Immigrations, Refugees and Citizenship  Madam Speaker, I will repeat for the benefit of my hon. colleague that VACs do not play a role in the decision-making process and are expressly forbidden to provide any visa-related advice to applicants. In fact, as I stated, all immigration information gathered at VACs is transmitted directly to Canada and is stored in Canada.

Immigrations, Refugees and Citizenship  Madam Speaker, I am thankful for the chance to address the question from the hon. member. I want to start by emphasizing that safeguarding applicants' personal information and privacy is always the top priority for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, or IRCC, and the Government of Canada.

COVID-19 Vaccines  Mr. Speaker, not so long ago, in a galaxy not so far away, a rebel alliance of scientists and researchers, including a few Jedi, I am sure, worked together to eradicate smallpox and polio. Because of their courage and that all the Padawans who did their part by getting vaccinated, a new hope emerged and these diseases are something we mostly only hear about.

Ramadan  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mark Ramadan, the holy month of fasting and revelation for those of the Muslim faith in my community of Vaudreuil—Soulanges. While activities may be virtual and Iftar, the communal breaking of the fast, will only occur with family this year, the light is no less dampened by these challenges.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship  Madam Speaker, the pandemic has affected almost every aspect of our lives, and we have brought in innovative measures to process active cases as quickly as possible and minimize delays caused by COVID-19. We have prioritized applications from Canadians and permanent residents returning to Canada, as well as people providing essential services and support.

Frontline Health Care Workers  Madam Speaker, as I enter my ninth year of remission following treatment for testicular cancer, I rise today to recognize the hard work of nurses and all frontline health care workers who continue to save lives during this health crisis. Yesterday, as I walked through the halls of Montreal's Jewish General Hospital for my annual blood work and X-rays, the experience was understandably different, but one thing remained the same: the dedication and resolve of our nurses.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship  Can you hear me now, Mr. Speaker?

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship  Mr. Speaker, in September, to speed up processing and reduce the wait for couples to reunite in Canada, we increased the number of decision-makers on spousal applications by 66% to reach the goal of nearly 49,000 application decisions by the end of 2020. In fact, no spousal or common-law permanent resident application that is in progress will be closed or refused because of document delays resulting from pandemic-related closures.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship  Mr. Speaker, in our operations and processing, we have made significant progress, and we are going to continue to work to better serve Canadians and the loved ones they are trying to reunite with. We have introduced measures to streamline the processing of permanent resident applications, including spouse or common-law partnership applications, and provided applicants additional time to provide documents if need be, if they are faced with challenges due to local COVID-19 restrictions.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship  Mr. Speaker, I am thankful for the chance to address the question from the hon. member. Let me say, to begin, that as the newly appointed parliamentary secretary for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, I very much look forward to working with the hon. member in the coming weeks and months.

The Environment  Madam Speaker, we committed to Canadians that we would not only take action to reduce our GHG emissions and meet and exceed our Paris Agreement targets, but also do so by growing the economy at the same time. That is what we are delivering on and have delivered on over the last five to six years.

The Environment  Madam Speaker, this Canadian net-zero emissions accountability act has robust accountability and transparency. Just to name a few aspects, it has a legally binding process for the federal government to set climate targets and bring forward plans to meet those targets, rigorous ongoing progress reports, yearly reports by the independent advisory body and ongoing audits by the commissioner of the environment and sustainable development.

St. Patrick's Day in Vaudreuil—Soulanges  Mr. Speaker, although there will be no St. Patrick's Day parade in Hudson this year, the spirit of Irish generosity is alive and well in the Vaudreuil-Soulanges community. This Saturday, March 13, Ken Doran and the Soulanges Irish Society are hosting Local Supporting Locals in support of our local restaurants and not-for-profits, which have all been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic over the last year.

Points of Order  Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. It may have been a simple oversight, but I had planned to deliver an S. O. 31 as the 16th speaker on the roster today. I am hoping that I can still move forward with delivering that statement.

Points of Order  Mr. Speaker, from Montreal to mission control, I rise today on behalf of the House of Commons to congratulate Quebec's own Dr. Farah Alibay, who recently helped the Perseverance rover land safely on Mars. Her academic achievements at the University of Cambridge and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and her personal perseverance led her to play a key role in this mission, which could confirm whether there is life on another planet, knowledge that could change the way we see our place in our galaxy.