Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
I note that different countries have different cultural norms, and of course we're trying to make sure that when Canadians come here they attend to those norms. One of Canada's norms is that we're going to do everything we can to prevent gender-based violence, yet when Jason Kenney and the Conservatives implemented a policy called “conditional permanent residency”, this policy required sponsored partners to live with their sponsors for at least two years in order to maintain their status in Canada, forcing those who were experiencing domestic violence or sexual abuse to stay silent or risk losing their status. This put spouses in vulnerable situations.
Can the minister please explain or outline for the committee why it was important for our government to repeal this atrocious policy, and any costs that might have been associated with repealing the policy?