Brad Redekopp

“Did the minister talk to Elections Canada about how new citizens will vote under this bill if they have never lived in Canada?”

“Mr. Chair, we know that new citizens can vote, obviously. Did the minister consult Elections Canada about where these new citizens through Bill C-3 will vote when they have never had a physical address in Canada?”

“Did the minister consider stopping people from claiming citizenship through distant ancestors?”

“Mr. Chair, in proposing Bill C-3, did the minister consider excluding claims through distant ancestors?”

“Tens of thousands of Americans are applying for Canadian citizenship through their family trees. Did the minister tell cabinet this bill could let millions of Americans become Canadian citizens?”

“Mr. Chair, the record shows that tens of thousands of people from the United States who are looking to trace their ancestry are starting to apply for citizenship. Did the minister tell cabinet that Bill C-3 could make millions of Americans eligible for Canadian citizenship?”

In response to a question from Lena Metlege Diab

“This bill could let millions of Americans become Canadian citizens. The minister did not tell Parliament about this. I want to know if she hid it on purpose.”

“Mr. Chair, we know there are certain things that have to be done, but this still allows millions of Americans, potentially, to become Canadian citizens. The minister never told Parliament about this. Did she deliberately hide this information from Parliament?”

In response to a question from Lena Metlege Diab

“Did the minister know that this citizenship bill could apply to millions of Americans?”

“Mr. Chair, did the minister understand that Bill C-3 could apply to millions of Americans?”

In response to a question from Lena Metlege Diab

“This is the opposite of what the minister told our committee. We wanted more rules, but the minister said people will automatically become citizens if they meet the basic terms. Will the minister admit that more people will get citizenship than she first said?”

“Mr. Chair, this is the exact opposite of what we heard in committee. We, Conservatives, suggested some conditions that people might have to adhere to, but the minister suggested the law is the law; if people check these boxes, they automatically come in. Does the minister want to revise her numbers up?”

“I want the minister to tell us how many people will become citizens under this bill. She says only a few thousand, but reports say millions of Americans could qualify.”

“Mr. Chair, the minister seems very scared to give a number. The Liberal news organization, the CBC, says, “Millions of Americans can now claim Canadian citizenship”. How does the minister sleep at night, knowing her estimate of a few thousand might actually be a few million?”

“Your department already gave citizenship to more than 2,600 people under this new law in just two months. Do you want to change your estimate?”

“Mr. Chair, I will help the minister a bit. Her department has already confirmed over 2,600 new Bill C-3 citizens in just two months. Perhaps she wants to revise her forecast?”

“Does the minister still believe this bill will add fewer than 5,000 new citizens each year?”

“Mr. Chair, does the minister stand by her estimate of fewer than 5,000 new Canadians per year?”

“The citizenship bill will allow endless chain migration. The minister said it would add fewer than 5,000 new citizens a year. I want to know if she still believes that number.”

“Mr. Chair, Bill C-3 introduced unending chain migration to Canada. The minister told the committee this bill would create fewer than 5,000 new Canadians per year. Does she stand by her estimate?”

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

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

“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?”

“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?”

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

“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.”

“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.”

“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?”

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

“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.”

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

“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?”

“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.”

“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?”

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

“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.”

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

“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?”