Mr. Speaker, one of my constituents in Verchères—Les Patriotes, Jeannine Poloni, is facing deportation after having lived in Canada for 47 years. Now 67, Ms. Poloni has spent her entire adult life working in Canada. Her only sources of income are old age security and the Quebec pension plan. She has a mental disorder for which she has been receiving treatment for several years. Because of her mental disorder, kleptomania, Immigration Canada considers her a serious criminal and wants to deport her to France, her country of origin.
If the government deports this woman, it will present a shameful image of Canada as a country that picks and chooses its immigrants and decides who is more Canadian. Ms. Poloni is proud of her French roots, but her life is here, and she feels just as Canadian as anyone else. In France, she will have no source of income, and for all practical purposes will find herself in the street. Ms. Poloni has been struggling with mental health issues for years and has been suffering from deep depression since learning that she is to be deported. She needs help. She does not want to leave Canada, which is her country now.
We hope that the minister will review her case and do everything in his power to ensure that Ms. Poloni receives the care and support she needs here in Quebec.