House of Commons Hansard #138 of the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was communities.

Topics

Building a Green Prairie Economy ActPrivate Members' Business

6:35 p.m.

Conservative

Laila Goodridge Conservative Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB

Madam Speaker, based on my count, we are at 16 people in the chamber, which is well below quorum. I would like to call a point of order on quorum.

Building a Green Prairie Economy ActPrivate Members' Business

6:35 p.m.

Liberal

The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès) Liberal Alexandra Mendes

There is a quorum call. We will count the members.

And the count having been taken:

We have quorum.

The hon. member may proceed.

Building a Green Prairie Economy ActPrivate Members' Business

6:35 p.m.

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB

Madam Speaker, one might question the actual timing of that particular quorum call, knowing full well that members are, if not here, in the MP lobbies. I would think this would not be done, at the very least out of respect for the fact that we are talking about private members' legislation.

The point I was attempting to make, prior to the quorum call, was the fact that what we have before us is something to enable a strong and sustainable prairie economy. Some might try to give a mindset that the people on the Prairies are only concerned about the economy, which is somewhat of a false impression. People from the Prairies are also concerned about the environment and recognize that climate change is indeed very real.

There are two points I want to emphasize with regard to the legislation. One is that I do not believe there is any form whatsoever of jurisdictional creep. This is about a framework. It is not about jurisdiction. It is about bringing people together in order to establish a framework so that the Prairies could move forward on the issue of a strong, sustainable prairie economy.

For people who would try to suggest that it is anything other, I would really encourage them to meet with the member for Winnipeg South Centre. He would be able to alleviate those concerns. In 2019, we had a wonderful organization. It used to be Western Diversification. There were a number of prairie members of Parliament. and I like to think I was one, who wanted to establish PrairiesCan, as opposed to Western Diversification.

The Prairies is something I am very familiar with. It is very unique in its very nature. PrairiesCan brought together over 125 experts to deal with the issue of water management. They were brought together in the city of Regina, and it involved a wide spectrum of stakeholders, from the federal government, the provincial government, municipalities, indigenous community members, labour, industry reps and others.

At the end of the day, what we saw was a compilation of ideas and thoughts dealing with the issue of water management. In fact, I think out of that group came a report that has been referenced in many ways from many different jurisdictions.

I would suggest that we are better off as a region as a result. I can say, as I have heard many from the Prairies say, water, and the flow of water, does not respect jurisdictions. Water management issues in the Prairies are a prairie issue.

This bill recognizes that climate change is real. This bill recognizes that the future of the prairie economy is immense. The potential, and I know the member for Winnipeg South Centre would be able elaborate in great detail, is equal to or greater than any other region of Canada.

I remember consistently over the years that the member would talk about having lots of wheat and many different types of resources coming from the Prairies, but it is the processing that gives us the jobs people in the Prairies want. When we talk about a greener economy, as this legislation is referencing and wanting us to move toward, the prairie provinces, as a region, need to continue to invest in that.

Clean energy and clean tech are absolutely critical for the future growth of our Prairies. Whether they are big corporations or new start-up companies, all of them recognize that the future means clean energy and moving towards an economy that is greener. People of the Prairies do not fear that.

The bill recognizes the need for the Prairies to come together, bring the stakeholders and establish that framework. We have many bright people on the Prairies. The member for Winnipeg South Centre highlighted a Nobel Prize winner from Edmonton.

Whether it is from Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon or the many municipalities in between, and I have lived in all three provinces and am proud to say I am from the Prairies, I believe the future is there, and we should not be fearful. It is not a jurisdictional issue to establish a framework of prosperity, and that is what this bill would do. I commend the member for Winnipeg South Centre for taking the initiative and once again providing a vision, not only for people in the Prairies, but for the entire country.

Building a Green Prairie Economy ActPrivate Members' Business

6:45 p.m.

Conservative

Laila Goodridge Conservative Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB

Madam Speaker, I have appreciated listening to the various speeches on this subject, and as someone who is very proudly an Albertan, which is part of this area, I think it is commendable in the effort, but the follow-through and the actual bill fail to meet the mark.

One thing I have heard exceptionally clearly from my constituents, and it does not matter whether they are from far north in Fort Chipewyan, down south in Cold Lake or anywhere in between, is that they do not believe an “Ottawa knows best” approach is correct. One of the major problems with the piece of legislation as proposed is that it would impact only Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, yet we heard, when it came before committee, that Saskatchewan's and Manitoba's governments do not support it. They do not want to see it go forward. They do not believe it is in the best interests of their provinces, and I can speak with pretty decent certainty, being an Albertan, that the Alberta government is definitely not keen when the federal government puts its part on provincial jurisdiction.

