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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

The debate centered on Bill C-3, an act to amend the Citizenship Act, which establishes new rules regarding citizenship by descent and adoption. The government defended the bill, stating that its introduction was necessary following a significant court decision and that they are actively working to address delays in application processing. The opposition raised concerns regarding the practical impact of the bill, noting that new federal citizenship certificates are required for services such as driver’s licenses in Alberta. They argued that the existing processing backlog, which they attribute to the government, needs to prioritize applications from residents over non-residents.Written by AI from the debate. Updated .

Official text

2 statements

Michelle Rempel Garner

Conservative
“Albertans need federal citizenship certificates to renew their driver's licences and health cards. A new government law has caused wait times to reach 33 months, mostly because of people who do not live in Canada. I want to know if the minister will process applications for Albertans first, or keep making them wait behind non-residents.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, Albertans now need proof of citizenship to receive or renew their driver’s licence and health cards, so some now need a citizenship certificate issued by the federal government. However, Liberal Bill C-3, which Conservatives opposed, has created a massive processing backlog despite the Liberals saying that this would never happen. With Liberal Bill C-3, processing wait times have ballooned to 33 months, mostly from non-residents. Will the minister prioritize processing for Albertans, or will she continue to leave them at the back of a long line behind non-residents?

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Peter Fragiskatos

Liberal

Linked statement

“We introduced our citizenship bill to follow an important court decision, and our committee worked well on it. The Conservatives opposed the main points of that bill. We know about the delays the member mentioned, and we are working on them. People should also look at the Conservative record on immigration.”

  • Government answer in Question Period

    Relevance 32 of 100

    None of this answer addressed the specific question that was asked.

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  • Government answer in Question Period

    Signal 42 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. Speaker, the government’s introduction of Bill C-3 last year was in response to a court decision, a very important court decision, and the committee responsible for immigration collaborated in a constructive way, I would say. I know the Conservatives opposed the fundamental tenets of that bill, but we did respond in a very good way to the court decision. The point raised by the member is one the government continues to be aware of and work on. Going forward, I would call attention to the Conservative record on this, not just with respect to Bill C-3, but in general on immigration. They are all over—

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