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Mr. Chair, we have very strict rules for employers looking to hire temporary foreign workers. It was this government that tightened the rules as well to ensure that it is a last resort.
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Mr. Chair, we share Canadians' concern, and we are working to ensure that we manage migration responsibly, because that is what Canadians expect. I have worked very strongly with all provinces and territories. In fact, so far we have held five meetings together.
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Mr. Chair, it is a wonderful question, because I was a provincial minister of immigration for eight years. Immigration is a shared responsibility between the two levels of government, and in my job, I will continue to work with the provinces and territories accordingly.
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Mr. Chair, as I said, I have worked very closely with all provinces, territories and ministers responsible for immigration in all those jurisdictions, and I have excellent relationships with them.
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Mr. Chair, let me go back to the member's other question for a moment. We have tightened all kinds of rules and restrictions and have made penalties for all our consultants.
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Mr. Chair, as we have said, IRGC officials are inadmissible to Canada. The government has put a ban on them, and that ban continues to be in place.
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Mr. Chair, there have been 239 visas cancelled by IRCC and 176 investigations by the CBSA.
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Mr. Chair, IRGC officials, as we have said, are inadmissible to Canada. It was the Liberal government that put that ban in place, and it continues to be there.
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Mr. Chair, I am going to say it one more time: IRGC officials are inadmissible to Canada. There is a ban in place. CBSA works forcefully to remove them, and we are investing in our policing and our officers to do exactly that.
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Mr. Chair, I think the Conservatives have a real problem with this. I just want to say that the government has acted to protect the value of citizenship by passing this piece of legislation and ensuring that people value our citizenship and our Canadian—
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Mr. Chair, I very much appreciate that question. Absolutely, we are honouring the accord. Absolutely, we are working very hard with the Province of Quebec and its immigration minister.
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Mr. Chair, unfortunately, I did not quite hear the question. However, I can tell the member that we are working with the province of Quebec and with the members of the House who represent Quebec to maintain—
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Mr. Chair, this matter falls under provincial jurisdiction. At the federal level, as I said, we are working closely with the Province of Quebec, with the Quebec minister, and with the members here.
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Mr. Chair, the Canada-Quebec accord addresses these issues. As Minister of Immigration, I believe the agreement allows Quebec to select all of its immigrants, and we respect that.
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Mr. Chair, first of all, we recognize Quebec's role in welcoming asylum seekers. The good news is that we have reduced the number by 71% compared to—
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Mr. Chair, I will start from the beginning. First, as I mentioned, we fully recognize the important role Quebec has played in welcoming asylum seekers over recent years. There is one very important point—in fact, there are several—and that is that applications have fallen by 71% compared to 2024. Furthermore, since 2019, Quebec has received over $1.1 billion to help cover the costs associated with…
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Mr. Chair, we began this dialogue during our meeting with the other provinces. I can say that New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador have agreed to take in a number of refugees.
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Mr. Chair, as I have already said, I am working closely with the ministers responsible for immigration in all the provinces and territories. This is an ongoing discussion.
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Mr. Chair, as I said before, we have some good examples. New Brunswick's immigration minister has set an example for all other ministers that it is—
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Mr. Chair, as my colleague, the Minister of Public Safety, said today, the Canada Border Services Agency removed over 23,000 inadmissible people last year.
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Mr. Chair, the good news is that applications are down by 71% compared to 2024. I see that as positive. Also, as I already said, we have provided over $1.1 billion since 2019.
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Mr. Chair, we have been working hard to get things done. The number of asylum seekers in Quebec, and indeed across Canada, has dropped significantly in the past two years.
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Mr. Chair, I wholeheartedly disagree. In the 12 months since I became the minister, there has been a significant reduction and we have done a lot of things for that.
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Mr. Chair, as part of interim housing assistance program agreements with the IRCC, two provinces, Newfoundland and Labrador and New Brunswick, support the voluntary relocation of asylum claimants—
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Mr. Chair, I work with Quebec all the time on this issue, as well as on many others.
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Mr. Chair, indeed, the number of asylum seekers has been reduced in Quebec by 71% in the last two years. We have also worked with provinces and territories. We will continue to do that to ensure that refugees are able to go to other provinces, with the help of the provinces and territories and the financial assistance of the Government of Canada.
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Mr. Chair, the point here is that Quebec has received more than $1.1 billion to help cover the costs associated with asylum seekers. Since 2019, we have continued to work with the other provinces on distribution.
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Mr. Chair, as I have already said, we are awaiting the report from the committee, which is currently examining this very issue.
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Mr. Chair, I have already spoken with representatives from several countries while I was at the United Nations headquarters this month. Our work continues.
