Evidence of meeting #148 for Citizenship and Immigration in the 42nd Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was program.
A video is available from Parliament.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Rob Oliphant
No, I don't. I believe that I've already ruled it out of order. To rule it out of order, I have said we will not entertain that debate at this committee at this time. I'm not going to rule that what I ruled was correct.
I have Mr. Tilson on the list, if you'd like to cautiously....
Conservative
David Tilson Conservative Dufferin—Caledon, ON
I'm never offended by Mr. Whalen and his charges to me, but I will say that I'm repeating a word that was used by the minister in this committee, who acknowledged that the words “illegal” and “irregular” are interchangeable.
Conservative
David Tilson Conservative Dufferin—Caledon, ON
Well, he did. It's on the record. I don't have the transcript with me, but I'm sure the chairman remembers, and some of you also remember. That's what he said: that those words are interchangeable. I've decided to use the word “illegal” because that's what they are.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Rob Oliphant
—I would ask all members to address their questions to me, and when they're referring to other members on either side to please do it respectfully.
Conservative
David Tilson Conservative Dufferin—Caledon, ON
Mr. Chairman, I want to go to the department.
Can you give us the number of rejected claims of illegal border crossers to date?
Salma Zahid Scarborough Centre, Lib.
Thank you, Chair.
I'll share my time with my colleague Mr. DeCourcey.
Matt DeCourcey Fredericton, Lib.
Just to start the time here, Mr. Chair, we just saw all three party leaders stand up in this House and talk about the importance of our words and actions. We even had the leader of the official opposition stand and say—and I quote—that “we must be as forceful” with “our words as we are” with our actions.
When my Conservative colleagues term people who would come across our border and seek refuge in this country “illegals”, they are not matching their words with the actions that we all asked ourselves to hold ourselves to today.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Rob Oliphant
I'm afraid you're taking it to debate as well. It's a very good debate, but I think—
Liberal
Fredericton, Lib.
I would suggest that using words like “illegal” to describe those who would come and seek refuge in this country incites hate and fear and gives licence to the type of white supremacist movements that cause terror to take root in our country and around the world. I would ask my Conservative colleagues to cease using that word and to hold themselves to a higher standard.
Scarborough Centre, Lib.
Thank you for coming today.
For my first question, I note that there is a request of $4.6 million in the supplementary (B)s related to biometric screening, which builds on another $6.2 million approved in the supplementary (A)s. Could you please discuss the impact that increased biometric screening will have both on security and on processing times and assure us that all necessary privacy steps are being taken to safeguard the data?
Assistant Deputy Minister, Operations, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
With biometrics, what we have rolled out as such—
Conservative
Assistant Deputy Minister, Operations, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
—is basically a tool that we are using for enhancing security, because this is what is used by many countries—
