Debates of Dec. 2nd, 2004

Citizenship and Immigration

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, I indicated the exact same thing a few minutes ago. Everything is done on merit and humanitarian and compassionate grounds. The hon. member might want to turn around and ask his own members just how many of those permits they have received on that side of the House, because I can tell members that they received a whole lot of humanitarian and compassionate decisions.

[Nina Grewal, Conservative, Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the immigration minister's decision to grant a temporary residence permit to a campaign worker reeks of political interference. She granted a permit after stating none would be issued during the election campaign, breaking her own rule.

The minister's press secretary states the minister has personally approved 800 temporary residence permits. She denies compassionate cases like people seeking life-saving transplants while approving others for political gain. Will the minister provide the House with a riding by riding breakdown of these permits or at the very least provide a breakdown by postal code?

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, let me tell you that, as many of the members opposite know, I have a very busy immigration department. We are moving forward in this country to meet the needs of people who want to move to this country and I am looking after newcomers.

On this side of the House, we fight on behalf of immigrants and we fight on behalf of newcomers who get themselves caught up with lousy immigration consultants. We are here to help those people, not to turn around and penalize them like they would across the hall.

Middle East

[Derek Lee, Liberal, Scarborough—Rouge River, ON]

Mr. Speaker, recent voting at the United Nations and statements by Ambassador Allan Rock may have left an impression that Canada has changed its longstanding policy toward the Middle East. Some say it may show a pro-Israeli shift. Could the Minister of Foreign Affairs indicate to the House the significance of these votes?

[Pierre Pettigrew, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, our longstanding policy toward the Middle East has not changed. It continues to be fair-minded and based on principles. Again, we review each resolution with a view to ensuring that our voting position is consistent with our policy. Our approach with these 22 resolutions is to assess them on their merits. This year we have decided to change our vote on three of them.

Tomorrow we will vote in support of a resolution that, among other things, is calling on Israel to join the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, because we believe that this would be a good step toward--

[The Speaker]

Order, please. The hon. member for Fleetwood--Port Kells. I am sorry. I missed her supplementary question. I apologize.

Citizenship and Immigration

[Nina Grewal, Conservative, Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the minister informed the House yesterday that she has no idea how many temporary resident permits are issued riding by riding, yet she claimed on November 19 to have a binder full of such information. How convenient for the minister that she can turn the table on opposition members, claiming to know how many requests have been made for such permits but maintaining ignorance of the broader picture.

Does the minister have records for all ridings or just for ridings held by opposition members? Will she table her binder in the House?

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, as I indicated before, I do not maintain them on a riding by riding basis. They are looked at on one clear--

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker]

I remind hon. members that we are wasting time in question period. I cannot hear the minister and she sits close to me. I cannot imagine what it is like for members at the far end of the chamber.

We do have to be able to hear the minister's answer. The question was asked. If members do not want to hear the answer, I suggest we not ask the question. The hon. minister is now trying to answer, so we will have to hear it.

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, York West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, let me say it very clearly to all of you folks. You continue to do nothing, and I will address you, Mr. Speaker, nothing other than to politicize immigration.

It is the same old reform-alliance party that has always been there. Let me remind them about what the headlines were in Nova Scotia, for their star candidate in Nova Scotia said publicly that immigration would dilute our population. Thank goodness the people of Nova Scotia were smart not to elect him.

Softwood Lumber

[Jean Crowder, NDP, Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC]

Mr. Speaker, we heard over and over this week what good friends the American President and the Prime Minister are. Some friendship: Americans will take every ounce of oil and every watt of energy we can give them but turn up their noses at our softwood and our cattle.

Workers and communities have waited for four long years for action on the softwood lumber dispute. Can the minister tell us why, after waiting so very long, Canadian softwood producers are still subject to illegal tariffs?

[Jim Peterson, Liberal, Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is absolutely right. This has dragged on for a very long time. What is being pursued by the Americans in this is a very dilatory type of tactic in terms of using the provisions of NAFTA and the WTO. We have stood up to them at every measure, we have beat them and we shall continue to do that.

