Chris Alexander

[Citizenship and Immigration, June 3rd, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, we have here two New Democrat MPs who, instead of looking after the interests of real people and real families with concerns by coming and talking to us about specific cases, would rather talk about these situations in the House. They know full well that we cannot comment on individual cases in the House. They are also quite familiar with the adoption rules.

If they have cases they need help with, they should come and talk to us about them instead of turning other people's family lives into a partisan issue.

[Citizenship and Immigration, June 3rd, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite would do well not to spread disinformation. Adoptions continue to happen in Canada in large numbers, including from many Muslim majority countries.

However, those adoptions have to respect the national law of those countries, international conventions on adoption and the law of children, and Canadian law.

When any of those requirements is not met, the adoption will not take place.

[Foreign Affairs, June 3rd, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I fully accept the premise of that question. I would like to thank the member for York Centre for his leadership on this issue.

Canada remains fully committed to upholding and strengthening the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. Under this Conservative government, Canada will only support a legitimate Middle East weapons of mass destruction conference process that addresses the concerns of all countries in the region, including Israel.

Unlike the NDP, which pursues policies that isolate Israel in the Middle East, Canada and this government will continue to stand with our friend and ally for democracy, freedom and the rule of law.

[Citizenship and Immigration, June 2nd, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, there were lots of consultations. Our reform, which is working very well for the temporary worker program, has one single goal: to put Canadians and Quebeckers first when it comes to available jobs.

All foreign workers who come to Canada have to follow the new rules, whether they are interns or full-time workers. This system will cover all sectors of our economy. We should be working toward greater reciprocity in our relationship with France because the number of French nationals who come here as part of—

[Citizenship and Immigration, June 2nd, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, that member has been living in a parallel universe, obviously. The truth is that Liberal governments always took immigrants in this country for granted, including the government of which that member was a part. The Liberals left us backlogged. They turned a blind eye to abuse and when crisis came, they did favours only to their political friends. We on this side have taken action. We have sustained the highest levels of immigration in Canadian history. We have brought more parents and grandparents to this country than any government before in Canada. We will take no lessons from that member.

[Citizenship and Immigration, June 2nd, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, the reality is that Liberal governments, including the one the honourable member belonged to, always took immigrants for granted. The Liberals left us a backlog. They ignored abuses. They refused to strengthen the rules and, at the same time, did favours in exchange for political support. We have done the opposite. We have maintained an immigration record—

[Citizenship and Immigration, June 1st, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, the members who truly care about their constituents' situations immediately contact the ministers or departments responsible to get results. That has always been our objective on this side. We do not set out to play politics with the individual cases of people who are obviously facing urgent situations abroad. We would like to help the hon. member, but in order to do so we need detailed information, which we have yet to receive.

[Citizenship and Immigration, June 1st, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I have to point out that it is practically irresponsible to raise such a question in the House rather than raising it in private. We cannot comment on individual cases. The member opposite should call the minister responsible if she wants everyone to be treated fairly.

We have been able to reduce backlogs everywhere, but there are some cases that are more complicated. They should be dealt with privately and not publicly in the House.

[Citizenship and Immigration, June 1st, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, that is what we have been doing for nine years in this country. In our economic immigration programs, there are no backlogs of the sort that we knew under those Liberal decades of darkness. In fact, under express entry, some new permanent residents are being processed in two weeks. On family reunification, our action plan for faster family reunification has brought together 75,000 parents and grandparents in only three years, in addition to the 50,000 super visas issued in only three years.

We are getting the job done. The backlogs are down. Immigration has never been faster.

[Citizenship and Immigration, June 1st, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, the real nightmare, once again, is the NDP's determined campaign to misinform Canadians.

The parent and grandparent program has brought in up to 75,000 new immigrants in three years through a family reunification program. This year, 70,000 new immigrants arrived in Canada thanks to our family programs, and that is not including our super visa, which made it possible for 50,000 parents and grandparents to come to Canada in less than three years.