Madam Speaker, I listened very carefully to the speech of my colleague. I agree with several paragraphs in that speech, but the problem is in reconciling a compassionate speech with a bill that is not compassionate at all. It is very regressive and unworthy of a democratic society such as Canada.
Unfortunately, my colleague did not take part in the meetings of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration. She would have been able to hear testimonies of people coming from Ontario, Quebec or other provinces. They all criticized this bill very severely. Some even asked for its withdrawal; they were lawyers, legal experts and even members of the Canadian Ethnocultural Council, that is of ethnic communities in Canada. Not a single ethnic community came to say: Yes, we agree with this bill; go ahead with it. They all said no or showed a great reluctance toward the bill.
For instance, someone who has lived here for 40 or 50 years, who is still a permanent resident and has never become a Canadian citizen will be able to be deported because they have committed a crime punishable by 10 years or more. In fact, they were only sentenced to two years in prison or a fine or a probation period. The bill will allow these inequities.
There are people who came to Canada at a very young age, children who never became Canadian citizens for whatever reason. They could be deported, yet they are the product of this society. They were educated here. They were influenced by this society.
These inequities will be allowed if this bill is passed. I would ask my colleague to give us her response on that.