Government Orders
Mr. Chair, people coming to Canada temporarily to work, to study—
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Mr. Chair, to be clear, when a person's visa expires, they are expected to leave the country. That is a question for CBSA and the minister of public—
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Mr. Speaker, it is an absolute honour to be here this evening as the minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship. I want to take a moment to really thank the constituents of Halifax West for placing their faith in me and electing me a second time as their member. I am joined this evening by the deputy minister, Dr. Harpreet S. Kochhar. I want to take a moment to thank him and all the staff w…
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Mr. Speaker, first, I would like to thank my colleague from Longueuil—Saint-Hubert for the question. It is a very good question, a crucial question. My answer is that we are taking important steps to strengthen the integrity of our immigration system while honouring our humanitarian commitments. That is why we introduced changes to ensure that our immigration system can handle such challenges now …
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Mr. Speaker, the hon. parliamentary secretary is a member from my home province of Nova Scotia. He has been an absolute delight to work with since I was elected federally, but even prior to that when I was a member of the Nova Scotia Legislature. He reminds me often of how young he is, but there is no age in this place. We all come from such different backgrounds. The member is quite right that I …
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Mr. Chair, first of all, allow me to thank the hon. member for Moncton—Dieppe for her advocacy and for being a champion, not only for her community but for many members who have been here in Parliament, including me, for the last number of years. Through budget 2024, the government invested $411.2 million in the federal health program for 2024-25, topping up existing funding and ensuring that refu…
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Mr. Chair, we recognize that there are challenges in our housing and infrastructure. That is why we have tabled the levels plan that works on sustainable immigration. We are reducing our permanent residency—
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Mr. Chair, again, those numbers are taken way out of context.
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Mr. Chair, I have been the minister for a total of about three weeks already, and I do not recall saying statements like that.
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Mr. Chair, let us use the facts here; the member's numbers are totally inaccurate. There have been 290,000 net new arrivals in Canada through the international student program. I do not know where she comes up with numbers. I would contextualize the numbers that she seems to read.
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Mr. Chair, we are working toward sustainable immigration by reducing our temporary resident numbers as well as our permanent residents. We have tabled the two-year levels plan, and it is there for the member to actually see.
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Mr. Chair, I say again that for people leaving the country, the exits are managed by CBSA—
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Mr. Chair, those people whose visas have expired are expected to be leaving.
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Mr. Chair, those numbers would be for the Department of Public Safety. People whose visas are expired, if they have not renewed them, and there are many people who renewed their—
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Mr. Chair, temporary residents enrich Canada's economy and cultural fabric, so the government is committed to reducing temporary immigration growth to better align with the needs of our labour market, housing supply and community capacity. In order to accomplish this, a study permit cap has been introduced, and eligibility requirements for work permits have been tightened, including a reduced inta…
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Mr. Chair, again, we are managing our targets. We have committed to reducing both our permanent residents and our temporary allocations. We have 2025-27 levels—
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Mr. Chair, we know that for the first quarter, we have reduced our numbers at well below the targeted rate.
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Mr. Chair, CBSA and the Department of Public Safety are in charge of those exit numbers.
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Mr. Chair, again, the government is committed to sustainable immigration levels, so we are calibrating the volume of immigrants to help alleviate some pressure on the housing demand. As such, IRCC is stabilizing permanent residents as well as temporary admissions to less than 1% of Canada's population annually beyond 2027. We are focusing on attracting global talent from around the world in order …
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Mr. Chair, again I would say that we are working on sustainable immigration. We have committed to reducing the temporary numbers as well as our permanent residency numbers. Canada—
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Mr. Speaker, those figures are inaccurate. That is misinformation. The new government is hard at work to improve our immigration system, and the introduction of Bill C-2 on Tuesday was an example of that. We are taking significant steps to preserve the integrity of our system while also upholding our humanitarian commitments, because we understand that a well-managed immigration system is essentia…
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Mr. Speaker, I believe we all agree that immigration is key to our economy in Canada and to our communities. As I said in my remarks, the date that was selected for that one-year rule, June 24, 2020, was picked specifically because that is the date that regulations came into effect to track exit data.
