Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
I'd like to move the following amendment to this motion.
I would like to add before the words “that the committee report its findings”:
and further that the committee order the production of all documents and records related to the policy-making considerations that led to the specific dimensions of the temporary public policy that opened on January 9, 2024, including the 1,000-person cap, the gradual issuance of access codes and delays in receiving codes experienced by many applicants, and the information requested from applicants on additional screening forms; that, while respecting s. 19, s. 23, and s. 69 of the Access to Information Act, these details be provided within 30 days of the adoption of this motion and relevant documents be released in full to the public;
Mr. Chair, the reason I think this is important is that we just passed the amendment related to the development and execution of the government's special immigration measures. To supplement that work, it would be absolutely critical for committee members to have the documentation to go with it. If we don't, it's just a pretend exercise.
As we saw in many cases—and not even that long ago—if you ask the minister direct questions, he will obfuscate and not answer the questions. The only way we can get at the truth is to get these documents.
Perhaps the Liberals will not be conducive to producing documents, as we are seeing in the House of Commons. However, that said, I hope we will come to realize that this is not a partisan issue, but rather an issue of Palestinian families in Gaza and their Canadian family members deserving the right to know.
Many people are wondering why there is such a differential treatment among communities. People can't help but notice this. When they see it, they can't help but wonder if discrimination and racism are at play. I truly hope not. I hope there are real, legitimate reasons that the government has come in with this limited measure.
Let's put it all out in the open. Transparency is key, I think. Once upon a time, the Prime Minister used to say something about sunlight being the best disinfectant. Well, let's shine some light on this. Let's put notions about the rationale behind differential treatment to rest, I hope. If not, the government needs to do better. It is not okay to allow discriminatory practices to exist in any policy decision-making within the government.