Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

Question period focused on the immigration minister and reports that a person with ties to Iran’s IRGC may have entered Canada despite being inadmissible. Conservative members said the minister mishandled the case, that the government cannot track whether people leave when permits expire, and called on the Prime Minister to remove her. Government ministers replied that IRGC members and senior Iranian officials are barred from entering Canada, that no IRGC member was admitted, that anyone with such ties in Canada faces removal, and pointed to lower asylum and temporary resident numbers, increased removals, and an immigration and border security bill as evidence the system is being strengthened.Written by AI from the debate. Updated .

Official text (opens in a new tab)

5 statements

Costas Menegakis, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill

Conservative
“The immigration minister failed to stop a known terrorist from entering Canada. The government will not let her answer questions about it. I want the Prime Minister to explain why she still has her job.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Immigration bungled a simple decision to stop a known IRGC terrorist from entering our country, and Canadians still do not have clear evidence that the terrorist was stopped and turned back. There are reports, in fact, that say he just turned himself around and left the country. The Liberals are keeping the minister from answering questions, because they are concerned about what she will say next. Everyone is wondering why the Prime Minister is protecting the minister and not letting her answer questions. Can he tell Canadians, please, why she still has a job?

Vincent Ho, Richmond Hill South

Conservative
“The immigration minister let a person tied to the Iranian regime enter Canada, and the Prime Minister is still letting her keep her job. I want to know who will take responsibility for this failure.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal immigration minister says she is “accountable” but not responsible for dropping the ball when letting terrorists into Canada. Letting in a known terrorist should have set off every alarm bell in the Liberal government, yet just last week, the visitor permit of an Iranian regime-linked individual was specifically exempted and his entry into Canada rubber-stamped under the Liberal minister’s watch. A simple Google search could have stopped this. Worse, the Liberal Prime Minister is letting the minister keep her job. Does that mean the Prime Minister is responsible but not accountable for the failures of his Liberal immigration minister?

Fred Davies, Niagara South

Conservative
“Reporters say the immigration minister is doing a terrible job. The Prime Minister is responsible for her failures. I want him to fire her.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, the media panels have given up on this immigration minister. Bob Fife, the bureau chief of The Globe and Mail, called her performance “pathetic” and her “incompetent” twice in the same panel. Even CBC’s David Cochrane said, “when they fall back on privacy, process and the passive voice, it’s usually a sign of some trouble.” Immigration is a serious issue and the Prime Minister is ultimately accountable for the minister’s failures. When will the Prime Minister finally take responsibility, and fire this minister?

Brad Redekopp, Saskatoon West

Conservative
“The Minister of Immigration cannot do her job well. People have lost faith in her, and even some Liberal MPs want her gone. I want the Prime Minister to fire her.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, wow, I did not know that we had express entry for terrorists. It is clear that everyone has lost faith in the Minister of Immigration overseeing even the simplest parts of her job. This is the seventh Liberal immigration minister, and Conservatives knew from day one that she would make the mess worse. The media are now calling for the minister to be removed. Liberal MPs have called for this minister to be removed. This is now about the Prime Minister’s own judgment. She says that she meets with the Prime Minister every week. He seems oblivious to the mess she has created. Will the Prime Minister end this national embarrassment and fire this immigration minister?

Michelle Rempel Garner, Calgary Nose Hill

Conservative
“The government is giving out tens of thousands of new student visas, even though it cannot track whether people leave when their permits expire. There is also unchecked fraud in the department. I want to know if the Prime Minister actually thinks the minister is doing a good job.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, today the minister said that she would continue issuing tens of thousands of new foreign student permits, in spite of millions of non-citizens being in Canada on expired or expiring permits and her admission that the Liberals have absolutely no way to track whether or not they have left. Fraud is still running unchecked in her department. They cannot detect it. When asked in committee what the Prime Minister thought of these failures, the minister claimed she has weekly meetings with him and that she talks to him all the time. That begs the question, does the Prime Minister actually think she is doing a good job?

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