Madam Speaker, I am greatly disappointed by the remarks made by my colleague from Bourassa. It is too bad, but what can you do?
The hon. member means well but his acquaintance with the facts is still at best nodding. The numbers that he quotes are very preliminary. The numbers in the press were not correct and even were they correct, too preliminary to create any kind of a trend.
It will take some months before we see the consistency of rate that can give us some idea of the trends. What is important, très important pour mon cher ami de Bourassa, is that since the
February budget announcement the number of requests for landing has gone up, not down.
Since the announcement 18,000 applications for landing have been processed. Of the 18,000 applications, less than 3 per cent have requested loans. Sponsors who have had their applications returned because they did not include the new fee are resubmitting applications very quickly and with the correct fee.
Any applicant who does not initially qualify for a loan may reapply at any time without penalty. In addition, as the member well knows, refugees have had permission to work since February 1994.
The important thing for the member to know is something I have said to him before. The minister has said it to him. We will say it again. No refugee will be denied protection. That is the important thing.
The other important thing for the hon. member is that he should not believe everything he reads in the papers.