This is a government that has admitted over 1.8 million permanent residents since coming to office. It has welcomed some 1.3 million of them into Canadian citizenship. It has maintained the highest sustained levels of immigration in Canadian history and the highest per capita levels of immigration in the developed world. It is increasing the number of resettled refugees we accept by 20% and it has increased support for them. It has tripled federal investment in settlement services and has taken real action to help with credential recognition.
Mr. Chairman, one of the reasons this government received a majority mandate disproportionately from new Canadians is that it is the most pro-immigration government in Canadian history. I know it doesn't suit the narrow political agenda of Mr. Lamoureux, but the truth is this: new Canadians are intolerant of those who abuse this country's generosity by violating the privilege of residency in Canada by committing serious crimes. They believe that people should get their day in court, but should not be able to delay their deportation for several years.
I would ask Mr. Lamoureux to think for a moment about the victims of these crimes. He somehow suggests that the examples we have cited are aberrations. Sadly, they're not. He raises the canard of someone convicted of possessing six marijuana plants, but he forgets to add, “with the intention of trafficking”. I admit, Mr. Chair, that Parliament decided that if you are found by a criminal court to intend to traffic narcotics, to traffic illegal drugs, in Canada, that should carry a serious penalty of six months or more. Why? Because that's not done in isolation. It's typically an indication of involvement in organized criminality. An example is Jackie Tran in Calgary, who we removed after years of delay through the IAD appeal. He had people working for him who were cultivating marijuana plants—