Sir, the Auditor General's report made a strong recommendation that the federal government has to do a better job of screening for security and medical admissibility of entrants and immigration and refugee applicants to Canada. The opposition has stated that they agree with the Auditor General; however, some people still say that the federal government should not have the final say on whether a provincial nominee gets into the country. In other words, if a province nominates an individual, the federal government should not be able to overrule that decision if the individual is found to not meet the law under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
This really doesn't make sense to me, since the provinces do not have the resources or the ability to check for criminality, security, or medical issues.
Can you please explain why it is so important that the federal government maintain the responsibility for having the final determination as to the eligibility of a visitor or an immigration applicant already in or outside of Canada?
Mr. Manicom, go ahead.