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Business of Supply

This was a Committee of the Whole examination of the immigration minister’s spending plans, where Conservative members used their questions to press the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship on asylum numbers, border screening, visa decisions, fraudulent immigration consultants, temporary foreign workers, and the removal of people with no legal status. The minister pointed to falling asylum claim numbers, cooperation with provinces to relocate refugees, enforcement actions including the removal of 23,000 people last year, and Bill C-12 as a measure to further reduce asylum claims. Liberal members also used some questions to highlight immigration’s economic benefits and summer jobs for youth.Written by AI from the debate. Updated .

Official text

171 statements

Kyle Seeback

Conservative
“The answer to the last question is 127,000. Now I want the minister to tell us how many temporary foreign worker permits were given for skilled jobs in 2025.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, she obviously does not know the answer to that question, which is shocking, but it is 127,000. That is the answer to the question. Could the minister tell the House how many TFW permits were issued for TEER 0 to 3 skilled occupations, including skilled trades, in 2025?

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Kyle Seeback

Conservative
“The minister approved 126,000 temporary foreign worker permits for skilled trades while 127,000 Canadian trades workers were unemployed. She should apologize to the workers who lost their jobs.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, since she does not know the answer to the question of how many TFW permits she gave in the skilled trades category, it is 126,000, which is almost identical to the 127,000 skilled trades workers who were unemployed in 2025. Does the minister now want to take the opportunity to apologize for removing the union’s safeguard on LMIAs and apologize to the 127,000 skilled trades workers who lost their jobs because of the 126,000 TFW permits she issued in skilled trades?

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Kyle Seeback

Conservative
“The temporary foreign worker program is hurting Canadian trade workers and lowering their wages. A union warned the government this would happen. I want the minister to admit she made a mistake and apologize.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, the minister’s lack of remorse for a bad decision that has had real consequences for skilled trade workers in this country is really shocking. Ironworkers Union Local 97 warned the government of the effect of this. The head of that union said that the TFW program was being misused and abused, was driving down wages and undercutting hard-working Canadians, which the numbers I just gave the minister prove. Does she now want to admit that it was a mistake and apologize for that mistake?

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Kyle Seeback

Conservative
“The government brought in 126,000 temporary foreign workers for skilled trades while 127,000 Canadian trade workers do not have jobs. Unions warned this would hurt Canadian workers and apprenticeships. Will the government apologize to these unemployed Canadians?”
Official Hansard

You talk about building the country. Here is what building trades unions have said about your temporary foreign worker program. They warned your government that excessive reliance on temporary labour would weaken apprenticeship pathways and discourage employers from hiring Canadian employees. The numbers I just gave you bear that out exactly. I give you another opportunity: Do you want to apologize to the 127,000 unemployed skilled trade workers whose jobs went to 126,000 TFWs that you granted in the skilled trades?

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Kyle Seeback

Conservative
“A union leader said the temporary foreign worker program is being used to keep wages down. I want the minister to tell us if she thinks he is wrong.”
Official Hansard

Through you, Mr. Chair, what is amazing is the minister’s lack of remorse for the effect of her decisions. Doug Parton of Ironworkers Local 97 said that the TFW model has become a “business model” to suppress wages. Is the minister saying that Mr. Parton, the business manager for Ironworkers Local 97, is wrong?

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Kyle Seeback

Conservative
“The minister's government now admits there are at least 500,000 undocumented people here.”
Official Hansard

Minister, your government now admits that there are at least 500,000 undocumented—

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Kyle Seeback

Conservative
“The government admits there are at least 500,000 undocumented people in Canada. Can the minister promise that none of them are working illegally on construction sites funded by federal tax dollars?”
Official Hansard

Through you, Mr. Chair, I say that the government now admits that there are at least 500,000 undocumented people in Canada. Can the minister guarantee that none of these undocumented people are participating in illegal labour on construction sites, with federal tax dollars being used for those construction projects?

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Kyle Seeback

Conservative
“Border officials found four undocumented workers on a construction project in Calgary that gets federal money. Does the minister know about this, and what is she doing to stop it from happening again?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, the question was about undocumented workers on federal construction sites, where they are getting federal tax dollars. Perhaps the minister misunderstood the question, which is why I am repeating it. In fact just recently, four undocumented workers were identified by CBSA at the Calgary event centre project. Is the minister aware of these cases, yes or no, and what is she doing to prevent this in the future?

