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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

462 statements

Lena Metlege Diab

Liberal
“I have led work to help foreign doctors who already work in Canada become permanent residents.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, through the work that I have been leading, we have introduced pathways to ensure that more doctors who are already practising in Canada and who are foreign doctors get permanent residency.

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Dan Mazier

Conservative
“Why does someone whose asylum claim was rejected get free physiotherapy, counselling, and home care when most Canadians have to pay for those things themselves?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, why should a rejected asylum claimant receive physiotherapy, counselling and home care when most Canadians pay for those benefits themselves?

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Lena Metlege Diab

Liberal
“These services are essential for vulnerable people. They match the services people receive from the provinces and territories.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, again, these are essential services for the most vulnerable of the population, and they are aligned to the services social services clients receive in the provinces and territories.

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Lena Metlege Diab

Liberal
“These basic services are temporary. They are meant to help the people who need support the most.”

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Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, again, I will repeat that these are temporary essential services for vulnerable individuals. They are for the most vulnerable population.

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Dan Mazier

Conservative
“I want to know if the immigration minister plans to give more health benefits to people whose refugee claims were rejected.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, is the immigration minister considering expanding luxury health benefits for rejected asylum claimants, yes or no?

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Lena Metlege Diab

Liberal

Linked statement

“We created a fast immigration path for doctors and medical specialists. We have already invited 391 of them to apply.”

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Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, for the benefit of my colleague, perhaps he does not know that we have established a dedicated express entry category for surgeons, physicians and clinical specialists. The good news is that we have issued 391 invitations to apply already.

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Dan Mazier

Conservative
“What happens if an asylum seeker does not pay into the government copay program?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, what if an asylum claimant does not pay for the government’s copay program?

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Lena Metlege Diab

Liberal
“We started charging asylum claimants small fees. Along with fewer people making claims, this brings in money for us.”

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Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, again, we have introduced modest copays for claimants. As the PBO has said, the reduction in asylum claims themselves, coupled with the introduction of the copay that we now receive—

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Dan Mazier

Conservative
“Does the minister agree with giving extra health benefits to rejected refugee claimants if they get a 70 percent discount?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, is the minister okay with giving luxury health benefits to rejected asylum claimants as long as they pay a 70% discount on the benefit?

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Lena Metlege Diab

Liberal
“These services are necessary for the people who need help the most, and they work together with provincial and territorial services.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, these are essential services for the most vulnerable people that are aligned with the services of the provinces and territories in the jurisdictions where they are.

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Dan Mazier

Conservative
“I want the minister to answer if someone whose asylum claim was rejected, and who is charged with sexual assault, should still get government-funded physiotherapy.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, does the minister believe that a rejected asylum claimant who has been charged with rape or sexual assault should remain eligible for physiotherapy benefits?

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Lena Metlege Diab

Liberal
“These are essential health care services provided temporarily to vulnerable people. The fees match what provinces and territories charge.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, these are health care services, essential health care services, provided on a temporary basis for vulnerable populations. They are aligned with the provinces’ and territories’ fees.

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Fred Davies

Conservative
“How many former hotels or motels is the federal government paying for to house asylum seekers?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, when I asked the minister at committee about the purchase of real estate for asylum housing, she had a bit of a confused look on her face and provided a rather bizarre answer. She said that the population was staying in these hotels. How many former hotels, motels or hospitality properties are currently being funded through federal transfers to house failed or asylum claimants?

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Lena Metlege Diab

Liberal
“In October 2025, while I was in charge, the federal government stopped housing asylum seekers in hotels.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, I appreciate the question. Under my watch, in October 2025, the federal government ceased having any asylums in any hotels in this country.

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Fred Davies

Conservative
“How many hotels is the federal government paying municipalities to buy for housing asylum seekers? I want that number.”

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Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, let me try to rephrase that, because we know that the City of Pickering has purchased hotels through transfers from the federal government. How many hotels is the government funding through transfers to municipalities to house asylum claimants? It is a simple number.

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Lena Metlege Diab

Liberal
“Starting in October 2025, the federal government will no longer pay for hotels. Instead, we give money to cities to run welcome centres and help people directly.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, as I said, as of October 2025, the federal government is no longer in the hotel business. We do provide funding to municipalities to have reception centres so they can help the people on the ground.

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Fred Davies

Conservative
“Is the minister saying cities have not used federal money meant for asylum seekers to buy real estate?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, we are now calling them “reception centres”. Is the minister suggesting that municipalities have not been buying real estate with the funds that have been transferred by her department for the purpose of housing asylum claimants?

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Lena Metlege Diab

Liberal
“Local and provincial governments run homeless shelters. The federal government gives them money based on what they need, including for temporary housing and welcome centres.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, provinces, territories and municipalities manage shelters. The IHAP funding that the federal government provides is based on local needs and priorities, including, yes, reception centres and transitional housing.

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Fred Davies

Conservative
“The government uses reception centres as an excuse for cities to buy hotels for asylum seekers. I want the minister to tell me what legal text allows cities to buy real estate with public money.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, there is a twist: “reception centres” is catchphrase for allowing municipalities to purchase hotels to put asylum claimants in them. Let me go back to another question I asked the minister in committee. There are contribution agreements that are signed between IRCC and municipalities. What is the language in the contribution agreement that allows the municipalities to purchase real estate with taxpayers’ money?

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Lena Metlege Diab

Liberal
“The number of asylum seekers is going down.”

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Official Hansard

Mr. Chair, the very good news, as I have been saying for the last few hours and actually for the last few months, is that the asylum numbers are decreasing.

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