Chris Alexander

[Citizenship and Immigration, January 26th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of all members of the House, I would like to thank the member for Thornhill for his leadership on this issue across Canada and around the world in opposing anti-Semitism in all its forms.

As the member said, with Canada and the international community standing up to the menace of terrorism and the ideology of hatred and violence it represents, we find ourselves increasingly dealing with the scourge of anti-Semitism, which we thought we had been left behind.

That is why Canada continues to participate in a meeting of the UN called just last week by Israel to address the rise of anti-Semitism. We outlined our government's leadership on these issues, which will continue under the Prime Minister's leadership and with the participation of everyone on these benches.

We have supported efforts to promote Holocaust remembrance and are opposing the deeply misguided boycott, divestment, and sanctions campaign. This government will stand on the principle of opposing anti-Semitism.

[Citizenship and Immigration, December 10th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the United Nations High Commissioner is asking us because we resettle one in 10 refugees worldwide every year, because we have already resettled 22,000 refugees from Iraq and Syria, and because there are already 1,900 Syrians in Canada.

What is hard to understand is why the New Democrats and the Liberals do not even stand with Danish and French socialists and Barack Obama's Democrats in the fight against terrorism and the Islamic State. That is what Canada is doing. Why are they taking the same position as Vladimir Putin?

[Citizenship and Immigration, December 10th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, someone is going to have to teach Franz Kafka over there the difference between a resettled refugee and an asylum claimant.

Canada has approved the resettlement of 1,150 Syrian refugees, mostly this year but starting in 2013. Canada has received 1,900 Syrian refugees since the start of this conflict. Canada has received over 22,000 Syrian and Iraqi refugees in recent years.

Danish and French socialists have sent war planes to join us in the fight against ISIL terrorism. Barack Obama's Democrats are fighting ISIL terrorism. Why have the New Democrats and the Liberals taken Vladimir Putin's position on this issue?

[Citizenship and Immigration, December 9th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, it says a lot about the hon. member and the party that he represents that he would turn the 22,000 Iraqi and Syrian refugees settled in recent years in this country pathetic.

Canada has done more than its part. Canada will continue to do more. What would save millions of more lives in Iraq, Syria, and elsewhere is coordinated action with Arab and NATO allies to oppose ISIL terrorism, to to make this winter safer for millions of people who had to leave their houses and are running to save their very lives. That is what this government has been prepared to do.

We still cannot understand why the Liberal Party—

[Citizenship and Immigration, December 9th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, it is a tragedy that the NDP terms 22,000 Syrians and Iraqis resettled in this country in recent years as “doing nothing”.

Is he really going to stand up in this Christmas season and say to Canadians that they have done nothing by being more generous than any country in the world? Is he going to stand up, face 50 million plus refugees and the internally displaced millions who fled their homes to save their very lives in Iraq and Syria, and say that he and his party will do absolutely nothing to save them from ISIL's brutality, to work together with our allies against terrorism?

[Citizenship and Immigration, December 9th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, with the resettlement of more than 22,000 Syrian and Iraqi refugees over the past few years, Canada has done more than its share and will continue to do so.

As the Christmas season approaches, we still have a long way to go: there are more than 50 million refugees and displaced persons around the world, especially in the Middle East where several million people fled the brutality and violence of the Islamic State.

Why does the NDP oppose Canada's engagement in a military effort that might save the lives of millions?

[Citizenship and Immigration, December 8th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, we are wondering why Amnesty International and the opposition are not congratulating us on having resettled 22,000 refugees in Canada since the beginning of these crises in Iraq and Syria. That is a record.

The opposition still has a hard time even saying the word “Iraq”, and yet more refugees have fled Iraq in the past two years than have fled from neighbouring countries and Syria or have been internally displaced in Iraq.

Once again, we are wondering why the NDP and the Liberals do not want to do anything in terms of military action.

[Citizenship and Immigration, December 8th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, we have already made the strongest commitment on a per capita basis, of any nation, to taking refugees from both Syria and Iraq. We are proud of that. The numbers continue to grow, and they will be growing strongly into 2015.

What we are not happy about is that we in this government sit in the House every day and face an opposition that refuses to to lift a finger in terms of military action to help the millions of people displaced by this conflict, the millions of people who have been forced to cross borders, forced to flee for their very lives. That is not going to help refugees in Iraq and Syria. That is why Canada—

[Citizenship and Immigration, December 3rd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I think everyone in Canada is proud of our role in providing protection and refuge to those from the LGBT community who have sought that protection from around the world.

We did so in the spirit of the conference recently held in Toronto. We have done so on a large scale in the case of Iran.

If there are other cases the member would like to bring to our attention, I invite him to do so outside of this place.

[Citizenship and Immigration, November 20th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, it is sad to see, but the Liberals do not even want to mention the key points in this file. Almost 22,000 Syrian and Iraqi refugees have already been accepted and settled in Canada. What the Liberals do not want to talk about is their decision to neglect the millions of victims of the Iraqi conflict because their policy does not in any way reflect our allies' policies or the will of Canadians. They would like to remain on the sidelines during an unprecedented crisis, where the —