Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Immigration is insensitive to the plight of refugees who will now have to pay $975 in addition to the basic $500 for permanent resident status in Canada.
Last Thursday, the minister stated that $975 was the price of a colour television in Canada, intimating that the cost was within everyone's reach.
In 1990, the average personal income in Haiti was $320; in 1992, the average income in India was $370 and, in El Salvador, it was $870. These examples clearly illustrate the difficulties faced by refugees accepted into Canada.
The minister's remark demonstrates his profound indifference to the financial and political realities of many immigrants and refugees.