Government Orders
Mr. Chair, again, if the question relates to the IRB, it is an independent body, as I said. It does report to Parliament. There are laws in the country that it has to adhere to, and we expect it to do that.
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Mr. Chair, if we find a person in Canada who has committed a crime, Canada Border Services Agency investigates that, and they could become inadmissible.
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Mr. Chair, the IRB is an independent body. It has to adhere to Canadian law, and that is exactly what it is doing.
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Mr. Chair, again, if a person in Canada has committed a crime, they are investigated by the Canada Border Services Agency, and there are consequences.
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Mr. Chair, the IRB has a number of officers. They are appointed for certain terms, and it goes through an OIC process.
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Mr. Chair, that is a really good question. Under my watch, we have laid the foundation for the first exit tracking system in the country.
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Mr. Chair, CBSA officers can review, case by case, whether to track people, but in terms of a comprehensive exit tracking system, we have now initiated the foundation to ensure that we build that for all going forward.
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Mr. Chair, the Conservatives were in power a decade ago. Canada has never had an exit tracking system. What we are doing now is ensuring that we build one.
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Mr. Chair, the member mentioned 2018, which is fabulous. I was a provincial minister and, in fact, acted as the minister of labour and advanced education in 2020. I worked very closely with the unions in my province and can speak to some of that.
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Mr. Chair, I love to hear about skilled trades. That is something this budget is offering: lots and lots of positions for skilled trades for young people and people of all ages in terms of compensation, but we also want to attract people—
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Mr. Chair, I was provincial minister for eight years before now and have been a federal minister for 12 months. I understand the TEER levels, the skilled trades and construction, having come from that world. The important thing is that the measures that have been implemented are working.
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Mr. Chair, I believe that was written in some article that was in fact corrected because it was not correct. The guidelines do not allow inadmissibility hearings to be delayed.
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Mr. Chair, the numbers are being processed based on our levels plan.
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Mr. Chair, as I said, there are consequences for people who do not leave, and CBSA, as the Minister of Public Safety said today, has deported 23,000 people.
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Mr. Chair, criminals, regardless of their status, whether they are Canadian, temporary residents or permanent residents, face consequences.
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Mr. Chair, again, we have introduced modest copays for claimants. As the PBO has said, the reduction in asylum claims themselves, coupled with the introduction of the copay that we now receive—
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Mr. Chair, as I said, IRGC officials are inadmissible to Canada. There is a long-standing ban, and that ban continues to be enforced.
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Mr. Chair, our priority is the safety and security of Canadians, and IRGC officials are inadmissible to Canada.
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Mr. Chair, these are essential services for the most vulnerable people that are aligned with the services of the provinces and territories in the jurisdictions where they are.
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Mr. Chair, these are health care services, essential health care services, provided on a temporary basis for vulnerable populations. They are aligned with the provinces' and territories' fees.
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Mr. Chair, the IRCC and Public Safety Canada review each and every application at multiple stages. As I have said, IRGC officials are inadmissible to Canada.
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Mr. Chair, the safety and security of Canadians is our priority. We work with CBSA, policing partners, the public safety minister and others to ensure we protect Canadians.
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Mr. Chair, this is temporary health coverage for vulnerable populations for essential services. The PBO estimates that we will reduce the expenditures by over $200 million annually.
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Mr. Chair, as I have said, we have taken the necessary steps to respond to the Ebola outbreak and protect public health in coordination with our partners, including the Public Health Agency of Canada, Canada Border Services Agency and Global Affairs—
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Mr. Chair, through the work that I have been leading, we have introduced pathways to ensure that more doctors who are already practising in Canada and who are foreign doctors get permanent residency.
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Mr. Chair, let me just set the record straight. In my first year as minister, we had a 59% reduction in asylum claims in early 2026 compared to 2024, temporary foreign work permits are down 75% in 2026 compared to 2024, and new student visas—
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Mr. Chair, IRCC does not tolerate at all any misconduct. The report was proactively published. It is very transparent for all Canadians to see.
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Mr. Chair, we have a proactive response to all misconduct, and action is appropriately managed. There have been some who have been fired.
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Mr. Chair, again, these are essential services for the most vulnerable of the population, and they are aligned to the services social services clients receive in the provinces and territories.
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Mr. Chair, in fact we spent standing committee meetings on the Auditor General's report, which actually confirmed that a number of the actions that the IRCC department has taken were very effective.
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Mr. Chair, again, I will repeat that these are temporary essential services for vulnerable individuals. They are for the most vulnerable population.
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Mr. Chair, the Auditor General found that the cancellation of the student direct stream in 2024 was the right path to take. That has curbed all kinds of misconduct.
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Mr. Chair, again, what we did in this piece of legislation was ensure that citizenship by descent cannot be passed on indefinitely. We have provided clarity, we have provided structure, and we have provided control to citizenship by descent.
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Mr. Chair, anybody can claim anything. However, there is a requirement that proof of ancestry at every chain must be established.
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Mr. Chair, we worked very hard. There was Bill C-12, and we also made changes with things—
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Again, Mr. Chair, the federal government is no longer in the hotel business. We provide funding to municipalities in order to reduce pressure on them. They call them reception centres or transitional housing.
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Mr. Chair, as I have said before, French is very important. That is why we are focusing on francophone immigration. It is not just important for Quebec. It is important for the entire country.
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Mr. Chair, as I said, Bill C-3 provides clarity, structure and control to citizenship by descent, and there are also strong safeguards to uphold the integrity of citizenship.
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Mr. Chair, again, I am delighted that everybody wants to come to Canada, but just because they want to come and are expressing their delight in coming, it does not mean they are going to be able to come. There are clear rules in place, and we are monitoring the impact.
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Mr. Chair, the department is working very hard to process all claims. I can tell him that between now and the end—
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Mr. Chair, we have seen successes. I have already said that there has been a 71% decrease in asylum claims in Quebec. With the passage of Bill C‑12, we are also going to see more—
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Mr. Chair, I want to say a few words about the people of Quebec. They are very welcoming people, and we thank them all. However, the federal government has also done its part and—
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Mr. Chair, as I have already said, we have significantly reduced the number of asylum seekers and we are working harder with the provinces and territories to resettle them as well.
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Mr. Chair, as I said, we are awaiting the committee's report because I hope my colleagues will also have useful insights for us.
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Mr. Speaker, as I have said the last number of days, the Parliamentary Budget Officer confirmed what we already know and that is this health program provides limited, temporary, essential health coverage for vulnerable people. The cost is tied to volumes. The good news is our volumes have gone down by 59%. Taxpayers will save over $200 million annually because of the IFHP changes that we have inst…
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Mr. Speaker, what Canadians need to know is that, because of a Liberal budget and because of a Liberal bill, Bill C-12, and as confirmed by the Parliamentary Budget Officer, there will be $400 million in savings, $200 million plus another $200 million, in the interim health care coverage, because asylum numbers have gone down and because we brought forth Bill C-12 to curb exactly those situations.
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Mr. Chair, if there is a non-Canadian in Canada who has committed an offence, the Canada Border Services Agency will investigate. If there are other reasons, I would suggest provincial policing partners as well as the courts.
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Mr. Chair, serious crime deserves serious consequences. The CBSA investigates all these cases and takes appropriate action.
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Mr. Chair, as we have said, and we have been very clear with Canadians and all employers, Canadians must always be first in line for jobs.
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Mr. Chair, as the member knows, two days ago, we held a press conference in which we put immigration measures in place to protect the safety of Canadians.
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