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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

23 statements

Alexis Deschênes

Bloc Québécois
“Quebec takes in almost 39% of all asylum seekers in Canada, but only has 22% of the country's population. I want to know if the minister agrees that asylum seekers should be shared fairly among all provinces.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, Quebec is a welcoming place. Quebeckers are welcoming. We understand that we have a duty of solidarity toward asylum seekers. We also understand that asylum seekers and those who become refugees are an asset and that they contribute to Quebec. Figures released this morning clearly show that this is still the case. Quebeckers are taking in a very large proportion of asylum seekers. I would say that this is a disproportionate share relative to their weight within the Canadian federation. As of April 1, 2026, while Quebeckers make up 22% of the Canadian population, nearly 39% of all asylum seekers in Canada are in Quebec. Does the minister agree in principle that asylum seekers should be distributed fairly among Canada’s provinces?

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Alexis Deschênes

Bloc Québécois
“I want to know if the minister thinks asylum seekers should be shared fairly among the provinces.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, does the minister agree that it is appropriate for the number of asylum seekers to be distributed fairly among Canada’s provinces?

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Alexis Deschênes

Bloc Québécois
“I want to know if the minister agrees that asylum seekers should be shared fairly across all provinces.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, does the minister agree in principle that it is appropriate to distribute asylum seekers fairly across Canada’s various provinces?

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Alexis Deschênes

Bloc Québécois
“I want to know if the minister agrees that asylum seekers should be shared fairly among all the provinces.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, I understand that this is a conversation and that the government has already paid Quebec compensation for its efforts. My question for the minister is the same. Does she agree in principle on the need for equitable distribution among the provinces?

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Alexis Deschênes

Bloc Québécois
“I want the minister to answer a simple question. Does she agree that asylum seekers should be shared among all the provinces?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, I would like the minister to answer this very simple question. I understand that conversations are going on and that there may be some shining examples. However, does she agree with the principle that asylum seekers have to be distributed among the various Canadian provinces?

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Alexis Deschênes

Bloc Québécois
“I want the minister to answer the question. Does she agree that asylum seekers should be shared fairly across provinces based on population?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, can the minister answer the question? Does she agree that the number of asylum seekers should be distributed fairly among Canada’s provinces based on their population?

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Alexis Deschênes

Bloc Québécois
“The minister supports sharing asylum seekers fairly across all provinces. I want to know what she is doing to make that happen.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, I understand that the minister is working toward the objective of distributing asylum seekers fairly among the various provinces and, therefore, that she supports this principle. Now, what steps is she taking to achieve this?

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Alexis Deschênes

Bloc Québécois
“Taking in many asylum seekers costs money, and many arriving in Quebec struggle to learn French. Will the minister restart the committee meant to share asylum seekers more fairly across the provinces?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, I understand from the minister’s response that she supports this objective of distributing asylum seekers fairly. That goes without saying, because, obviously, the more asylum seekers we have, the higher the costs to the public treasury. In Quebec, there is also the challenge of integration in French. According to the French language commissioner, between 33% and 40% of asylum seekers arriving in Quebec have difficulty mastering the French language. Does the minister plan to revive the committee that was established in 2024 to work toward a better distribution among the provinces?

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Alexis Deschênes

Bloc Québécois
“Quebec still has 39% of Canada's asylum seekers. Will the minister admit that her plan to share them fairly has failed?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, the minister recognizes that it is important to distribute asylum seekers fairly. She is working towards that objective. However, the figures show that, as of April 1, Quebec is still home to 39% of all asylum seekers in Canada. Will she acknowledge that, so far, this plan has failed?

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Alexis Deschênes

Bloc Québécois
“Asylum claims are dropping, but Quebec still takes in almost 39% of asylum seekers while making up only 22% of Canada's population. I want the minister to admit her plan has failed.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, the number of asylum seekers does indeed appear to be falling, but the distribution remains as unfair as ever. Quebec receives 38.78% of all asylum seekers, even though it accounts for just 22% of the Canadian population. Will the minister acknowledge to the House that, so far, her efforts have failed?

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Alexis Deschênes

Bloc Québécois
“Asylum seekers are still not being shared fairly across the country. I want to know if the former minister failed to fix this problem.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, the distribution of asylum seekers is still just as inequitable as it was when the minister got the job. Is she telling us that Mr. Miller, her predecessor, was unable to solve the problem—

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Alexis Deschênes

Bloc Québécois
“Does the minister admit that the government's work has failed, things are still not shared fairly, and the last minister did a bad job?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, does the minister acknowledge that efforts to date have not borne fruit, that the distribution is still inequitable and that her predecessor failed to meet expectations?

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Alexis Deschênes

Bloc Québécois
“I want the minister to explain why asylum seekers are still not being shared fairly among the provinces.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, how does the minister explain that, despite her efforts and the voluntary action of some provinces, the distribution of asylum seekers is still so unfair in Canada?

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Alexis Deschênes

Bloc Québécois
“Quebec has only 22 percent of Canada's people, but takes in nearly 39 percent of all asylum seekers. How can the minister say this system is working?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, how can the minister call the current situation a success, when Quebec represents 22% of Canada’s population but accepts 38.78% of all asylum seekers in Canada?

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Alexis Deschênes

Bloc Québécois
“Quebec still takes in almost twice its share of asylum seekers based on its population. I want to know why the minister calls this a success.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, how can the minister call a situation that has not improved a success? Quebeckers still receive nearly twice as many asylum seekers as they should, given their demographic weight within Canada.

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Alexis Deschênes

Bloc Québécois
“The minister says our asylum system works well, but it does not. Quebec is still taking in far more than its fair share of asylum seekers.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, the number of asylum seekers is one thing. The distribution of asylum seekers across Canada is another. How can the minister say today that this is a success when the situation has not changed, and Quebec continues to take in a disproportionate share of asylum seekers relative to its demographic weight within the Canadian federation?

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Alexis Deschênes

Bloc Québécois
“I want the minister to explain how the government has succeeded at sharing asylum seekers fairly across Canada.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, I would ask the minister to explain where the success is when it comes to the equitable distribution of asylum seekers.

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Alexis Deschênes

Bloc Québécois
“The minister says she wants to share asylum seekers fairly across Canada, but that is not happening. Quebec has 22% of Canada's population, but it takes in more than 38% of all asylum seekers. I want to know why she thinks that is a success.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, the minister tells us that she believes in the goal that is the equitable distribution of asylum seekers. She even tells us that it is a success. She explains that the number of asylum seekers is decreasing, which does not answer the question. The question is that there is currently an inequitable distribution of asylum seekers and that Quebec receives more than 38% of all asylum seekers while accounting for only 22% of the population. Where does the minister see success in that?

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Alexis Deschênes

Bloc Québécois
“The minister needs to admit that nothing has improved and the situation is still just as bad as it was in 2024.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, should the minister not acknowledge that there has been no progress and that the situation is still as bad as it was in 2024?

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Alexis Deschênes

Bloc Québécois
“Does the minister know that Germany, Denmark, and the European Union have rules to share asylum seekers among different places?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, is the minister aware that, within the European Union, in Germany, and also in Denmark, procedures for the distribution of asylum seekers have been put in place?

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