Pardon me, Mr. Minister, you can respond to the rest in writing. I think it is important for us to speak, given that we only have 10 minutes per caucus.
I would like to refer to Haiti, because it is a major, key issue. I was somewhat disappointed by your parliamentary secretary who, last week, in response to a question on Haiti, said that there was no way we could treat countries in different ways depending on their circumstances. I thought that, in Canada, our definition of the word “humanitarian“ was somewhat different. That said, I would like to ask you some very direct questions on the situation in Haiti.
A supplementary budget of $4,788 million has been allocated to Haiti. Are you telling me that, as of March 5, only 160 permanent resident visas have been issued. There are 1,500 temporary visas. Temporary visas mean that those people will eventually have to return to their country.
I would like to know how many applications you have processed and received since the earthquake and how many new applications you have received. Because you also said that you were making announcements in addition to those that were already in the system. I should say that, given the urgency of the situation and the fact that there are still approximately 1 million displaced people, 160 visas is not a great deal. You have acted on adoption but, when it comes to family reunification, I am extremely concerned. I must tell you that I am not very pleased and neither is the Haitian community. I would like you to provide us with some figures on this matter.