Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, obviously all of our initiatives to send asylum seekers to other provinces need to be done humanely and consensually. The language criterion is one of many, but should not be the main criterion. We all need to make an extra effort. The federal government has a role to play; Ontario, Quebec and all the provinces do as well.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I am in politics to work with the Government of Quebec. I am not in show business. There is no question that we can work with the Government of Quebec. Everyone knows the Bloc Québécois does not speak for all Quebeckers. Several members in the House come from Quebec, including the Prime Minister. We are hearing very clearly that the federal government has a role to play in immigrati…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I would like to sincerely thank the member for her question about Quebeckers trying to reunite their family. Clearly, the government of Quebec sets family reunification thresholds. At present, I believe these thresholds are kept artificially low. This causes great harm to many Quebeckers when they try to reunify their families. Talks are under way with my government of Quebec collea…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for her question and, obviously, her passion on this issue. This is not just about coming to Canada and treading water. We have asylum seekers and refugees who are members of cabinet and members of Parliament. One even crossed at Roxham Road and is now a great serving member of Parliament in Ontario. Our settlement services are the envy of the world. I just went t…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, it does not take an expert in the field to know that criminals exploit vulnerabilities. The member opposite should be well aware that any announcement with advance notice would be another sign of vulnerability and people could exploit it. If he thinks I am going to do it publicly, he should think twice, because there are people who pay attention to every word the immigration minister …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, the survey in question shows conclusively that immigrants are good for the economy. There is much left unsaid by the Bloc Québécois. They ask us to revise the targets, but I think what they mean is we should lower them without consulting the government of Quebec. I believe they should make more of an effort if they wish to have a reasoned discussion of the issue. I ask the members o…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, as the member well knows, the plan that I put forth in the fall deals with permanent residency numbers. We know that the number of temporary foreign workers we have in Canada, under various descriptions, has increased significantly in the last couple of years. This has been good for the economy, but it is also something that has gotten out of control in some sectors, which we acknow…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, before I begin my speech, I would like to acknowledge that we are gathered on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe nation. I am pleased to rise today to discuss this motion and provide members with information on the immigration targets set by the Government of Canada. In the area of immigration, we remain committed to working with our partners in the provinces, territo…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, the answer is no. We need provinces to step up and actually do their jobs in regulating designated learning institutions that they have authority over. We trusted for far too long, and perhaps we should have verified this. However, this is really something that needs to be brought under control. That is notably in Ontario, but there are other provinces that need to do a better job a…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, we see with this type of question that the Bloc Québécois is still trying to pick a fight. Obviously, as a responsible government we are at the negotiating table with the Government of Quebec. Do members know who is not? It is the Bloc Québécois. The Government of Quebec could invite Bloc members, but they are not welcome. Let them be the armchair quarterbacks that they are and let th…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, that is precisely what this measure is about. It is about saving lives in the face of a humanitarian catastrophe. We have said time and time again that we will be flexible about the 1,000-person cap. Right now, the challenge is actually getting an initial list of people out who are pre-approved to cross Rafah gates. I am extremely disappointed with local authorities that we have not b…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I think it would be useful to point out that, since 2015, Quebec has received $4.4 billion under the Canada-Quebec accord. That is not an insignificant amount of money. It is earmarked for welcoming immigrants and is put towards the services Quebec uses to welcome immigrants and help them integrate under the Canada-Quebec accord. The amount was $300 million in 2015 and it is now $700 …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois members are acting like back-seat drivers, as they often do. Quebec received $50 million, along with another $100 million to house asylum seekers, and that is this year alone. The Bloc Québécois picks any old statistic it likes and draws whatever conclusion it chooses. The Bloc Québécois is just a bunch of back-seat drivers. In the meantime, we will work with the Qu…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois is the only one who thinks that $70 million, $50 million and $100 million is just small change. That money is very important to the asylum seekers who will end up in Quebec. As the member knows full well, we have a good relationship with the Government of Quebec. We are going to act the way a responsible government should and work with them. Quebec's finance ministe…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, it is true that this affects real people. People should not be treated like cattle. They need to be treated with respect and compassion. It is true that we are making efforts to send asylum seekers to other provinces when they request it, but people need to be treated with respect. That is why I announced yesterday more than $300 million to house asylum seekers. Canada is not exempt f…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, as people heard yesterday, we are providing the money. Quebec has done more than its share, and we applaud its efforts. There is still work to be done to speed up the work permit process, and we are doing that. We are working with Quebec to speed up the process so that asylum seekers can work in the health care sector. That is very important, but the starting point is working collabor…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, as you well know, this kind of decision must be taken seriously. We must first take very important diplomatic steps with Mexico. We will not be making any rushed statements in the House of Commons.