[Jean Crowder, NDP, Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC]

Mr. Speaker, that answer reminds me of the tail-wagging watchdog welcoming the bad guys in and showing them where the safe is.

Yesterday another NAFTA panel determined that the U.S. duties on Canadian softwood are ridiculously high and should be reduced effectively to zero. Will the minister demand today that the U.S. immediately stop collecting these illegal tariffs and return the $3.6 billion already paid in duties by Canadian firms?

[Jim Peterson, Liberal, Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, not only have we done that today and on previous days, but we have been doing it for a very long time. We expect the United States to fully comply with its international trade obligations. This is why we will continue to fight the extraordinary challenge it has launched in the NAFTA system. At the same time as we continue to fight all of these disputes at NAFTA and the WTO, we remain open to a negotiated settlement of this issue. We will continue to follow that two track approach.

Citizenship and Immigration

[Betty Hinton, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson, BC]

Mr. Speaker, while the minister of immigration fast-tracks work permits for exotic dancers, she ignores legitimate compassionate cases.

A Korean student, the victim of a vicious assault while jogging, is living with the possibility of her caregivers being sent back to South Korea. They have been waiting almost two years for an answer and the minister is dragging her feet in giving them landed immigrant status.

When will the minister get her priorities straight? If she cannot, when will she resign?

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, this issue was first brought to my attention yesterday by my parliamentary secretary. I have looked into that issue. I can assure the House that as of five minutes to three, there will be permits issued for all three members of that family. I am very glad to have had the opportunity under humanitarian and compassionate grounds to exercise that will.

[Betty Hinton, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson, BC]

Mr. Speaker, after two years, that is good news.

The priorities of the immigration minister are seriously flawed. She continues to defend the importation of strippers, yet she deported a young South Korean awaiting a student visa because she earned a whopping $39. It seems that organizing, choreographing and even paying for rehearsal space out of one's own pocket to showcase Canadian dance talent is deemed unacceptable to the minister. My question is this. Would this student have been deported if her dancers only wore pasties?

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, I have to congratulate the Prime Minister and our government for the great job they are doing. The official opposition clearly has no issues with our government. We are doing such a great job of running this country all the opposition is concerned about is wasting government time and wasting House time.

I was in Calgary and Regina on Monday. Several people stopped me and said, “Would you please tell the official opposition to get on with the issues that matter to us out west, to farmers, and all of the other issues, and get off this?”

[Lynne Yelich, Conservative, Blackstrap, SK]

Mr. Speaker, the immigration minister continues to deny wrongdoing or even bad judgment in skipping her campaign helper to the front of the immigration line. This does not sit well with my constituents. Saskatchewan is trying to attract immigrants, yet we witnessed several self-sufficient Romanian families ripped from their lives in Saskatoon and deported.

The minister has been quoted as saying “nobody is exempt from the law”. Why does this law apply to community-minded families in Saskatoon but not to the minister's favoured helpers?

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, I had a wonderful meeting on Monday in Regina, Saskatchewan. I visited the Regina Open Door Society. I met with children and infants who were there, many of them refugees. We were there to make an announcement on enhanced language training. The money we are putting into that program is exactly what we want, to turn around and help people get settled in our country, to get the technical help they need, and to move on to help build this great country that they came to. I look forward to continuing to work with them.

[Lynne Yelich, Conservative, Blackstrap, SK]

Mr. Speaker, these people did not need language training. They were established families in Saskatchewan for over five years, so you did not have to. There seems to be a double standard--

[The Speaker]

Order, please. This is the second time I have had to get up in question period and urge hon. members to address their remarks to the Chair. I urged the minister not to set a bad example and now the member for Blackstrap is doing the same thing.

[An hon. member]

She started it.

[The Speaker]

It is not a matter of who started it, I want it to end. The hon. member for Blackstrap has the floor, and she will please address the Chair.