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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

Brad Redekopp

Conservative
“The minister is in charge of the refugee board. I want to know who actually decides Canada's refugee rules: Parliament, the minister, or the head of the board?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, the minister is responsible for the Immigration and Refugee Board. Who sets the refugee policy in Canada: Parliament, the minister or the IRB chairperson?

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Brad Redekopp

Conservative
“Does Parliament have any power to make refugee policy, or is it completely up to the independent board?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, perhaps the minister remembers that I asked her questions just about 45 minutes ago. The IRB is independent, so does Parliament have no authority to set refugee policy in Canada? Is it all up to the independent IRB?

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Brad Redekopp

Conservative
“If a foreign citizen or permanent resident commits a serious crime, should they have to leave Canada?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, if a foreign national or a permanent resident is convicted of a serious crime, should they leave Canada?

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Brad Redekopp

Conservative
“If Parliament says serious criminals must be removed from Canada, does the minister think the Immigration and Refugee Board should help them stay?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, if Parliament says serious criminals must leave Canada, does the minister believe that the Immigration and Refugee Board should do the opposite and help them stay?

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Brad Redekopp

Conservative
“The refugee board is not following the laws that Parliament made. I want to know if the minister thinks that is a problem.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, I am confused. If Parliament has laws on refugee policy, and if the Immigration and Refugee Board does the opposite of what those laws say, is that a problem in the minister’s mind?

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Brad Redekopp

Conservative
“The Immigration and Refugee Board made new rules that make it easier for serious criminals to delay being deported. I want the minister to tell us if he approved these rules.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, I am sure the minister is aware that the IRB chair just issued new guidelines to create new ways for serious criminals to delay deportation. Did the minister personally approve these new guidelines?

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Brad Redekopp

Conservative
“The minister is avoiding my question. Who actually chooses the members of the Immigration and Refugee Board?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, the minister seems to be avoiding the question. Who actually appoints the IRB members?

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Brad Redekopp

Conservative
“The minister appoints the members of the immigration board. I want to know if she supports their new rules that let convicted criminals delay being deported.”

  • Question or comment in debate

    Respect 86 of 100

    This statement targeted a person rather than their actions or views: “the minister is still confused”.

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Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, the minister is still confused. I know it is getting late. She is the one who appoints the IRB members, just for the minister’s record. Is the minister in support of the IRB’s making up these new rules so convicted criminals can delay deportation even more?

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Brad Redekopp

Conservative
“Will the minister tell the immigration board not to use these new rules to delay deporting serious criminals?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, will the minister direct the IRB not to use these new guidelines to delay the removal of serious criminals?

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Brad Redekopp

Conservative
“Will the minister take responsibility if these rules let a dangerous criminal stay in Canada?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, it will use these rules, then? If a serious criminal stays in Canada because of these rules it will use from time to time, as the minister just said, will she take responsibility for this?

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Brad Redekopp

Conservative
“I want to know if the government tracks when temporary residents leave the country.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, the government will not tell the independent Immigration and Refugee Board what to do. I do not even know what to say about that. Let us talk about exit tracking. Does the government know exactly when temporary residents leave the country?

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Brad Redekopp

Conservative
“Is the minister saying that our country has not been able to track people leaving Canada until now?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, is the minister saying that up until now we could not track exits in our country? Is that what the minister is saying?

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Brad Redekopp

Conservative
“I want to know why the government brought in millions of people without a good way to track who leaves the country.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, I guess I am curious as to why the government chose to bring in millions of people without having a decent exit tracking system.

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Brad Redekopp

Conservative
“About two million temporary visas expire this year. The minister expects these people to leave. I want the minister to confirm if they are actually leaving.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, it is important to note that the government has brought in millions of people using a system that does not work. The minister is expecting about two million temporary visas to expire this year. That is about 160,000 per month. She also expects them to leave. Can the minister confirm that temporary residents are leaving Canada at these rates?

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Brad Redekopp

Conservative
“About 160,000 people are leaving each month. I want the minister to confirm if her department is seeing those numbers.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, it works out to about 160,000 people leaving per month. Can the minister confirm that those are the kinds of numbers that she is seeing in her department?

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Brad Redekopp

Conservative
“I want the minister to answer my question. The department must have an estimate of how many undocumented people are in Canada right now.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, we understand the rules, but my question is, how many are there? The department must have an estimate. I am sure the minister has a deputy minister sitting right there. They must have an estimate of how many undocumented people are in Canada right now.

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Brad Redekopp

Conservative
“The government once said there were 500,000 undocumented people in Canada. I want to know if that number is still correct, or if the minister does not know.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, I did not hear a number in there. I know that a couple years ago, IRCC at committee estimated that half a million undocumented people were in Canada. Is that number still accurate, or does the minister just not know?

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Brad Redekopp

Conservative
“Canadians want to know if there are half a million people living in the country without permission.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, I think what is more important to Canadians, what they really want to know, is whether there are half a million people who are not supposed to be here.

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Brad Redekopp

Conservative
“The company running 164 visa offices for Canada was flagged for fraud and security risks, and charged extra fees for faster service. Why does the immigration department still use them?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, I think I will go with half a million, because I did not hear anything different. VFS Global runs 164 visa application centres for the government. Reports say that they charged extra for premium lounge access, which included faster turnaround and free drinks. If VFS was flagged for fraud and security risk, why is IRCC still relying on it?

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Brad Redekopp

Conservative
“Can the minister promise that no dangerous or unauthorized person entered Canada because of problems at our visa centres?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, can the minister guarantee that no inadmissible person entered Canada because of weaknesses at a VFS centre?

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