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, this is interesting. The Bloc does not want to blame immigrants, yet they are telling us to amend our plans. I would like to ask the Bloc members from rural ridings to go and visit the farmers in their ridings to see where they are finding workers. Would they want to reduce the number of temporary workers? The Bloc members need to answer the question, because it is a very important on…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, we can hear the members laughing, but yesterday in the House, the leader of the Bloc Québécois compared immigrants to heat pumps. Then, during my announcement of more than $300 million to help house refugees, he was talking about social housing. They are not taking this seriously. It is an issue that needs to be taken seriously. We are not negotiating with the federal member for Beloe…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the member was here in the House. He did not learn about it in the papers, unless he did not listen. I was the one who announced that there would be good news this week. It will deal with matters under my authority, and naturally, Quebec will not be getting all that it asked for. That is very clear, but it will deal with matters under my authority. It is our responsibility to support …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, it is nice to hear the member opposite admit that this responsibility falls to both levels of government. Last year, he was claiming that it was solely Canada's responsibility, and that all the provinces needed was money. We are clearly going to work together. We clearly need to make more effort. There are two provinces that are overburdened, Ontario and Quebec. This is something we c…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the government is not saving money by giving Quebec $700 million a year under the Canada-Quebec accord, in addition to a surplus of over $700 million that we have never asked Quebec about. We never asked for an accounting, but obviously there will have to be a conversation about that with Quebec. We are ready to have that conversation. We are already having some good discussions. As I…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the member across the way seems to forget that we have a unique agreement with Quebec, the Canada-Quebec accord, which transfers more than $700 million a year to Quebec precisely to manage its levels. Quebec is almost exclusively responsible for choosing who comes to Quebec. We will work with Quebec to ensure that this is consistent with its integration capacity. I have a question for…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I want to begin by welcoming my colleague from the Bloc back to Parliament. I understand that, for the Bloc, this is about the essence of immigration. Let us just make sure we work in the interests of immigrants. I had a good conversation with Minister Fréchette on Friday. We are prepared to do more. It is clear that Quebec has done more than its fair share, but we are here to work to…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, we are facing historic influxes, and not just from Mexico. It is clear that restrictions are needed, as I have said publicly. The member opposite has enough experience in politics and in the House to know that the details of such matters cannot be discussed in the public arena, knowing that people who do not have Canada's interests at heart could well make decisions based on what they…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, insofar as Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, or IRCC, is concerned, the 2024-26 immigration levels plan, tabled November 1, 2023, was developed in close consultation with a wide variety of partners and stakeholders and took into account a range of factors. The 2024-26 levels plan aims to balance Canada’s need for population and economic growth with its capacity to welcome …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, good news is coming this week. It is clear that relationships go both ways. We will continue to work with Quebec to deal with the record number of asylum seekers who have arrived this year. That is not something that is going to end any time soon. More work needs to be done by both levels of government.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I will give the Bloc Québécois the time to speak. I think it has time to listen to my answer as well. First, I commend the hon. member for his superhuman effort to reinvent and rephrase his question. While I am at it, I will repeat the same answer: Canada is not an ATM for the provinces. It takes a reasoned and reasonable discussion, a good discussion like the one we are having with Q…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the member may be disappointed to learn that we have a good relationship with Quebec. Last week, we spoke in a reasoned and reasonable way about reasoned and reasonable immigration to Quebec within the context of the Canada-Quebec accord that gives Quebec more than $700 million to do the work that falls within its jurisdiction, which is to take in immigrants, especially French-speakin…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, indeed, I met with my counterpart, Minister Fréchette, on Friday. We had some good conversations. It is clear that there are some things where we do not see eye to eye with Quebec. For example, we would like Quebec to make more of an effort when it comes to welcoming and reuniting Quebec families. Nevertheless, the meeting generally went well. Now, we will see. The finance ministers a…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, first of all, we will continue the conversation, but Bloc Québécois members will not be the first to know.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, what is arrogant is to think that a relationship is a one-way street. We have a great partnership with Quebec. I hope to meet with Quebec's representative tomorrow. Hopefully everything will be settled in the House of Commons in terms of our marathon votes. That is not related, but the fact is that we are going to meet with my counterpart from Quebec. We will have a good discussion. H…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, only the Bloc Québécois would say that $700 million a year, plus millions in social transfers in blocks with no strings attached is nothing, but let us leave it at that.