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Mr. Chair, I would like to thank the member for Moncton—Dieppe for her many years of service and for the excellent work she has done on behalf of all Canadians. Her leadership on official languages and her support for francophone and Acadian communities have been extremely important. As she said, earlier this year, I had the opportunity to travel with her to Moncton, where we announced further pro…
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Mr. Chair, I appreciate the member's opening remarks because my family and I are also immigrants. I say that everyone in this chamber is an immigrant unless they are from a first nations community. The only difference is some have come here before the others. I very much value the contributions that immigrants and hard-working people make to Canada.
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Mr. Chair, my colleague is talking about criminals and crime. Whether someone is Canadian or not, if they commit a crime in this country, they will pay the price of that crime. This is the case whether they are an asylum seeker, an international student or a Canadian.
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Mr. Chair, everyone who applies to Canada, regardless of the path, is assessed by trained immigration officers on the very front line, and we will continue to improve on this.
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Mr. Chair, we work very closely with public safety partners, including the CBSA, the RCMP, policing partners and provincial authorities. We review each applicant to ensure that they do not pose a threat prior—
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Mr. Chair, serious offences like this deserve serious consequences. The Immigration and Refugee Protection Act does not include anything on special treatment or leniency for—
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Mr. Chair, public safety is of paramount importance in Canada. Obviously, it is the courts and the judges that apply the law.
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Mr. Chair, criminals are deported by the CBSA after sentencing occurs. If they are sentenced appropriately, action is taken.
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Mr. Chair, again, I cannot speak to any specific case because that is not my role here tonight. What I can say and reconfirm is that serious crime deserves serious consequences.
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Mr. Chair, the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act does not include anything on this type of treatment. We treat all offences seriously. The CBSA deports individuals as needed.
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Mr. Chair, I recognize the member opposite had a private member's bill that was voted down. I appreciate her advocacy. We have laws. There is nothing in IRPA that allows that. If we find a person in Canada who has committed a crime and is a non-Canadian, the Canada Border Services Agency investigates, all of them, and that person could become inadmissible and removed from Canada.
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Mr. Chair, when a non-citizen is convicted of a serious crime, immigration consequences follow. The CBSA will investigate, and there is due process, if it is there, and then they do get deported.
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Mr. Chair, I said that serious crimes deserve serious consequences. The CBSA has deported, as the public safety minister said today, 23,000 people. There is nothing in the immigration law that allows for discounting sentences. Sentences must be proportionate to the crime and the context. As I said, we are—
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Mr. Chair, public safety is our top priority. In fact, I was a justice minister provincially in 2013. I understand that more than anyone else. We have multiple crime bills before us in this House that that party and that member have been obstructing since we came here. We are investing in law enforcement. Our priority is to ensure that Canadians are kept safe.
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Mr. Chair, I really appreciate this discussion here tonight because it is really important. It affects a lot of people. We take that very seriously. Criminals, whether Canadians, visitors or whatever their status is in Canada, will be held responsible by the law. The courts do their best. If they are non-Canadians, the CBSA investigates. Our priority is to always protect Canadians.
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Mr. Chair, first let me thank the member for Burnaby Central for the work that he is already doing on behalf of his constituents. I know he brings a valuable perspective here, particularly because he is also an immigrant to Canada and has lived experience. With respect to the Hong Kong pathway, Canada stands with the people of Hong Kong, and we support their human rights and freedom. We have imple…
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Mr. Chair, I want to thank the member for Beauport—Limoilou for the work he does in his community. As he said, back in January, I spent a great day with him and representatives of incredible community organizations working hard on the ground to welcome and support newcomers to Quebec. I especially want to thank the Centre R.I.R.E 2000, the Service de référence en perinatalité pour les femmes immig…
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Mr. Chair, we all have youth in our communities and homes. We want them to have good jobs and good opportunities. Right now is a great time to bring forth that there are thousands and thousands of Canada summer jobs that are available in every single riding in this country. I would recommend to the member that—
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Mr. Chair, we do have a youth unemployment rate. There are many factors in that rate. The rate has recently been rising. The temporary foreign worker program—
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Mr. Chair, our measures are working. We have tightened regulations. Employers in the workforce have already tightened them. It is correct that there have been 74% fewer new worker arrivals. That is down 103,160 people in the first three months of 2026, compared to 2024.
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Mr. Chair, we are reducing the share of non-permanent residents, including workers, to less than 5% of Canada's population by the end of 2027. That was the mandate and commitment we made in the election. Canadians elected this government. The Prime Minister has made that a mandate that he provided to all ministers. The Parliamentary Budget Officer has confirmed we are—
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