Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. I humbly admit that I cannot answer the part about the funds and whether the government has already paid the equivalent of what the public donated. I will leave that question for someone who knows the answer. I am flattered that my colleague called me an expert in the area of immigration and I thank him very much. I am not yet an expert, but I have been following this issue closely for over two years as critic for the Bloc Québécois. His question gives me another opportunity to speak.
There seems to be an inconsistency in the government's position on temporary work visas. If they say that an individual cannot be deported because the situation in his country is untenable, which the Bloc agrees with, then we must give him the means to work during this temporary period—which is indeterminate for the time being—that he is in Canada. We are not asking for free permanent residency for these people, but just for a way to allow them to continue to work temporarily.
The government may be afraid that by holding an official job in Canada, these people will qualify for Canadian worker programs and apply for permanent residence. I do not want to impugn the government's motives, but we get the feeling that that is what is behind the government's actions. The government, which abruptly cancelled this support measure, is telling itself that if people stay and work under the table, they will not be able to claim permanent residence later because they will not be able to prove they qualify in the Canadian experience class.
If that were so, it would be slightly convoluted and deplorable reasoning. These people need our support, and we have to keep on helping them. In all cases, the federal government could have been more flexible and granted temporary resident permits to people who just wanted to come and see their family in Montreal or elsewhere in order to catch their breath, have a change of scenery and distance themselves from the earthquake in Haiti. They had no intention of living here and going through winter in Quebec. The government showed no flexibility with regard to these people. That is something else we condemn.