Mr. Speaker, I would like to comment on the speech of the hon. member of the opposition.
I wish to remind him that the vast majority of refugees do not immigrate to Canada to settle here. On the contrary, they choose to go to what they call a third country, the second or third country they move to, namely neighbouring countries to their country of origin. In other words, those who want to leave Rwanda will first go by the thousands if not by the millions to countries next to their own, rather than come to Canada.
When we talk about the few thousands of refugees who wish to come to Canada, I think we must consider the issue in its true perspective and consider the responsibility we have, as Canadians, to accept them.
But most of all, I would like to ask my hon. colleague a question. How can he reconcile what he said with the facts? The fact is that when the Liberals formed the government in the 1950s and 1960s and even during the 1940s, immigrants came to Canada from Italy, Germany, Greece, and we also welcomed Jews who left Europe after the war. We welcomed them by the thousands and they became the very backbone of our immigration. Today, their children and grandchildren are Canadian citizens.
Therefore, when the hon. member says that the Liberal government of the day never championed immigration, I would like him to explain how, in the face of evidence to the contrary, he can reconcile his comments with the facts?