Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I am here today to speak to this bill to amend the Citizenship Act. I am here to say that it is very important to work on getting this bill through committee and the House. I look forward to the co‑operation of all parliamentarians who are working in the House to move this bill forward.
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Mr. Speaker, again, I am looking forward to constructive dialogue from all parties, whether it is today or in committee. We are taking the responsible step of approaching the court decision by creating a framework to citizenship by descent, including creating the need to demonstrate a strong connection to Canada. I am very much looking forward to July 1, because on July 1, traditionally, for the l…
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Mr. Speaker, again, I am going to reiterate that the reason we are here today is a decision made by a court that rendered these provisions unconstitutional. If we do absolutely nothing, it will put Canadians at risk, and it would really be a tragedy for those who have been waiting for years to have their citizenship recognized. I very much look forward to members discussing and debating this and r…
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Mr. Speaker, I look forward to working with my colleague. We worked together on the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights. I am here to work on immigration issues with him and all the members of his team.
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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, 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, 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, I say again that for people leaving the country, the exits are managed by CBSA—
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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, we believe in a well-managed, sustainable immigration system.
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Mr. Chair, we work with the CBSA, or the CBSA is there to take control of those circumstances.
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Mr. Chair, the member would probably know more than me the colour of her shirt. She is wearing it.
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Mr. Chair, I believe I have been answering the questions.
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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, between January and April 30, which is the first quarter of 2025, I can say that total asylum claims across Canada had fallen by 36%.
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Mr. Chair, I met with the IRB chair and board, and they have advised me that they are working on their time—
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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, we will get that information before we leave today, but again, as I said to the member—
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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, 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 last I heard, the taxpayers were the Canadian population.
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Mr. Chair, as I explained, in the estimates, when there is a rise in part of the estimates, there is a correlation decrease in another estimate.
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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, 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, 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, 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, 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, it is a known fact that if we do not have immigration to this country, we cannot fill our labour gaps. Immigration is what drives this economy. It is the people who are coming—
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Mr. Chair, what I have said is that the 2025 to 2027 targets have been set, have been labelled—
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Mr. Chair, I do not believe I alter reports. That is not my job.
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Mr. Chair, this is an important issue, and we are working with officials to reduce the numbers.
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Mr. Chair, the numbers are already available. I also spoke with my colleague—
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Mr. Chair, we are talking about 5% of the population by 2027.
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Mr. Chair, we have a robust system, but it is not a 100% tool to prevent fraud, which is why we are working to secure and protect our system.
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Mr. Chair, we have introduced Bill C-2 to ensure that we protect our integrity on the borders and—
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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, 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, I know there has been a 71% reduction in visitors who have—
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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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Mr. Chair, as I understand it, the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada processes 85,000 claims a year.
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Mr. Chair, I think that the member is talking about the Canada-Quebec accord. Is that right?
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Mr. Chair, we understand and recognize the role that Quebec plays in welcoming asylum seekers. We have always supported Quebec. The number of asylum seekers in Ontario and Quebec is very high. That is why we are working with the provinces to—
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Mr. Chair, the federal government has paid the Government of Quebec $750 million in consideration of the challenges associated with temporary accommodation and asylum caused by irregular border crossings. We always work with the Province of Quebec—
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Mr. Chair, we remain committed to doing our part and working with Quebec to fulfill our national and international obligations towards people fleeing violence.
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