Mr. Speaker, I am not part of the committee, but I am very concerned as a Canadian and as a member of Parliament who is hearing about this a lot in my riding.
I was able to attend the very first briefing by the immigration minister on what we were doing with the refugees. I was really pleased to hear that the focus was on vulnerable people. A member from the NDP was very thankful the government was focusing on the gay community, which is another group that is extremely vulnerable.
That night I asked about other very vulnerable people, like ethnic and religious minorities, that we would like to connect with. The response was that the UNHCR had identified three groups: the gay community, single women, and young families. At that point, I asked about ethnic or religious minorities, and the answer was no.
The following night, the press asked a question in this regard and the comment was the same, at which point an individual said that it was their understanding from the UNHCR website that ethnic and religious minorities were included in that vulnerable group and that the first two planeloads to Canada were from particular group.
Given the outrage we are feeling and the fact that Germany has been successful in doing this, as a committee and a government, would not the most important thing be to communicate with them, to take action, and make this happen the way we know it can happen in Canada?