Mr. Chair, the fact of the matter is that asylum seekers are processed separately, in a separate stream, through the Immigration and Refugee Board, whereas all the other immigration processes are done by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. I want to keep repeating that point, because the party opposite keeps trying to connect the two and is muddying the waters. The fact of the matter is that the processing in one stream does not affect the other.
On the issue of work permits, it is something that was brought forward by the Province of Quebec. The province asked us to deal with the issue of work permits and to expedite the issue of work permits to allow asylum seekers to support themselves while they await their hearings.