Mr. Speaker, we had a chance to do a round table in Kitchener in the summertime. A lot of the concerns I talked about during my speech, and that I have been talking about since the House came back in September, were issues that, quite frankly, the member has had to deal with and that we have heard about on a regular basis in terms of concerns about the future, etc.
In terms of immigration and refugees, one of the things I have found that we as a government did, and that as Canadians we do well, is when we sponsor refugees. When churches and community groups decide to reach out, instead of refugees being government sponsored, they are privately sponsored.
One thing that challenges us on all sides of the House is when refugees come in and we just throw them in government housing and do not talk to them or try to help them integrate into society. That creates some problems.
Our party has always been about legal immigration. Our party has always been about looking out for those who are in distress, who need help, and who are less fortunate. As a country, we have always punched above our weight when it comes to accepting refugees.
One of the things the government struggles with is that it believes that the answer to everything is more government spending or more largesse. Conservatives believe that there is this thing called personal responsibility. We also believe that individuals and communities can do a much better job of helping these immigrants.
I was at a Christmas dinner last year, and I am sure I will be going to the same one this year. We had a chance to meet some families that had been brought in by a couple of local church groups. What was great was that there they were, at this community Christmas dinner, with the sponsors and people from, I believe, the church. Other organizations have done amazing work as well on these things. This was all so new. They had come from another part of the world. They did not know anyone and did not speak the language.
I can assure the House that this was the result of an orderly process, a process that does not believe that government can do everything and believes that citizens can actually make a difference and do a great job. I really believe that as a result of the love and care and the sense of community this community group provided, the integration of these refugees into my community of Niagara West has been a good experience and will continue to be because of the love and support of the people who brought them into the country.