Mr. Speaker, last week the hon. Minister of Immigration announced the prioritizing of the family reunification program, which will reduce processing times so that Canadians and permanent residents can reunite with their loved ones faster than ever before. The minister has been working hard to combat these waiting times for applications. In 2016, processing times were reduced by 15% for in-Canada applications. The program will have a big impact for families right across the country, including for the people in my riding. Thanks to these changes, more families will be reunited in my riding by this time next year than would have otherwise.
We expect to be able to reunite 64,000 spouses, common-law partners, conjugal partners, and dependent children by the end of 2017, a number that exceeds the average for the past 10 years.
Family is very important to me. In fact, my two girls are here today. This is why I would like to congratulate the minister for this initiative that is working to reunite families and bring homes back together.