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Mr. Chair, it takes between 14 and 18 months.
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Mr. Chair, again, as of today, the average time to process these claims is 14 to 18 months.
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Mr. Chair, as I referenced in my opening remarks, when we talked about our estimates, we have interim housing supports. We also have—
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Mr. Chair, is the member asking me what Canada's population is, of people who live in Canada?
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Mr. Chair, we have a robust criminal justice system, and there are roles in place. Again, people who are charged—
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Mr. Chair, it is an important question. I will go back with my officials, and we will work through details on that particular program.
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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, we have robust measures in the main estimates that deal with biometric collection, with security, but again, CBSA and CSIS are the ones that are in charge of that.
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Mr. Chair, we will get that information before we leave today, but again, as I said to the member—
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Mr. Chair, when those targets are set, the IRCC has to consult all provinces, territories, stakeholders and communities.
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Mr. Chair, I mean, the CBSA would be the department that would be able to answer questions like that.
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Mr. Chair, again, there are biometrics, even in the estimates. We have funding allocated for those, which is $55.5 million in the estimates. There are—
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Mr. Chair, what I have said and will say again is that we have implemented stronger integrity to prevent students from being taken advantage of. We have also clarified that programs delivered through—
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Mr. Chair, let me be clear. The number of expiring documents is not the number of people. Anybody whose visa expired is expected to leave, and when they do not—
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Mr. Chair, those numbers are given to provinces and communities to help support the people who come to their provinces as well.
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Mr. Chair, the safety of Canadians is of prime importance, which is why we have also introduced Bill C-2 to strengthen our borders, ensure the immigration system and visa—
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Mr. Chair, again, there is a robust system, and we have tightened those systems. We have updated the postgraduate work permit program to better respond to the needs, and we have limited the number off campus. We are working hard to ensure the international—
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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, I am passionate about francophone immigration. When I was the minister of immigration and responsible for Acadian and francophone affairs in Nova Scotia, I worked very hard to increase the number of francophones in Nova Scotia. I am very proud that Canada has exceeded the targets it set for itself. We have a plan here. We have set a target of 12% francophone immigration outside Quebec b…
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Mr. Chair, I have already spoken, in my very short few weeks as a federal minister, with the provincial and territorial ministers responsible for immigration. The provincial nominee program is key to a lot of provinces because it gives them the opportunity to make decisions as to where they believe they have labour gap needs. We are here, as a federal department, to work with provinces and territo…
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Mr. Chair, I do have a mandate letter from the Prime Minister, and he has made it quite clear as to what the expectations are.
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Mr. Chair, the measures in Bill C-2 were introduced for the fact that we are seeing a high number of asylum claims, some of which are not legitimate, and that is meant to ensure—
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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. Chair, the last I heard, the taxpayers were the Canadian population.
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Mr. Chair, that is exactly why we are working to reduce our numbers, and those numbers are decreasing.
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Mr. Chair, we believe in a well-managed, sustainable immigration system.
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Mr. Chair, I believe I already responded to that question when we talked about international students and housing. The facts show that rents have already started to come down in major cities, and we have—
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Mr. Chair, Bill C-2 is critical for ensuring the integrity of our immigration and asylum system. We want to make sure that people around the globe know we welcome talent and welcome people to come visit, but when their time expires, we want them to go back home. If someone is a legitimate asylum seeker, we are here to protect them, but our borders are not a shortcut for people claiming asylum. The…
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Mr. Chair, to begin, I would like to thank my colleague. I greatly appreciate his co-operation. We have met once already, and I look forward to working with him to improve the situation, not only in Quebec, but also across Canada. Could my colleague repeat his question?
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Mr. Chair, we know it is 40-some million people. I do not have the exact number—
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Mr. Chair, immigration is Canada's greatest strength, and it is important not to blame newcomers to Canada for the housing crisis.
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Mr. Chair, what I will say is, post-pandemic, had we not increased our immigration levels, our economy would have absolutely shrunk.
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Mr. Chair, we have service standards. From my briefings, in the very short time that I have been a minister, I understand we are actually meeting and exceeding those standards.
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Mr. Chair, we actually spoke about that and it is in the estimates. We have biometrics that—
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Mr. Chair, again, those numbers are taken way out of context.
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Mr. Chair, I do not know how much time I have, but perhaps you would allow me. When numbers are set in those targets, I know, as a previous provincial minister—
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Mr. Chair, all immigrants who come here, whether they are international students or temporary foreign workers, are screened by biometrics. Comprehensive screening is done.
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Mr. Chair, when immigration documents expire, individuals are expected to leave the country, and those who do not comply, public safety—
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Mr. Chair, we are talking about 5% of the population by 2027.
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Mr. Chair, we work very hard at IRCC with our partners around the globe to ensure that—
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Mr. Chair, that is why the ineligibility requirements in Bill C-2 are there. It is to ensure that we deal with the people who do not have legitimate claims. My—
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Mr. Chair, departmental plans for my department are due in November. They are always due in November.
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Mr. Chair, I really appreciate that question. It is a very good question. I can tell my colleague that I will talk to departmental officials about it. I will keep my colleague posted.
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Mr. Chair, I really appreciate these questions. I must point out that I have only been minister for a few weeks. It is important for me to answer my colleague's questions. I understand these issues. They are important. I think the processing time is probably related to Ukraine and Afghanistan.
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Mr. Chair, what I can say is that estimates have been established for now. I cannot predict what the future will bring.
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Mr. Chair, again, this is very important. What I can say is that the department's plan is coming. My colleague is right. However, when he talks about modernizing the immigration system, we are at $134.8 million for this year.
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Mr. Chair, it is 5% of the national population by 2027.
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Mr. Chair, that is a question for the Minister of Public Safety.
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Mr. Chair, we are working on reducing processing times. I have already met with representatives of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, who assured me that they are working very hard and efficiently. I think that Bill C-2 will help a lot.
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Mr. Chair, as I said, I really appreciate my colleague's questions. They are important. What I am saying is that we are working to reduce processing times—
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