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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

Dan Mazier

Conservative
“Why did the immigration minister call people charged with assault and rape vulnerable people instead of criminals?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, the immigration minister referred to rejected asylum claimants who were charged with assault and rape as “vulnerable people”. Why is she calling criminals vulnerable people?

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Dan Mazier

Conservative
“Does the minister have a problem with paying for extra health benefits for criminals she calls vulnerable?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, does the minister have any issue with funding luxury health benefits for criminals she calls vulnerable?

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Dan Mazier

Conservative
“A convicted rapist and murderer who had his asylum claim rejected can still get government health benefits like speech therapy. I want the minister to tell us if he thinks that is right.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, William Imona-Russel was a rejected asylum claimant who raped two women and murdered a 20-year-old girl while still in Canada. This rapist would qualify for luxury health benefits like speech therapy under the Liberal government. Does the minister think that is okay?

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Dan Mazier

Conservative
“The minister did not answer my question. Does she think it is okay for this rapist to get luxury health benefits?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, the minister did not answer the question. Does she think it is okay for this rapist to qualify for luxury health benefits?

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Dan Mazier

Conservative
“The minister says health care for asylum seekers is temporary. But the budget officer says it now lasts four years on average. That is not temporary.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, the minister claims that the interim federal health program is temporary, but the Parliamentary Budget Officer says that the average program coverage for asylum claimants is now four years under her watch. Is four years temporary?

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Dan Mazier

Conservative
“How many years does the minister think this temporary health program should last? Does he think it should last longer than four years?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, how many years would it take before the minister no longer considered the interim federal health program temporary? Is it longer than four years?

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Brad Redekopp

Conservative
“Hundreds of IRGC terrorists are in Canada. Will the minister work with other ministers to remove all of them?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, the minister said IRGC terrorists are not permitted to enter Canada, but they are here by the hundreds, and probably more. Will she at least talk with her minister colleagues and commit to removing every IRGC member currently terrorizing Persian Canadians?

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Brad Redekopp

Conservative
“Why is the minister putting Iranian terrorists ahead of Iranian Canadians?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, why is the minister prioritizing IRGC terrorists over Persian Canadians?

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Brad Redekopp

Conservative
“I want to know how a convicted terrorist was able to get Canadian citizenship.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, Global News reported that Tahawwur Rana, who had been convicted in the U.S. of a terrorism offence, obtained Canadian citizenship in 2001. How did someone convicted of a terrorist offence obtain Canadian citizenship in the first place?

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Brad Redekopp

Conservative
“Why has it taken years and several immigration ministers to try to take away Mr. Rana's citizenship?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, why does it take years and multiple immigration ministers to attempt to revoke Mr. Rana’s citizenship?

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Brad Redekopp

Conservative
“If someone may have lied to get citizenship, why does the government not check into it right away?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, if citizenship was obtained through alleged misrepresentation, why is verification not immediate?

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Brad Redekopp

Conservative
“If people lied to get their Canadian citizenship, they should be deported right away.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, if people have gotten their citizenship through misrepresentation, deportation should be immediate.

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Brad Redekopp

Conservative
“How can Iranian Canadians trust the minister's answers about Iranian military members in Canada when cases against them are still not resolved?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, what confidence should Persian Canadians have in your answers about IRGC members, when cases like this are still sitting unresolved?

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Brad Redekopp

Conservative
“How many people were let into the country after being flagged, without proper security checks?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, how many of these cases came into the country and were flagged but did not have adequate security?

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Brad Redekopp

Conservative
“I want the minister to change immigration law. Foreign criminals should not get lighter sentences.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, Conservatives gave the minister multiple opportunities to admit tonight that the Liberals have failed the victims of foreign criminals. Her answer was “Oh well”, and she demurred on the importance. I will give her one more chance. Will she commit tonight to amending the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act so foreign criminals no longer get sentencing discounts?

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Brad Redekopp

Conservative
“The minister refused to speak out against the Kitchener strangler. I want to know if she accepts foreign criminals strangling women in Kitchener, yes or no.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, we gave the minister 10 separate opportunities to denounce the Kitchener strangler. She refused. Does she condone the strangling of women by foreign criminals in the city of Kitchener, yes or no?

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Brad Redekopp

Conservative
“Canadians do not trust our immigration system anymore because of fraud, weak security, and too much sympathy for criminals who are not citizens. I want the minister to explain why she is proud of her record.”

  • Question or comment in debate

    Signal 17 of 100

    Much of this statement went to praise, blame, greetings, routine procedure or general stories rather than reasons, requests or specific points.

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Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, the minister brags about her first year, but what people see is fraud, security failings, compassion for non-citizen criminals, and an immigration system that Canadians do not trust anymore. How does she defend that record?

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Michelle Rempel Garner

Conservative
“The law says non-citizens who commit serious crimes must be deported, but the minister has not closed a loophole that lets them stay. A temporary foreign worker assaulted and robbed a woman, but got a lighter sentence just to avoid deportation. I want the minister to explain to the victim why this person is still in Canada.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, the law requires that non-citizens convicted of a serious crime be deported, yet the minister refuses to close a loophole that keeps them here. A temporary foreign worker assaulted a woman then robbed her, yet he was given a lenient sentence to avoid deportation. Can the minister tell the victim why this person is still in Canada?

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Michelle Rempel Garner

Conservative
“A judge gave a light sentence to a non-citizen who beat his girlfriend so that he would not be deported. I want the minister to explain to the victim why this person is still in Canada.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, a non-citizen in Kitchener battered his girlfriend, then a judge gave him a lenient sentence so he would not be deported. Can the minister tell the victim why this person is still in Canada?

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Michelle Rempel Garner

Conservative
“A non-citizen truck driver got a light sentence after causing a fatal crash so they would not be deported. I want the minister to explain to the victim's family why this person is still in Canada.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, they do not. A non-citizen trucker received a lenient sentence specifically so they could dodge deportation after they caused a fatal crash in Ontario. Can the minister tell the family of the victim why this person is still in Canada?

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