Evidence of meeting #23 for Citizenship and Immigration in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was clause.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Peter MacDougall  Director General, Refugees, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
Luke Morton  Senior Legal Counsel, Manager, Refugee Legal Team, Legal Services, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
John Butt  Manager, Program Development, Department of Citizenship and Immigration

4:40 p.m.

Conservative

Rick Dykstra Conservative St. Catharines, ON

It's not a point of order; I just want to speak to the amendment.

4:40 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative David Tilson

Well, he hasn't said anything yet.

4:40 p.m.

Conservative

Rick Dykstra Conservative St. Catharines, ON

Okay.

4:40 p.m.

Liberal

Maurizio Bevilacqua Liberal Vaughan, ON

It's to remove the concurrent bar on humanitarian and compassionate grounds and the one-year period during the refugee process. I think we know what this issue is about. Refugees need to access humanitarian and compassionate grounds.

4:40 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative David Tilson

So you're not proceeding with this amendment.

4:40 p.m.

Liberal

Maurizio Bevilacqua Liberal Vaughan, ON

I am, but as written in LIB-1.

4:40 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative David Tilson

As I understand it, if this amendment is adopted G-1 cannot be moved.

Is everybody clear on that?

4:40 p.m.

Some hon. members

Yes.

4:40 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative David Tilson

We'll go to debate.

Mr. Bevilacqua.

4:40 p.m.

Liberal

Maurizio Bevilacqua Liberal Vaughan, ON

That is the debate.

4:40 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative David Tilson

Is there any further debate?

4:40 p.m.

Conservative

Rick Dykstra Conservative St. Catharines, ON

The opposition knows where we stand on this issue--so on division.

4:40 p.m.

Liberal

Maurizio Bevilacqua Liberal Vaughan, ON

It passes on division.

(Amendment agreed to) [See Minutes of Proceedings]

4:40 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative David Tilson

So G-1 is gone.

4:40 p.m.

Conservative

Rick Dykstra Conservative St. Catharines, ON

We'll withdraw it.

4:40 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative David Tilson

Monsieur St-Cyr is next.

4:40 p.m.

Bloc

Thierry St-Cyr Bloc Jeanne-Le Ber, QC

Mr. Chairman, in your book, you had amendment BQ-2, which I'm going to withdraw. In the last series of amendments that you received, I'm going to propose the following wording.

4:40 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative David Tilson

It's BQ 2.1.

4:40 p.m.

Bloc

Thierry St-Cyr Bloc Jeanne-Le Ber, QC

Exactly.

4:40 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative David Tilson

It's new. We're moving at a frantic pace.

Monsieur St-Cyr, you have the floor.

4:40 p.m.

Bloc

Thierry St-Cyr Bloc Jeanne-Le Ber, QC

I'm going to read it to you:That Bill C-11, in Clause 4, be amended by replacing line 41 on page 2 with the following:97(1) But must consider elements related to the hardships that affect the foreign national.

When humanitarian applications are reviewed, for procedural reasons, refugee applications are separated from humanitarian applications, and I understand that, but I want to ensure that, in the context of that review, the hardships people face are considered and that they can't be refused simply by saying that their hardships fall under sections ??96 and 97.

4:40 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative David Tilson

Okay, the bells are going. Is there debate on this?

(Amendment agreed to)

(Clause 4 as amended agreed to)

We are going to suspend. When we come back we will deal with clause 5.

5:35 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative David Tilson

Order.

Clause 5 has a couple of NDP proposals.

Ms. Chow.

5:35 p.m.

NDP

Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON

I'm not moving amendments NDP-3 and NDP-4.1, because I spoke to my Bloc colleague. This deals with provincial selection authority for granting on humanitarian and compassionate grounds. I was concerned that if the provincial guidelines were high, some of the deserving people who want to stay in Canada on humanitarian and compassionate grounds might not be able to meet those criteria. But I've been persuaded to respect especially the Quebec provincial government's power to determine who they want to let into the country, so I'm not moving those two amendments as a result.

(Clauses 5 to 7 inclusive agreed to)

(On clause 8)

5:35 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative David Tilson

We go to clause 8.

Monsieur St-Cyr.