Evidence of meeting #89 for Citizenship and Immigration in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was chair.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Brad Redekopp Conservative Saskatoon West, SK
I would simply add to this discussion that I think there's a lot of committee business that we need to do, and Ms. Kwan mentioned some of those things. I think we need to ensure that we allocate enough time at the committee to deal with those things, whether it be motions or finishing studies or whatever. Let's not get ahead of ourselves too much with witnesses and let's make sure we have enough committee business time in the schedule to do that.
You can add me to the speakers list, please.
Liberal
Arielle Kayabaga Liberal London West, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I'd like to wish everyone a happy new year and a happy return to Parliament.
I would also like to move that we adjourn debate on this motion.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sukh Dhaliwal
It's non-debatable.
Is there unanimous consent or do we take a vote?
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sukh Dhaliwal
Mr. Clerk, I will request that you call the vote.
The vote is to adjourn debate on the ongoing issue that we suspended the meeting on.
(Motion agreed to: yeas 6; nays 4)
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sukh Dhaliwal
The motion is carried.
On the speakers list I have Mr. Redekopp, Mr. McLean and then Madam Kwan.
Conservative
Brad Redekopp Conservative Saskatoon West, SK
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I'd like to move a motion. This was provided previously. I move that:
Given that,
a. The current Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities was the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship when record high immigration targets were set, and that he has now admitted that those immigration targets helped to fuel the housing crisis, in a press conference on January 15th;
b. The current Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship admitted that his department was responsible for fuelling the housing crisis when he admitted that his department is running a "system that’s run a bit rampant for far too long and is causing an impact that is not unappreciable”;
c. The Premier of Quebec has described the immigration system as putting Quebec “very close to the breaking point due to the excessive number of asylum seekers arriving in Quebec month after month [and that] the situation has become unsustainable”;
The committee invite the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship and the Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities to appear separately for two (2) hours each to explain their remarks, within 14 days of the passage of this motion.
This issue has been in the news a lot. A lot of us are talking about it. It's something that's really critical to this committee. I think it would be very helpful for us to have a chance to question both ministers to get to the bottom of what exactly is going on here, so I would move that motion and I would hope the committee would agree with it.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sukh Dhaliwal
Thank you.
We will go to Mr. McLean, and then Madam Kwan, Mr. Kmiec and Mr. Brunelle-Duceppe.
Conservative
Greg McLean Conservative Calgary Centre, AB
I also have a motion to introduce to this committee at this point in time.
Are we debating my colleague's motion first, or are we going to go with a new motion? Are we debating that motion?
Liberal
Conservative
Greg McLean Conservative Calgary Centre, AB
Okay. Then I'll park my motion, if I can. Would you like me to present the motion now or discuss his motion?
Let's discuss his motion and let's come back, please, Mr. Chair.
NDP
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
I just want to put this on the public record with respect to the adjournment of the other motion, which I know we passed. Just to be clear, that issue is yet to be dealt with, but I supported it because I want to move a motion with respect to Gaza, which I think is an urgent situation, as peoples' lives are literally at risk minute by minute and second by second. We'll get to that motion when we get to a chance to.
With respect to this motion, there's this perspective or this narrative out there that somehow blames newcomers for Canada's housing crisis. The truth of the matter, in my opinion, is that newcomers are not the people to blame. Rather, it's successive governments, both Liberal and Conservative, that have failed Canadians by not ensuring that there is proper housing for them, housing that they can afford and can have access to. As a result, we have this housing crisis, this escalating housing crisis.
Now, I could go on for days about housing, which I won't. I recognize that this is the immigration committee. However, that said, I do believe that both the Minister of Immigration and the Minister of Housing should come before the committee on some relevant aspects.
I have another motion about that, and it ties into a number of things.
One is the international students. The crisis that the international students have faced as a result of the fraud scheme that happened and the scam that the students were subject to is a crisis that has not yet been resolved, in my opinion. There are still a lot of problems with respect to that, and a lot of students have not had any communication about their current situation.
I also think that the minister made a decision around a cap for international students, and I think that the minister needs to come and talk to the committee about that cap. The minister also announced the increase in financial requirements for international students. I think that this, too, needs to come before the committee so that the minister can talk to committee members about it.
The housing issue really ties into the government's role, I think, with the provinces and territories, and with institution, in ensuring that there is a plan for student housing. I want to have that conversation, Mr. Chair, but it has to be cast in the light of talking about the issues rather than blaming newcomers. I have another motion with respect to that, Mr. Chair, which I would like to move at the appropriate time.
For those reasons, I will not be supporting the Conservative motion.
Liberal
Bloc
Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe Bloc Lac-Saint-Jean, QC
I am in favour of the motion.
I think we have to be careful about immigration and, in that regard, I agree with Ms. Kwan. I know that the immigration file will be a priority in this session for most of the political parties. This file has to be addressed in a responsible way. I do not want to see people insulting each other or blaming communities or newcomers.
The Conservative motion is entirely legitimate because those statements have received a lot of media attention. We could add a fourth point, however. Unfortunately, I do not have the exact wording, but we would have to say that the committee agrees that newcomers are not responsible for Canada's housing crisis. That would provide a framework for us to study the file responsibly and calmly, and behave like adults. This is a central issue, and a very sensitive one for most of the people following us.
I do not know exactly how to phrase this addition.
Could we break for 30 seconds so I can confer with my Conservative colleagues before I propose a suitable amendment?
Would that be possible, Mr. Chair?
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sukh Dhaliwal
I'm calling the meeting back to order.
Mr. Brunelle-Duceppe, the floor is still yours.
Bloc
Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe Bloc Lac-Saint-Jean, QC
I would like to propose an amendment to Mr. Redekopp's motion.
Liberal
Bloc
Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe Bloc Lac-Saint-Jean, QC
I would like to propose an amendment to my friend Mr. Redekopp's motion.
I would like to add the following: “d. and considering that newcomers are not responsible for the housing crisis in Quebec and Canada.”
