“I want credit for saying I did something to help foreign doctors get residency. The details don't matter.”
What they said. What they meant.
Plain-language translations from the House of Commons.
Recent debates
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Spring Economic Update 2026 Implementation Act
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Spring Economic Update 2026 Implementation Act
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Business of Supply
A bill to make many changes to Canada's immigration and border control laws. During debate, Conservatives asked questions about specific cases and raised concerns about fraud, while the Liberal minister responded but often discussed unrelated topics like Canada Summer Jobs and praised a Liberal colleague.
“Why should taxpayers have to give free stuff to a failed asylum claimant when most Canadians pay for that same stuff themselves?”
“I want taxpayers to pay for free stuff for everyone who comes here.”
“Helping the vulnerable is good. We're just doing a bit of temporary spending. Don't worry about it.”
“Stop dodging. Does the immigration minister want to give luxury health benefits to rejected asylum claimants, yes or no?”
“I'm going to talk about something else and hope you don't notice I didn't answer the question.”
“What if someone doesn't pay the fees the government charges?”
“The government fees are small. We will get fewer claimants.”
“Do you really think rejected asylum seekers should get luxury health benefits at a 70% discount? That's a terrible idea.”
“That makes me sad. Surely we should help the most vulnerable people.”
“You mentioned helping the most vulnerable, right? So, should a refugee charged with rape still get physio paid by taxpayers? Answer that.”
“I won't answer that specific question. I'll just talk in vague terms about giving health care to vulnerable people.”
“I want to emphasize that the minister didn't know how many hotels the government is paying for to house asylum seekers. This could make her look unprepared or uninformed.”
“I want to say that by October 2025, the government will stop housing asylum seekers in hotels.”
“You said no more hotels for asylum seekers. But we know of hotels bought through the government. How many? Just give a number.”
“I already told you: we're out of the hotel game. We'll still funnel money to cities for welcome centers, though.”
“The government sent money to cities to house asylum seekers. Are you saying the cities didn't spend it on real estate?”
“The federal government sends money to provinces and cities because they run the shelters. Yes, that includes reception centers and transitional housing.”
“I don't like that the government spends tax money to buy hotels for asylum claimants. I want to know what rules let cities use that money to buy real estate.”
“I'm filling time with kind words and saying nothing anyone could pin down later.”