Madam Speaker, in 2014, after the genocide, then immigration minister Chris Alexander ordered an audit of the referred refugees from the UNHCR to see if genocide survivors were there. The Liberal Party then politicized this in its campaign, and on Friday, October 9, 2015, the Prime Minister was asked this question: “I wanted to start by asking you about the Conservatives' policy of prioritizing ethnic and religious minorities when bringing in refugees. Is that something that would continue if the Liberals were elected?” He responded, “Absolutely not.”
The reality is that the Conservative Party, and I am going to give credit to the NDP as well, had to stand here and force the government to do what was right. It took two votes to get the Liberals to recognize the genocide, and it took me standing here day after day asking when we were bringing these women here.
What my colleague just said was perhaps one of the most shameful things that could happen on a day when we are trying to say never again. He was saying, “We didn't act, but let's spin it”, when he should have said, “It is my responsibility as a member to stand with you and ensure that it never again happens.”
I am proud to stand here and say that people on this side of the aisle are going to put that type of disgustingness aside and force the government to do what is right.