Citizenship and Immigration Committee on Oct. 7th, 2022

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Speaking quickly to the proposed amendment, I do not support it. I think we need to have all of the ministers stated in my original motion come forward. This is supposed to be a whole-of-government response to Afghanistan. Because of the significance and the seriousness of the situation in Afghanistan, I think that having the minister come for one hour and officials for one hour is not too much to ask.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Mr. Sidhu, go ahead.

[Maninder Sidhu, Liberal, Brampton East, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

From my memory, if it serves correctly, a lot of the ministers went to the special committee. I know there's progress being made on Afghanistan. We just recently welcomed over 20,000 people. We've hit the 20,000 target. There are new flights coming every week or so. I think there's progress being made. We've heard from ministers on this file already.

We have a subcommittee next week, I believe on Tuesday. Out of respect for the witnesses, who took time out of their busy schedules to join us today, I ask that this discussion take place there, so we can hear from our witnesses here today.

We have to respect their time. We want to hear from them. We invited them here. I think it's important that we hear from them today.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Thank you, Mr. Sidhu.

Have all the members been able to get the amendment? They want the amendment in both official languages.

Mr. El-Khoury, go ahead.

[Fayçal El-Khoury, Liberal, Laval—Les Îles, QC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I would like to ask my colleague, why the rush? We have done a tremendous job regarding Afghanistan, for several months. There is a report. Why don't we wait until we see the report—understanding, analyzing? Then we could go further and give our opinion to see if it's suitable to invite those ministers or not. Receiving and reading the report is essential for us as a committee.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

I think Mrs. Lalonde will send her amendment to the clerk in both official languages. We will suspend for three or four minutes so that every member can get it in both official languages.

Monsieur Brunelle-Duceppe, go ahead.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Before we suspend, I too would like to apologize to the witnesses, who have to put up with this situation.

We could speed up the process if everyone agreed to vote now. We know everyone's position, and it won't be different next Tuesday. Every party's position will be exactly the same.

I therefore propose that we vote on the amendment without delay once we've received it in both official languages. It took us five minutes for the first motion. We could do it quickly, and the witnesses would be able to participate in the committee, as they should. We should therefore vote without delay.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Mr. Hallan, go ahead.

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary Forest Lawn, AB]

I agree with my friend Alexis. I think we should just go to a vote on this one, and Ms. Kwan's proposed motion as well. I think everyone's pretty clear on their position.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Mr. Sidhu, go ahead.

[Maninder Sidhu, Liberal, Brampton East, ON]

Madam Chair, I propose we suspend for a few minutes while we await the written language.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Okay, we'll let this come to all the members in both official languages. Mrs. Lalonde, please send it to the clerk.

I'll suspend the meeting for a few minutes so that we have the amendment in both official languages.

I want to apologize to all the witnesses for the delay. We will try to resume as soon as possible.

The meeting is suspended.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

I call the meeting back to order.

I hope all of the members have received the amendment moved by Mrs. Lalonde, in both official languages.

We have an amendment moved by Mrs. Lalonde on the floor. Is there any debate? Is there any member who would like to speak to the amendment?

Seeing no further debate, we will take a vote on the amendment moved by Mrs. Lalonde.

(Amendment negatived: nays 6; yeas 5 [See Minutes of Proceedings])

Mrs. Lalonde, go ahead.

[Marie-France Lalonde, Liberal, Orléans, ON]

Madam Chair, thank you very much.

Maybe I didn't quite understand the sentiment expressed by my colleagues. We could possibly propose an amendment fairly similar to the one that my colleague has received. However, instead of one hour, and I think that's being fair, we should have stuck with what my colleague Ms. Kwan wanted to see, which was two hours.

The proposed amendment would be that we would invite the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship and the Minister of Justice for two hours, instead of the one hour that I made as a proposal.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

It is two hours allocated for each department.

[Marie-France Lalonde, Liberal, Orléans, ON]

Yes, Madam Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Okay, thank you.

Can you please repeat your amendment so that everyone can get that?

[Marie-France Lalonde, Liberal, Orléans, ON]

Definitely.

I'll read it: That the Standing Committee on Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship study the government's response to the Final Report of the Special Committee on Afghanistan entitled Honouring Canada's Legacy In Afghanistan: Responding To The Humanitarian Crisis And Helping People Reach Safety, following the tabling of the report; that the Committee invite the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Minister of National Defence, Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of International Development, and their officials, with two hours allocated for each department, to provide an update on which of the 37 recommendations related to their portfolio, they have acted on and/or its progress and which they will not implement with an explanation; and that the committee report its findings to the house.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Thank you, Mrs. Lalonde.

We have an amendment on the floor, moved by Mrs. Lalonde.

Ms. Kwan, go ahead.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I'll just speak to this very quickly.

I'm opposed to this amendment. What the government is trying to do is water down the number of ministers to come before the committee or the time for the officials to come before the committee.

Given the gravity of this situation, where Afghans and their family members who serve this country are being hunted down by the Taliban as we speak right now, and some have actually disappeared already, surely we can find a few hours within this committee to hear the government's response, which they only just tabled yesterday.

I read the response. I think the families who serve our country deserve this hearing from this committee, and we need to get some answers on the recommendations that were tabled by the Special Committee on Afghanistan. The government said that they have taken a whole-of-government approach. The minister, just today in question period, said that he's doing everything he can. So, they should not have any problems whatsoever with coming before this committee to speak to committee members on this important issue.

All these amendments, frankly, are the Liberals trying to delay the time on the passage of my motion and, frankly, squandering the time for witnesses to present on the current study. I'm opposed to this amendment.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Thank you, Ms. Kwan.

Mr. Sidhu, go ahead.

[Maninder Sidhu, Liberal, Brampton East, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I agree that it's an important topic. There's no doubt about it. I think the situation in Afghanistan is at the top of our priorities.

What the member opposite is proposing is, I think, close to eight hours or six hours. We're saying, let's be reasonable here. Yes, we don't mind ministers coming to speak to this. We have no objections about that, but let's be reasonable, because there are many other immigration topics that members want to discuss as well.

I think the amendment put forward by my colleague is reasonable.

Again, I want to make sure it's on the record that we're not saying it's not a priority. It is a top priority for our government, and that's why we're continuing to work on the file, but I think it's also important that we be reasonable about some of the other immigration issues out there, and that's why we have witnesses to speak to some of the other issues out there.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Are there any other comments?

[The Clerk]

There are hands in the room, Madam Chair. It's Monsieur Brunelle-Duceppe, Mr. Hallan and Madame Lalonde.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Go ahead, Monsieur Brunelle-Duceppe.