Madam Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the member for Parry Sound—Muskoka.
Last Friday, the world looked on in shock as the United States announced a ban on immigration from seven Muslim countries. In light of the dire global event, it gives me hope and a great sense of pride to stand here today and reflect on the warmth and generosity with which Canadians welcome newcomers to our country.
When we think of Canada, we think of a country that is aware and proud of the fact that it has been built on immigration. Over the years, the convergence of many different cultures from all over the world has only made the country stronger.
As an immigrant to Canada myself, I am immensely proud of the contributions the country's diverse population of immigrants has made. I am also incredibly proud to call myself a citizen of a country that welcomes immigrants unreservedly and gives the opportunity for a new life to refugees.
Canada must continue to be a beacon for those seeking refuge from the danger, no matter their religion or origin. This is not a country that discriminates against those who need our help. This is not a country in which fear will ever create division and hostility. This is a country that is stronger, safer, and more prosperous than ever thanks to the contributions of immigrants.
The reality is that when a country opens its doors and welcomes immigrants, it reaps the benefit for generations to come. Immigration has made Canada more diverse and prosperous as newcomers contribute their knowledge and experience in the workforce, which in turns strengthens the economy.
Immigrants have been recognized as exceptionally motivated, dedicated, and innovative entrepreneurs and employees. Of course, this is not the extent of the benefits we see from immigration. Immigrants also contribute to the military, first responders, the arts, academia, and public service.
Aside from these concrete economic benefits, Canada's communities are more vibrant and stimulating because of ethnic diversity. I am proud to represent Markham—Unionville, one of the most immigrant-rich ridings in Canada.
Canadians welcome newcomers to this country because we are a tolerant and understanding nation. Canadians are eager to help refugees in any way possible, and in desperate times like now, when the world doubts the compassion of people in response to the refugee crisis, it is important that Canada express its unfaltering support for refugees and immigrants of all backgrounds.
That is why I am heartbroken over the terrorist attack in Quebec City this week that killed innocent Muslim worshippers in one the safest places in our country. All Canadians, and everyone around the world, know that this hatred and intolerance is not representative of the Canada and Quebec I know and love.
The Liberals' management of the immigration file has been haphazard and incompetent. They have failed to prioritize victims of genocide in Iraq and Syria. It is clearly the duty of countries like Canada and the U.S. to shelter groups that ISIS is persecuting. This includes Yazidis, Assyrians, Christians, and Muslims alike.
The government accepted the Conservative motion to expedite Yazidi refugees to Canada and committed to take action within 120 days. That was in October last year. Their time will run out on February 22, and the Liberals have yet to share their plan with Canadians. The Liberals are excellent at making commitments on which they do not intend to follow through. However, we had hoped that in this matter of life and death, the Liberals would not just say empty promises. Are they just not serious about helping the victims of genocide?
ISIS continues to commit unspeakable atrocities against the Yazidi people in northern Iraq, including rape, mutilation, and enslavement. Thousands of Yazidi women and girls remain in captivity. We need to see action now. The previous Conservative government always prioritized persecuted religious, ethnic, and sexual minorities for resettlement in Canada.
We call on the Liberal government to set a specific target number of Yazidi refugees to bring to Canada immediately. It is crucial the government process Yazidi asylum claims in an expedited manner so that those who are persecuted by ISIS can take shelter and find a home in Canada.
The Liberals have completely failed to uphold our high standards for protecting human rights. Not only have they shied away from calling these crimes what they truly are, genocide, but the Liberals have also failed to stand with our allies in the fight against ISIS, and decided to end our combat mission and withdraw our CF-18s.
Over the last year, the Conservatives have put forward numerous recommendations to help Yazidis. We have asked to treat the declaration of genocide as an immediate call to action for Canada in which a whole-of-government approach is required, especially targeting the areas of humanitarian aid, military intervention, and resettlement.
We have implored the government to act upon the June 2016 United Nations recommendation to accelerate the asylum claims of Yazidi victims of genocide. It should review the selection process used by the United Nations to identify refugees for the government sponsored refugee stream, and encourage changes if necessary.
The government must examine the need to restore the exemption for Syrian and Iraqi refugees from the mission cap under the privately sponsored refugees program in order to fully harness the generosity of Canadian private sponsors.
IRCC must review processing times in Canada for asylum claims of victims of genocide, in both the government sponsored and private sponsorship stream, and make process improvements. Specific targets must be set for the number of victims of genocide within our refugee sponsorship programs, and put mechanisms in place to measure whether we are meeting these targets in order to measure efficacy.
The bottom line is that we must examine and implement innovative ways to identify victims of genocide. It is well known that many of these people experience difficulties by being identified as part of the UN selection process.
Regarding Syrian refugees, the Liberals appear to have treated the Syrian refugee crisis as a numbers game, caring only about how many refugees they could bring to Canada in a limited time period. Sadly, they have neglected to consider the long-term impacts.
The Syrian refugee crisis is a tragedy. All Canadians want to help this terrible situation. Canada is an open and generous country. The Conservatives believe, as we committed to during the election campaign, that Canada should be extending that generosity to resettle more Syrian refugees fleeing persecution. This is a terrible humanitarian crisis, and Canada needs to help.
However, the plan released by the Liberals shows, once again, a massive increase in the estimated costs over what their platform document indicated during the election. They did not factor in the basic necessities that Syrian refugees needed, like language training, job training and assistance finding work, and for the love of everything holy, food. Syrian refugees were forced to use municipal food banks, which put a major strain on other persons.
I will stop here since my time is up.