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Kyle Seeback

Conservative
“The minister did not answer my question. Alberta labour groups found that workers on a federally funded project were paid in cash, used fake safety certificates, had no injury insurance, and were threatened with deportation. Has the minister investigated this or done anything to stop it?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, once again, there is not even an attempt to answer the question. It is insulting to the people whom we represent when we ask these questions and the minister does not try to answer. Alberta labour organizations uncovered allegations of workers being paid cash, using forged safety certifications, operating without WCB coverage and being threatened with deportation if they spoke out. This was on a project that received federal dollars. Can the minister cite one investigation into this going on and one action that her department has taken to crack down on these types of occurrences?

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Kyle Seeback

Conservative
“I want the minister to answer my question. Did the government investigate this case? Also, the government should not use the temporary foreign worker program to bring in HVAC workers if local HVAC workers do not have jobs. Am I right about that?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, I asked whether there had been a specific investigation to deal with the specific facts I was citing. The minister is unable to come up with one, so I assume that would mean no. I would assume that the temporary foreign worker program would not be used to bring in HVAC technicians if there were HVAC technicians unemployed in that area. Am I correct in that assumption?

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Kyle Seeback

Conservative
“A union in the Toronto area found that a company was using over a dozen temporary foreign workers for heating and cooling jobs.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, UA local 787 organized an employer in the GTA. When it organized that employer, it discovered that there were over a dozen HVAC TFWs working for that company. At the same time, there were a similar number of—

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Melissa Lantsman

Conservative
“Does the minister consider the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to be a terrorist group, yes or no?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, I will be splitting my time. Does the minister consider the IRGC to be a terrorist organization in this country, yes or no?

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Melissa Lantsman

Conservative
“The minister did not answer my question, so I am asking again. Why did she or her department give a visa to FIFA official Mehdi Taj so he could come to Canada?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, the minister did not answer the question, so I am going to ask her one more time. Why was Mehdi Taj, the FIFA official, to whom she granted, or her department granted, a visa, allowed to come to Canada? It is a very simple question.

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Melissa Lantsman

Conservative
“The minister admitted this man should not have been allowed in, but someone in her department let him in anyway. I want her to answer yes or no: is she satisfied with how this was handled?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, the minister just stated that, by her own rules, this man was inadmissible. Somebody in her department overruled that. Is she satisfied with how this was handled, yes or no?

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Melissa Lantsman

Conservative
“The minister's department let an Iranian official into Canada. I want the minister to give a yes or no answer on whether she thinks that was okay.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, for all of those who are watching at home, who have been terrorized by IRGC officials who are still here, one of whom has been deported, this man, a FIFA official, was allowed to come to Canada because somebody in her department allowed him to. I have asked the minister a simple question. Is she satisfied with that outcome, yes or no, for everybody watching at home?

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Melissa Lantsman

Conservative
“The department is reviewing thousands of visas given to people from Iran because it suspects security checks were not done. Can the minister confirm if this is true?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, they got into Canada, and it made headlines. The department has now been reviewing thousands of previously granted visas to non-citizens from Iran because it suspects the security checks were not done before they entered Canada. Can the minister confirm whether that is correct?

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Melissa Lantsman

Conservative
“I want the minister to stop reading talking points and answer my question. Is her department reviewing people who did not get security checks?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, I would ask the minister to stop reading the talking points and just answer the question. Her department is now reviewing those who did not have security checks, is that true or not true, for everybody listening from that community?

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Melissa Lantsman

Conservative
“I want the minister to give me a yes or no answer. Is the department now checking the thousands of people who did not get security checks?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, I want the minister to answer this question: If the security checks were not done for thousands who were reviewed by the department, is it now reviewing those, yes or no? It is a very simple yes or no.

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Melissa Lantsman

Conservative
“How many Iranian Revolutionary Guard agents are still in Canada? The minister admitted they are here, so I want her to tell us if there are more or less than 700.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, how many IRGC agents are still in the country? The minister has admitted it, so she can give us a number. Is it more or less than 700?

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Melissa Lantsman

Conservative
“Many of these people are still in Canada. I want the minister to tell me the number. Ask your officials sitting in front of you.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, many of them are still in Canada. I am asking for just a number, minister. You must know this. Your officials are sitting in front of you. Ask them.

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