Evidence of meeting #10 for Citizenship and Immigration in the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was citizenship.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
Dave Batters Conservative Palliser, SK
Mr. Karygiannis, frankly, sir, after I just praised you and the hard work you do for you constituents, show me a little bit of respect in this place as well. Okay? Please.
4:50 p.m.
Liberal
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
Dave Batters Conservative Palliser, SK
To the witnesses, I ask that you please commit to us to do the following.
The government has said it will bring this bill back to the House if it's assured that the Liberals will not propose amendments and drag out the debate in the House of Commons. You've just heard basically the same words from Mr. St-Cyr, Mr. Carrier, and Ms. Chow.
I know you've held many discussions with Mr. Telegdi; I can't even count how many discussions Mr. Chapman's probably had with Mr. Telegdi. Will you commit to discuss this with the Liberals after this meeting today and ask them--even though it may not be exactly as Mr. Karygiannis wants, but it's what you want--to please drop their desire for amendments and agree to rush this through the House of Commons so we can get it back to this committee and off to the Senate? Will you commit to take that up with the Liberals, specifically Mr. Karygiannis and Mr. Telegdi?
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle
Okay, we've heard the question.
We'll have a brief response from Mr. Chapman, and then I need to go to the next speaker.
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
4:50 p.m.
Lost Canadian Organization
I have a flight out at seven this evening, so I have to get straight to the airport. But when I get back I will be talking to everybody on this bill. We want it to go forward as is. I'll tell you the way to address it going forward—and there is no question. As soon as this bill is passed, we can start on a whole new citizenship act, which everybody knows we need to have. That's how to go forward addressing amendments and everything else. We'll do a citizenship act down the road.
4:50 p.m.
Historian, Canadian War Brides
I will stand on my head in the corner and spit nickels to get this—
4:50 p.m.
Director, Ottawa Office, Mennonite Central Committee Canada
I think our message here is clear.
Thank you.
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle
Order, please.
Mr. Karygiannis is next for five minutes, please.
4:50 p.m.
Liberal
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
Thank you.
Mr. Chair, I want to thank you, but I want to set the record straight. I hope the parliamentary secretary, Mr. Khan, Mr. Batters, and Mr. Grewal will pay attention so there's no reprehension as to what we're saying.
When the committee started, the minister said there were 400 lost Canadians. We told them there were more--50,000, probably half a million. We moved the bill forward to where it is today. It wasn't because of the Conservatives that the issue was raised; it was because of a motion I put in due to my daughter. So under no circumstances am I going to sit here and take lessons from Mr. Batters as to the position I have on this bill.
Right now there is a request under access to information and a motion that we get figures on first- and second-generation Canadians born abroad. This went to the minister in December. The minister and the parliamentary secretary did not want to deal with this issue, as you heard very well from Mr. Telegdi. If it weren't for this side pushing to have this issue come back to the table and be discussed, we wouldn't be here today.
Mr. Komarnicki is grandstanding and stating that I am committing the government to do this, but he should be committing the government to provide us with the figures we're asking for. He said last week that those figures were in front of a minister. So does he want to know what the actual numbers are? Does he want to know how many first generations are out there--how many second generations, and how many we don't know yet, besides the 400 the minister originally talked about? Do we want to know the figures--yes or no?
If he wants a commitment, I will give him my personal commitment to speedy passage of this, not only for him and my daughter, but for everybody--all the people it's affecting; not the 400, but the thousands, if not millions, of people they're hiding the figures on.
I want a commitment from the Conservatives, and especially the parliamentary secretary. When are they going to provide figures to us?
I'd like to split my time with Mr. Telegdi, Chair.
May I have an answer?
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle
We don't need you to, because we have Mr. Batters and then Mr. Telegdi.
4:55 p.m.
Liberal
4:55 p.m.
Liberal
4:55 p.m.
Lost Canadian Organization
I would be happy to do my best. I'm the guy who came up with a lot of the numbers—through one of the lost Canadians, Dr. Barry Edmonston from the University of Victoria. He's one of Canada's leading demographers and he was a lost Canadian. He really studied this issue. And you know what? At best, we have guesses. Nobody really knows the numbers, so if we press for actual numbers we will never get them.
