Mr. Speaker, if there is an abuse or a marriage of convenience, surely the department can make that decision and then deport the applicant. In terms of marriages of convenience, the percentage is quite low and many of them happen overseas, not within Canada. Therefore, how would continuing this policy encourage people to get married in order to remain in Canada? It sounds absurd. Marriage is very important. As some would say, if they are religious, that it is a sacred vow. How would that encourage people to take that vow just to abuse the system knowing full well that if they were found out at the end of the whole process they would get deported anyway? How would that encourage fraudulent behaviour? I do not quite understand that logic.
In the House of Commons on May 26th, 2009. See this statement in context.