (child protection, gender-based violence, delays and other measures), be read the third time and passed.
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Mr. Speaker, we remain committed to what we have promised. Despite significant challenges, Canadians need to know that over 1,400 Gazans have arrived in Canada. Through our programs, I have directed my department to accelerate decisions on study permits for Palestinian students who have been able to exit. They are being interviewed, and final decisions are being made. We will continue processing a…
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Mr. Chair, I will answer in English. As I understand it, right now at the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, there is an ongoing study about that. I very much look forward to receiving the results of that study.
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Mr. Chair, on the contrary, we have been successful. A reduction of 71% can certainly be considered a success.
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Mr. Chair, as I already mentioned, we had discussions with the provinces and territories during my last meeting and we will have more.
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Mr. Chair, as I said, the department is monitoring that. Bill C-3 does not create unlimited access to Canadian citizenship by descent. People have to provide proof of ancestry for every generation in the application.
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Mr. Chair, the integrity of Canadian citizenship is paramount. There are clear, identifiable steps people have to adhere to, follow and abide by in order to even get to that step.
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Mr. Chair, again, I believe that the record shows that we are managing migration. It shows the decrease of asylum. It shows that the temporary resident population has decreased as we said it would decrease, and the PBO has confirmed that.
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Mr. Chair, I want to start by thanking my colleague for the great work he does as a member of Parliament. I know he is a very committed advocate for his community. I was with him in his riding and I attended a Black History Month event here in Ottawa. I thank him—
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Mr. Chair, since 2023, we have introduced integrity measures, including stronger verification and letters of acceptance to all international students. We have made consistent follow-ups on flagged cases—
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Mr. Chair, IRCC has followed up with 100% of flagged cases.
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Mr. Chair, as the federal immigration minister, I have no evidence of that.
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Mr. Chair, I am working very hard for the French language and for francophone communities across Canada, and therefore in Quebec as well. This is something that I care deeply about.
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Mr. Chair, I am very pleased to be here this evening. I welcome the opportunity to highlight how the government is investing, through the main estimates, to support a strong and sustainable immigration system. Canadian communities benefit from immigration, and Canada also benefits from the talent that our system attracts from around the world. Immigration supports our economy. It helps our communi…
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Mr. Chair, I want to thank my hon. colleague for his passion but also for his experience and for bringing us back to 2014. Again, as I said, I became minister provincially in 2013. The times were very, very different back—
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Mr. Chair, I am not sure to whom he is referring. In 2024, we raised the financial requirements for all international students coming to Canada to study, and those are adjusted every year in September as well.
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Mr. Chair, as I was saying, discussions are under way and some refugees are already moving to Newfoundland and Labrador and New Brunswick. We are still working with these provinces.
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Mr. Chair, we are working with the provinces and territories on achieving that objective.
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Mr. Chair, let us calm down here a little bit. We have integrity measures. We have strengthened all of the measures. We are working diligently. Everyone who applies to Canada is assessed by trained immigration officers.
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Mr. Chair, we screen every applicant who is coming to Canada, regardless of the reason they are coming. CBSA removes serious criminals who have no right to be here. We work with policing. We work with RCMP—
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Mr. Chair, I am proud to say that this government is investing in law enforcement. This government is protecting Canadians. That is our priority. We have reduced the IFHP coverage. We have instituted copay as well. The PBO has confirmed—
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Mr. Chair, again, I know it is an important subject. I appreciate my colleague. I know he cares; otherwise, he would not be asking me the question. I do appreciate that, but again, as I said, these are temporary, interim federal health measures for vulnerable—
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Mr. Chair, the coverage is for essential services. It is aligned with similar provincial health insurance programs.
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Mr. Chair, these are temporary, limited measures for vulnerable people who are not yet receiving provincial coverage.
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Mr. Chair, no one can commit a crime with impunity, whether they are Canadian or not. People committing crimes face consequences.
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Mr. Chair, IRCC initially screens each applicant when they apply for a visa or an electronic travel authorization document, whether it is for work, for study or for permanent residency.
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Mr. Chair, no crime is acceptable regardless of the degree of the crime.
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Mr. Chair, again, the Canada Border Services Agency and Public Safety work to ensure they follow up on these matters and investigate them.
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Mr. Chair, serious crime deserves serious consequences. There are investigations that happen, and they will be deported.
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Mr. Chair, we have taken considerable action. Actions speak louder than words in this wonderful institution we have. We have laws and we will continue to work with—
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Mr. Chair, there are security processes that take place prior to people's coming into Canada, when they make application. There is ongoing security that happens at every stage of the process.
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Mr. Chair, CBSA is reviewing 176 that are under investigation.
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Mr. Chair, for the benefit of the people listening, this government has brought in many pieces of legislation to protect Canadians, many pieces of crime legislation, and the opposition has been obstructing and has obstructed each and every one of them.
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Mr. Chair, we work with partners in public safety, the RCMP and the CBSA. We have reinforced them. We are hiring 1,000 additional staff. We brought in various measures. I think Canadians in the community can feel safe.
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Mr. Chair, the IRB has confirmed that it will use them only in very exceptional, limited circumstances. They are not used in cases.
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Mr. Chair, our government remains focused on removing criminals from the country.
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Mr. Chair, we work with the provinces and territories to focus on addressing the labour market gaps. Quite frankly, I have received letters from Conservative members of Parliament as well, advocating for the temporary foreign worker program.
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Mr. Chair, I have answered the question a number of times. The member may not like the response, but I have already provided those answers.
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Mr. Chair, I welcome my colleague across the way. I have not seen him since we were at the United Nations together. He knows that the IRB is an independent body.
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Mr. Chair, welcome to you. The IRB is an independent body. It does set its rules according to the law of the land. We have a Constitution, and we have laws we also adhere to.
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Mr. Chair, all serious crimes should be dealt with by the courts, by the laws and by the board, and there are consequences that criminals face.
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