Lena Metlege Diab

“Mr. Chair, I am pleased to rise today to speak to Canada’s refugee and humanitarian commitments, and how Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s 2026-27 main estimates will support this work. Immigration is one of the great acts of nation building. It is how we meet labour shortages, reunite families and respond to persecution and displacement. It is also how people born elsewhere come to call Canada home and become our neighbours, workers, entrepreneurs, parents, volunteers and citizens. There is no question that immigrants and newcomers have contributed tremendously to Canada by driving economic growth and strengthening our communities. Immigration policy is not only about numbers, applications or fiscal lines. It is about the kind of country we are choosing to build and whether we have the discipline, the generosity and the institutional seriousness to build it well. The question before us is not whether Canada remains a welcoming country. The more difficult question is whether we can remain welcoming in a way that is credible, orderly and sustainable. I believe that we can, if we are honest about what makes that possible. That is the context for these main estimates. A system that is overwhelmed cannot service the people who need it most. People who come to Canada seeking protections are arriving at one of the most difficult times in their lives and deserve a system that treats them with dignity, gives them a fair hearing and provides them with timely decisions. We know that a system that cannot distinguish truth from fraud cannot properly protect the vulnerable. We also know that a system that is overwhelmed cannot offer timely protection to the people who need it most. While Canada cannot control when crises emerge, we can control how we prepare, how we respond and how we ensure that our response reflects both our humanitarian commitments and the capacity of our immigration system. As a proud Vietnamese Canadian, I know that Canada’s humanitarian tradition is not only something we describe in policy, but something real people have lived. The story of Vietnamese refugees in Canada is part of the modern story of this country. It is the story of the families who arrived after conflict, displacement and uncertainty. Canada made it possible for those who fled Vietnam to arrive to safety, stability and a fair chance at becoming a part of the fabric of this country. This is one example of what humanitarian protection can mean at its best. It gives people an opportunity to move beyond a point of crisis to belonging, contributing and one day becoming part of the Canadian story themselves. That is the promise behind humanitarian protection. To keep that promise, compassion has to be matched with capacity. That means having the right planning, partnerships and supports in place, not only to offer protection, but to help people rebuild their lives once they are here. It also means maintaining public confidence. Canadians need to see our humanitarian commitments continue to offer protection over time. It means that when we respond to people in need, we do so through a system that can endure: one that is planned, coordinated, fair to applicants, responsible to communities and aligned with our country’s capacity. These main estimates help to support that work. They support the people, programs and partnerships needed to manage immigration responsibly, including the work required to uphold Canada’s humanitarian commitments. This includes targeted supports for protected persons already in Canada, helping eligible protected persons and their in-Canada dependants transition to permanent residency in 2026 and 2027. These are people who have already been found to need Canada’s protection. Helping them transition to permanent residency provides stability. It allows them to continue building their lives with greater security, put down roots, work, study, raise families and contribute more fully to the communities where they have been welcomed. This is an important example of how humanitarian commitments and responsible system management can work together. Canada will continue to be there for people in need, but we also need to make sure that our humanitarian pathways are delivered through a system that can support people properly. That means considering settlement capacity, working with provinces, territories and communities, and aligning our humanitarian measures with the immigration levels plan, operational realities and the broader needs of the system. Recent years have shown how quickly humanitarian situations can evolve. Canada has responded to a range of international crises and displacement situations. Each one has been different. Each one has required careful decisions about what Canada can do, which tools are appropriate and how immigration measures fit within that broader government response. These experiences have reinforced an important lesson: Humanitarian responses must be principled, coordinated and sustainable. That is why IRCC has strengthened the way it prepares for and responds to emerging international crises. The department’s crisis response framework helps guide how IRCC assesses emerging crises and considers whether immigration measures may be appropriate as part of Canada’s— Mr. Chair, I would like to ask my dear colleague, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, about these main estimates. It has been very good to have the minister come and see some of the incredible work being supported in my riding of Spadina—Harbourfront. We had a chance to see first-hand the work of Centre Francophone du Grand Toronto, where they have a legal clinic, medical services, employment supports and mental health and counselling for newcomers. Can the minister speak more on why partnerships with organizations like Centre francophone, the Institute for Canadian Citizenship and Rainbow Railroad are so important and what role they play to help us deliver on our shared objectives?”