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I cannot stress more to members of the House how difficult it is to actually get people out of Gaza, a war zone faced with a humanitarian disaster. Our priority remains permanent residents and Canadian families. We are looking at options to expand that to make sure that people connected to Canada can be afforded a safe haven, but again, it is a work in progress. It is extremely diffic…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank all Quebeckers and all Canadians who are contributing their fair share. As the member opposite knows, we have a special agreement with Quebec whereby we allocate more than $700 million to Quebec for integrating newcomers into French-speaking society. I have a meeting with Minister Fréchette this Friday, and I would be happy to update her on it.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, when the Bloc Québécois is in power, it can make all the suggestions it wants. In the meantime, it will have to rely on the federal government. Obviously, we can be a Canadian and Quebecker at the same time. I am a proud example. We already give more than $700 billion to Quebec, including for integration and francization. Yes, Quebec is doing its fair share and we have a great partner…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, it is not a damn job; it is a job that I love. It is true that there are challenges associated with the migration flows that are affecting the entire world. Roughly 100 million people have been displaced around the world. That is a record number. Canada is also dealing with a record number of migrants. In the past year, we have made progress and reduced the backlogs and delays. Some c…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, not only is the member out of touch with Quebeckers, but he is out of touch with the news. Today we learned that Quebec is in need of workers. How can we address the labour shortage? Immigration. It is not the only solution, and I agree with the member that it needs to be successful immigration, but according to today's news, Quebec's GDP is lower than expected because of the worker s…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, it is clear that over the past year, Canadians have asked us to do more when it comes to integration capacity. I am also hearing that we need immigration to grow our businesses. We know that there is still a labour shortage. We need to take a more surgical approach to our targets. Let us look at what we tabled this week. I think that the Bloc Québécois will be comforted by that, unles…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I find that comment strange. It keeps cropping up among Bloc Québécois members. They are so far out in left field that maybe they should take the weekend to go speak with some farmers and see if they need workers, because they do. These workers come from other countries. They should talk to Quebec businesses that need foreign workers. These workers come from other places. The Bloc sho…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I have never spoken to McKinsey. However, I have spoken to Canadians who want more people from abroad, who want more immigrants to come here to work in factories, to work in the fields, in areas represented by the Bloc Québécois. Clearly, we need immigration. Five hundred thousand is a reasonable target. That is for three years. It has nothing to do with what McKinsey says.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, obviously, we have to keep increasing our efforts to integrate newcomers. The flip side of those numbers is the unprecedented volume of people who want to come to Canada. I do not blame them, but the reality is that so many people want to come here because Canada is a welcoming country. I think that criticizing Canada and Quebec by saying that we do not have the integration capacity s…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, first of all, that is not true. We are constantly consulting with Quebec. There is direct communication between our public services every day. I would also like to point out that I have spoken directly to the Quebec minister about these targets, the integration target and sponsorship for refugees. I have asked her to make an extra effort. We are certainly consulting. We disagree somet…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, in an hour and a bit, people will have a chance to see the plan, and I would ask them to take a look at it. As for Quebec, the Canada-Quebec accord has been in place since 1991. Under this agreement, we send Quebec $700 million a year. Do we demand accountability? No, we do not, because that is the relationship we have with Quebec. Perhaps we should be asking questions, but the fact i…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I am not going to talk about astrology. The member opposite was in the House when I gave my speech yesterday but she must not have been paying attention or she would have heard the details of what we are doing with Quebec to ensure that there is co-operation and coordination. We have disagreements, of course, but what she does not understand—and this is odd because the agreement has b…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I rise before my colleagues in the House today to respond to a concern raised yesterday regarding a response I gave to the Bloc Québécois. I used some language yesterday that I will not repeat for the purposes of this point of order. I understand that the words I used may have offended some people. I therefore withdraw them and apologize.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Pursuant to subsection 94(1) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, I have the pleasure to table, in both official languages, the 2023 annual report to Parliament on immigration.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I will say it again because it does not seem to be getting through to the Bloc Québécois. First, we have already held consultations. Second, these people are frustrated because we are going to vote for their motion.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, obviously our review of the thresholds and our measures will include consideration of Quebec's integration capacity and that of the rest of Canada. Consultation is not a two-way street; it involves 13 of us. We are a country. This is a debate for our whole society. We have to talk to all Canadians to ensure we all have a good understanding of immigration and of what our country's futu…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, once again, the Bloc Québécois refuses to understand that the Canada-Quebec accord on immigration has been in place since 1991, which is just as long as the Bloc Québécois has been around. For some mysterious reason, it refuses to understand how this works. Quebec has a voice. Canada has a voice. We are in constant talks with Quebec and, for that matter, with all the provinces. We are…
Read full speech →