Government Orders
Business of Supply
“You're worried about asylum seekers costing too much. I already said Quebec got lots of money for it. And anyway, refugee claims are way down.”
MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT
Hon. Lena Metlege Diab
Diab rarely gives a clear yes or no answer and frequently dodges around questions in the House, filling time with slogans about 'protecting Canadians' and the government's plans. She openly says she won't answer specific questions if they're 'traps' or demands she doesn't like, and often pretends not to understand the real point. When she does give concrete numbers, they're usually self-flattering stats or promises of deportations she claims will happen eventually.
“Thank you for your question about Quebec's immigration challenges. Quebec is a nice place and the people there make their own choices.”
“I'm filling time by saying nice things about French. I am not saying anything new.”
“You already know Quebec immigration rules don't come from us. I'm not saying anything else.”
“I want to avoid the question and just repeat that our government really cares a lot about French.”
“I want to look like I'm doing something without giving any specifics.”
“I don't know what your problem is. We give money to municipalities for asylum claimants because they need it. Would you rather have people on the streets? We're helping and we brought in a bill. There's lots of stuff.”
“I won't say how many hotels. We gave the money to cities instead. We call it something else now.”
“I don't want to answer directly. I'll point you to some documents instead.”
“I'm filling time with kind words and saying nothing anyone could pin down later.”
“The federal government sends money to provinces and cities because they run the shelters. Yes, that includes reception centers and transitional housing.”
“I already told you: we're out of the hotel game. We'll still funnel money to cities for welcome centers, though.”
“I want to say that by October 2025, the government will stop housing asylum seekers in hotels.”
“I won't answer that specific question. I'll just talk in vague terms about giving health care to vulnerable people.”
“That makes me sad. Surely we should help the most vulnerable people.”
“The government fees are small. We will get fewer claimants.”
“I'm going to talk about something else and hope you don't notice I didn't answer the question.”
“Helping the vulnerable is good. We're just doing a bit of temporary spending. Don't worry about it.”
“I want taxpayers to pay for free stuff for everyone who comes here.”
“I want credit for saying I did something to help foreign doctors get residency. The details don't matter.”