I do not want to take too much time because I think we already know how the vote will turn out. Let me simply correct what my colleague said. The Liberals and Conservatives have been taking turns in power for not just the last 30 years: it has actually been 157 years. It is not easy.
Some people have said that this motion blames newcomers for the housing crisis. I have to disagree with that. We have actually made an amendment that clearly states the following: “and considering that newcomers are not responsible for the housing crisis in Quebec and Canada”. It couldn't be any clearer.
This is the citizenship and immigration committee. The housing crisis is what everyone is talking about right now. We have heard that public servants warned the ministers and that the immigration minister capped the number of international students as a direct result of the housing crisis. Since this is in the public domain, the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration has a duty to look into it. Everyone is talking about it and it is in all the newspapers right across Canada.
In Quebec, we began that dialogue a long time ago. At the time, people were calling us all kinds of names. Now that the rest of Canada is talking about it, people think we are more honest than they were before the discussion in Toronto.
So it is our duty to look into this.
Looking at this motion, I do not think it blames newcomers; rather, I think it raises questions about the targets and government policies that were established. It was indeed the government that decided to set those targets. I am not blaming newcomers; I am simply wondering whether we have the right to ask questions about immigration policies and levels, regardless of the program, whether we are talking about temporary or permanent immigration.
In a G7 country, can we have this kind of debate without throwing insults at each other and accusing each other of attacking newcomers? I am not attacking newcomers. On the contrary, I would say that, since we in the Bloc Québécois are in favour of immigration, we want immigration to be successful and to support newcomers.
Moreover, if you look at the statistics carefully, you will see that the first victims of the housing crisis are often newcomers, for the simple reason that they do not have any family or friends and do not necessarily have a network when they arrive here in a new country. Similarly, refugee claimants really have no network. When there is a housing crisis in a given jurisdiction and people arrive without a network or contacts, they are definitely the ones who will suffer first. This has to be studied and we have to make recommendations about it.
As to immigration targets, that is something to be discussed in the House of Commons once the policy discussions have matured. We have to be able to discuss immigration there. We mustn't bury our heads in the sand. It is bad for newcomers and for all communities. We also have to try to understand the special characteristics of Quebec and of francophone communities outside Quebec. We have to make sure that those people are part of the discussion. I am very interested in the foreign student issue. I will therefore be voting for Ms. Kwan's motion when we get to that.
We know that a cap has been set on the number of foreign students we can accept, but we don't know how that affects the numbers for Quebec. A measure was also announced. The only thing that was clear in the minister's announcement is that open work permits for a student's spouse will only be available if the student is at the master's or doctoral level, or if they are studying medicine or law because, as the minister said, we want to keep the brightest people.
That is tantamount to saying that a nursing student from Cameroon enrolled at Cégep de St-Félicien is not as bright as a law student at McGill.
I have to question that.
I know a lot of law students who attended McGill University. Comparing them to women from Cameroon who enrol at Cégep de St-Félicien... I'll leave it at that. There is certainly a difference in their IQs, but I won't say who is brighter.
We have to call attention to this. Decisions have been made without consulting Quebec, the other provinces, people from postsecondary institutions or educational institutions, in Quebec or the rest of Canada. This warrants our consideration. We have to ask those ministers some questions.
For my part, I support the motion. If it is defeated, I will support Ms. Kwan's motion, but the ministers have to appear to answer those questions. Once again, I invite my colleagues to be responsible and stay above the fray on the sensitive issues of immigration and immigration targets. We owe that to our constituents and to newcomers. No one should be ostracized. It is our duty as parliamentarians to act accordingly.