Mr. Speaker, the member's intervention makes me long for our days on committee together. Her appreciation and understanding in this area was significant and helpful to committee and to me on many occasions.
The member has raised questions about the Conservatives' commitment to family reunification.
I want to remind her of the first time that a Conservative minister appeared before the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration. Former member Monte Solberg came before committee, as the minister, early in the term of the new Conservative government to present his vision for immigration. The minister talked about the principles governing immigration in Canada.
For many years, Canadians had a mantra about family reunification, about the needs of the Canadian economy, about the need to protect the vulnerable and people whose lives were in danger and about the need to build the nation. This mantra was repeated all the time.
When the first Conservative minister came to committee he left out family reunification. When I asked him about it afterward he said he was trying to keep his remarks short. It seemed significant to me that the minister would drop it on his first appearance before committee when we have a longstanding commitment to family reunification as a key principle of immigration. I put it to the minister that this had to be carefully considered.
I wonder if the hon. member could talk a bit more about her perception of the Conservative government's commitment to family reunification.