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Mr. Speaker, I am well aware of the challenges facing asylum seekers. That is why we included in the legislation the one-year rule effective June 25, 2020, to make our systems comprehensive and effective. We work very well with the Province of Quebec in these situations.
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Mr. Speaker, allow me to thank the member for Winnipeg North for not only his passion but also his accuracy in the information that he always presents to us in the House. I definitely do agree with him that this is an excellent piece of legislation, and I urge all colleagues in the House to please support it.
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Mr. Speaker, let me give the member opposite a lesson on immigration numbers, permits and visas. There are many applications and many individuals. We recognize that to balance our immigration and have a good country, we need temporary residents and permanent residents. Some applicants have multiple numbers; therefore I would suggest we look into the numbers a bit more in detail.
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Mr. Speaker, international students are vital to Canada. Ask any of our provinces and institutions. Our temporary foreign workers are as well. They are essential to our agricultural sector, to our fishing sector and to many facets of our population. Having said that, we understand, in the new government, that we need a balanced system. For that reason we have lowered the number of permanent reside…
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moved for leave to introduce Bill C-3, An Act to amend the Citizenship Act (2025). (Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
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Mr. Speaker, we understand very well on this side of the House that immigration is essential to grow our economy and strengthen our communities. Canadians want a solid and sustainable immigration system that allows Canada and those who come here to succeed. On this side of the House we are working on improving Canada and making it strong.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to say that this new government is here to work with Canadians, and the reduction in the permanent and temporary numbers that has been forecasted was forecasted with the understanding that we do need to reduce our numbers to ensure that our infrastructure meets the challenges of today. I would like to remind members that COVID put a lot of strain and stress on all the pro…
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Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the hon. member for Bourassa. I am pleased to rise today to talk about the strong borders act. The legislation before the House would strengthen border protection and border security and ensure integrity in the immigration system, with new authorities to improve how client information is shared with provincial and territorial partners; enforce our laws m…
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Mr. Speaker, our government takes the safety of children seriously. That is why we put forward a comprehensive plan to bring Canada into the 21st century and change our online world, making it safer for kids and better for all. The Conservatives are blocking the plan, and they are standing in the way of a better future for our kids online. Parents want the online harms act. Experts want the online…
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians have been through a lot in the last few years, and they are looking to all levels of government for relief and support. That is something I hear at the doors in Halifax West, and it is the call I bring every day to Ottawa when I represent my constituents, unlike the Conservatives, who have been forbidden to advocate for their communities. Can the Prime Minister give an updat…
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Madam Speaker, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the 26th report of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human rights, entitled “Islamophobia on the Rise: Taking Action, Confronting Hate and Protecting Civil Liberties Together”, and the 27th report, entitled “Heightened Antisemitism in Canada and How to Confront It”.
