I want to pose a question and maybe both presenters could respond to it.
I always wonder about the title of the bill, the faster removal of foreign criminals act, because it does speak volumes. There are about 1.5 million permanent residents, and that's really what they're talking about. The foreigners they're referring to are permanent residents, 1.5 million of them. Of that, thousands have been living in Canada for 15-plus years and, for whatever reason, were not able to get their citizenship. Maybe they couldn't pass the test because they were hard at work. In other words, there are many outstanding residents who at times, like the rest of the population, make mistakes. Any law that is broken can be a serious crime, given a certain situation, but ultimately they could be deported. Why? Because they never got their Canadian citizenship.
I'll give you an example. If a 23-year-old man is caught growing six marijuana plants, he is going to be deported without appeal, even if his parents came to Canada 15 years ago. His parents get to stay but he will be deported. He's a student and maybe he went to the United States or another place on vacation, maybe to celebrate his graduation from university. He will find himself in a situation where he will not be able to receive an appeal because he happens to not be a citizen, but just a permanent resident.
I agree about the severity of the crimes, like the five examples that the minister always gives, and I think most Canadians would agree, but there's the other side. The other side is that there are a lot of good people in Canada in that 1.5 million who will make some mistakes. Should they be treated differently? If they've been in Canada for 15 or 20 years and have been contributing to our economic growth, our social programs and so forth, should they be deported without the right to appeal, because of a stupid mistake?
Does that come across as being fair?