Debates of Dec. 7th, 2021

Supplementary Estimates (B), 2021-22

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Ahuntsic-Cartierville, QC]

Madam Chair, let me start by saying that we are very happy that the two Michaels, Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, are back home. I would like to thank everybody who was involved in ensuring we were able to get them released, including Ambassador Barton, the Prime Minister and many of our colleagues in the House.

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

Madam Chair, on the Olympics, last week, the U.K. government indicated no ministers would be attending the Beijing Olympics and Paralympics. Yesterday, President Biden indicated that the administration would be implementing a diplomatic boycott of the games.

Is the government going to do the same? When will it make a decision?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Ahuntsic-Cartierville, QC]

Madam Chair, I share my colleague's concerns regarding the next winter Olympics. We were informed by the United States yesterday about its decision to not send any diplomats to Beijing. We will continue to engage with our allies and like-minded countries on this issue. I know my colleague shares my point of view in terms of ensuring that our athletes can attend, but obviously we are still in discussions.

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

Madam Chair, the government joined the Beijing-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank in 2018 and it is now a member. Last June, the bank left the door open to funding the military junta in Myanmar.

As a member of the bank, has the government voiced its opposition to the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank to funding the military junta in Myanmar?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance]

Madam Chair, our government very much believes that human rights need to be an important part of all foreign policy decisions. We are very concerned about the situation in Hong Kong and the situation the member opposite mentioned. These concerns are at the heart of our commitment to human rights around the world and we will take them into consideration.

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary Forest Lawn, AB]

Madam Chair, I have been asking the government what the plan is to evacuate the 40,000 Afghan refugees to Canada. We have yet to hear a real response. I see in the supplementary estimates that the government is looking to fund resettling Afghan nationals in Canada.

I will ask again: Now that the government is asking for funding, what is the plan to bring the remaining Afghan refugees to Canada?

[Mona Fortier, Liberal, President of the Treasury Board]

Madam Chair, I think all members in the House will agree on the importance of Canada making good on its commitment to resettle 40,000 Afghan refugees. I am pleased to share that by the end of this week, 500 more Afghan refugees will be arriving, including, for the first time, sponsored refugees from Afghanistan in Nova Scotia.

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary Forest Lawn, AB]

Madam Chair, respectfully, that is only 10.5% of the total that the Liberals are supposed to resettle.

Former embassy workers, Afghan interpreters and other support staff who have applied to the special immigration program have only received auto replies. The government has highlighted improving IRCC client services as a priority.

Does the minister believe that sending auto replies to Afghan refugees, who are waiting months for any reply at all, counts as improving client services?

[Mona Fortier, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Madam Chair, the Government of Canada is working in close collaboration with trusted international and Canadian partners to implement a second humanitarian stream that is focused on resettling the most vulnerable Afghan nationals. We are going to continue to work with our partners to ensure that we can resettle the objective of 40,000 Afghans.

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary Forest Lawn, AB]

Madam Chair, seeing as an auto reply does not count as good service, how is the government going to improve its communications with those Afghan refugees who have not received any information since August?

[Mona Fortier, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Madam Chair, I would like to inform my hon. colleague that we are taking all the necessary measures to bring these Afghans home to Canada. We will continue to ensure that we communicate with them and we will continue to inform the House on how we are doing.

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary Forest Lawn, AB]

Madam Chair, many religious minority groups, women rights leaders and members of the LGBTQ community are stranded in Afghanistan and have no way out. Many have sought shelter in safe houses, but the safe houses have run out of funding from private sources.

Will the government be providing assistance in Afghanistan to the safe houses that are protecting many vulnerable refugees?

[Mona Fortier, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Madam Chair, we know it is very important that we focus on the Afghans who we are trying to resettle here. The LGBTQ individuals are also very important. We will continue to work with our partners on the ground and in Canada to ensure we resettle them in Canada.

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary Forest Lawn, AB]

Madam Chair, last month, there was a data breach at IRCC, which saw the personal information of hundreds of Afghan refugees leaked. This breach threatens the lives of refugees. While the Privacy Commissioner is now investigating it, the government has not outlined how it is strengthening cybersecurity and privacy protections.

How are refugees in Afghanistan or any vulnerable persons abroad able to trust the government with their data?

[Mona Fortier, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Madam Chair, as the hon. colleague knows, IRCC has approved 9,800 people under the special immigration program. Of this number, more than 3,800 Afghan refugees have already arrived in Canada. We will continue to do that and take into consideration the difficulties that we hear are ongoing on the ground.

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary Forest Lawn, AB]

Madam Chair, Canada heard from CSIS and our allies, long before the U.S. completed its troop withdrawal, that the Taliban would take over. They all knew what that would mean.

How many Afghan interpreters applied for refugee status before Kabul fell?

[Mona Fortier, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Madam Chair, I want to convey for my hon. colleague that we are focusing on the safety and security of the Afghan people. We will continue to work very hard to—

[The Deputy Chair, NDP, Carol Hughes]

The hon. member for Calgary Forest Lawn.

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary Forest Lawn, AB]

Madam Chair, again, how many Afghan interpreters have settled since Kabul fell?

[Mona Fortier, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Madam Chair, if I understand the question, there are over 3,800 Afghans in Canada. We will continue to work on ensuring we get—

[The Deputy Chair, NDP, Carol Hughes]

The hon. member for Calgary Forest Lawn.

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary Forest Lawn, AB]

Madam Chair, in my home province of Alberta, the cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline extension is devastating to thousands of oil and gas workers. The KXL project was going to employ thousands of indigenous and union workers, and now other pipelines are at the mercy of President Biden.

What is the government doing to stand up to the Democrats and protect our vital energy projects?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Madam Chair, workers in Alberta, Saskatchewan and across Canada will have our support when it comes to their natural resources sector, particularly the oil and gas sector. We also know that Canada is the single-largest supplier of energy to the United States, and we always remind our friends in the U.S. of that.

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary Forest Lawn, AB]

Madam Chair, it is clear the Prime Minister's relationship with the U.S. government is souring. It is hurting cross-border business and threatening Canadian jobs. While the supply chain crisis in the United States continues to cause delays for goods being shipped across North America, the IRCC and the U.S. State Department are dragging their feet on processing the visas for truckers. This is directly impacting a lot of my constituents.

What is the government doing to fix the backlogs affecting truckers?

[Mona Fortier, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Madam Chair, as members know, we have brought over 300,000 refugees and immigrant newcomers to Canada. We will continue to get to our objective. I know this is a very important concern and we will provide our report very soon.