Mr. Speaker, today is World Refugee Day, and I would therefore like to salute the courage and determination of all those who have been displaced from their communities as a result of violence or danger. They face unspeakable challenges, which is why it is so important to give them a warm welcome when they arrive at our borders.
It is no secret: Canada is no longer the open, generous country it once was. The Conservatives have brought in a number of measures to discourage people from coming to our country for help and to deport them faster. In just over a decade, refugee claims to Canada have dropped from 40,000 to 10,000 a year, to say nothing of the lack of leadership shown by this government.
For instance, the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, who took so long to announce his targets for the number of Syrian refugees to be welcomed, still has not given his department the means to meet his own commitments. I must also point out the violence and tense political situation in Burundi, which have displaced tens of thousands of people—and yet Canada continues to deport people to that country.
Canada can and must do more for refugees.