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Mr. Speaker, Silent night, holiday bright, Mr. Speaker, we did what is right. With inflation still hard to bear, we voted for real relief to show we care. With GST/HST off essential needs, we are helping families to succeed. Silent night, not all is right; the Leader of the Opposition refused this light. The leader who vowed to axe the tax turned his back when time to act. Broken promises, Canadia…
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Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 25th report of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights entitled “Supplementary Estimates (B), 2024-25: Vote 1b under Administrative Tribunals Support Service of Canada, Vote 1b under Canadian Human Rights Commission, Vote 1b under Courts Administration Service, Votes 1b and 5b under Department of Justice and Vote…
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Mr. Speaker, creating opportunities for young people is the reason I got into politics more than a decade ago. It is why I appreciate the impact of the Canada summer jobs program back home. Each year, Canada summer jobs provides wage subsidies to non-profits, faith groups, small businesses, universities and municipalities. This lets them keep doing good and grow the economy. The return we get from…
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Mr. Speaker, this summer, millions of Canadians tuned in to CBC to cheer on team Canada at the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris. Canadian athletes pushed limits, set new records and showed us the unifying power of sport. Many trained at the Canadian Sport Institute Atlantic in Halifax West. Canada's athletes give it their all to represent our country, so we are going to keep supporting them w…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Maskwa Aquatic Club on celebrating its 50th anniversary. Nestled in the waters of Kearney Lake in Halifax West, Maskwa is one of Canada's largest, and most committed and accomplished paddling clubs. It is where many in my community learned to swim, took out their first canoe or kayak, got summer work experience or first hiked through Blue Mountain-Birch Co…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition on behalf of Lebanese Canadians and friends of Lebanon. Lebanon is living in difficult times socially, politically and economically. The petitioners note that Lebanon has the largest number of refugees per capita in the world, and with the escalation of war, Lebanon and the Lebanese people are at risk of losing their lives, livelihoods, sovereignty and ind…
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Mr. Speaker, on this day 50 years ago, 32 women across Canada took an oath to become the RCMP's first female officers. They became known as Troop 17. Today we celebrate them and all women who have taken the oath since who selflessly serve in the RCMP to keep Canadians safe. Can the Minister of Public Safety update the House on the efforts made to encourage more women to follow in their footsteps a…
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Madam Speaker, the legislation amending the Canada Elections Act is an important piece of legislation. In fact, it is critical because it seeks to improve access to electoral participation, while also ensuring the continued integrity of our system. It has to go to committee to be studied further because it is essential to our democratic process. Can the member elaborate on that? Can he give us his…
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Madam Speaker, in my role as chair of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights, I have the honour to present, in the both official languages, the 24th report of the committee, regarding the consideration of George Dolhai for appointment as director of public prosecutions.
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Madam Speaker, I am proud, as the sponsor of the Lebanese Heritage Month Act, to recognize today the first anniversary of the adoption at all stages of the bill into law with unanimous consent. What a delight it was to hoist the Lebanese flag on Parliament Hill last November for the very first time. The pride in the adoption of the law is felt in communities across the country. This is a challengi…
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Mr. Speaker, June is graduation season, and today I rise to congratulate all graduates, especially those in my riding of Halifax West. This accomplishment is the result of years of hard work and marks the beginning of a new chapter. For all our graduates, their teachers, parents, extended family and school administrators have been essential to their success. They have supported and believed in the…
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his use of the French language. That was wonderful. We all agree with the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians that the “Special Report on Foreign Interference in Canada's Democratic Processes and Institutions” is a very serious report. Every parliamentarian and, I would recommend, most people involved in anything to do with polit…
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Madam Chair, I want the minister to speak a little more on this specific topic. I actually received a number of communications in my constituency from parents and grandparents who are very concerned about their children and about the fact that they are so preoccupied these days with online platforms. In fact, my recollection is that the justice minister was at our Standing Committee on Justice and…
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Madam Chair, it is a pleasure to rise today in the chamber. I will be providing remarks and using the remainder of my minutes, after my remarks, with some questions for the minister. I am pleased to speak this evening to an important keystone of access to justice, and that is legal aid. There are so many things one can speak on, but I have to limit what I can say here tonight in the minutes I have…
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Madam Chair, hate is on the rise in Canada. In fact, at our committee right now, we are studying anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. We could study anti anything these days. I believe there is so much going on in the world that people just want to express their anger, and there is a lot happening. It is alarming, and it is distressing to hear numerous accounts of hatred against people in our public fo…
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Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 23rd report of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights in relation to Bill C‑273, an act to amend the Criminal Code (Corinne's Quest and the protection of children). The committee studied the bill and has decided to report the bill back to the House with an amendment.
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Mr. Speaker, seniors in my riding can count on Chebucto Links for help putting healthy food on their kitchen tables. Every two weeks, its team delivers 10-pound produce bundles directly to seniors' doors for just $5. With new support from the United Way, those bundles are now completely free, and double the number of seniors will receive them. This is great news for residents of Fairview and Clayt…
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