Therefore, something critically important to highlight is that while the bill has good intentions, good intentions pave the way to a lot of places, and not all of them are good. I would suggest the bill does not meet the mark and is not good enough. It is not going to serve the Prairies in a positive way, and I would urge everyone that, if they think what they are doing is helping the Prairies, they are part of a paternalistic structure that is telling the Prairies it knows best and those provinces do not know the best thing for their own area, because those provinces have made it exceptionally clear they do not support the bill.

Something the government needs to do a better job of is listening to provincial governments when they tell it that enough is enough, and acting on that. That is not something we have seen—

Building a Green Prairie Economy ActPrivate Members' Business

6:45 p.m.

Liberal

The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès) Liberal Alexandra Mendes

I have to interrupt the hon. member.

We have come to the end of the time provided for the consideration of Private Members' Business. The hon. member will have eight minutes when the bill next comes to the House. The order is dropped to the bottom of the order of precedence on the Order Paper.

A motion to adjourn the House under Standing Order 38 deemed to have been moved.

Immigration, Refugees and CitizenshipAdjournment Proceedings

6:45 p.m.

Green

Mike Morrice Green Kitchener Centre, ON

Madam Speaker, I am thankful for the opportunity to come back to my question for the immigration minister about challenges being faced by members of my community seeking to reunite with loved ones, and needing to work with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to do so.

One example is refugee claimants and permanent residents who first came here as refugees and who are now seeking to travel outside of Canada to be with family. In question period, I asked about Ataklti, a permanent resident in my community who applied for a travel document last February to join his wife in Sweden for the birth of their daughter. Ten months later, Ataklti's request has still not been processed and he is yet to even meet his daughter.

There are so many others in similar positions in Kitchener. Naima, for example, was sponsored by a local church in 2019 and came solo to Canada with her three young boys. Her husband is awaiting sponsorship by the same church group. She applied for a travel document for herself and her boys to visit her sick mother in a hospital overseas back in January. In February, the file was marked as urgent, and while Naima got her travel document, her children's applications have not been finalized yet so she cannot visit. For the past three months, Naima has been calling IRCC every two weeks to request updates. Will she ever get to visit her sick mom?

My team and I have been advocating to IRCC for both Ataklti and Naima without success to date. For my team and me this feels unjust. There is a gap between the two standards that exist in Canada. One is for people like me with citizenship. We can travel. I was just in Egypt, for example, for the annual climate negotiations a few weeks ago. However, those who came to Canada as refugees, like Ataklti and Naima, are being denied the same opportunity, even in life-or-death situations, with no timeline and seemingly no accountability.

This lack of a timeline and accountability also extends to other requests made by neighbours of mine to IRCC as we try to bring families back together. I have more examples.

Angeline is in Canada and is attempting to sponsor her husband Pouya to join her. They have been waiting since 2019. Since my office first inquired on their behalf, we have received no updates. Their file has been relegated to so-called non-routine status, which means that normal processing times simply do not apply.

Two other neighbours, Jess and her husband, are waiting to be reunited with their sons, who are now eight and 11 years old. Their applications for permanent residency for their sons were submitted back in 2019. All assessments have passed except for eligibility, which is under further review, so normal processing times do not apply. They have not received an update since 2020.

I know the Government of Canada can solve these issues. One example of this was the improvements made to processing passports, which was a significant concern back in the spring and has since been brought under control. People like Ataklti, Naima, Angeline and Jess and dozens more in my community have a right to travel and to be reunited with their loved ones.

I would like to know what the minister is doing to address systemic issues at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada—

Immigration, Refugees and CitizenshipAdjournment Proceedings

6:50 p.m.

Liberal

The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès) Liberal Alexandra Mendes

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship.

Immigration, Refugees and CitizenshipAdjournment Proceedings

November 30th, 2022 / 6:50 p.m.

Orléans Ontario

Liberal

Marie-France Lalonde LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration

Madam Speaker, as the member knows, Canada has faced a number of events that let to IRCC having a large volume of files that are being treated in timelines outside of processing standards.

The global pandemic led to the closure of borders and offices around the world. As Canada is among the top destinations in the world for immigrants and refugees seeking a new life, demand continued to grow during this time. When travel restrictions were lifted, there was a massive number of applications to come to Canada. While tackling the growing demand, the government also faced a back-to-back humanitarian crises in Afghanistan and Ukraine. Thankfully, our government was able to step up quickly and offer much-needed support to those who were the most vulnerable.

Our government also responded well to each challenge as they came up because we know that immigration is critically important for our country's economy. That is why we have been investing to make sure that our immigration system works well. The fall 2021 economic and fiscal update announced $85 million in funding for IRCC and federal partner organizations to reduce the inventories and support a return to service standards. In the fall 2022 economic and fiscal update, an additional $50 million was committed to continue to address the application backlog and speed up processing times. These investments are already yielding significant results.

As of October 31, the department has hired over 1,000 new employees and is expected to add up to 400 more by the end of March 31, 2023. Over 850 of those employees have already been trained and are fully operational. Further, we have implemented technology-based solutions and streamlined processes; improved policy; re-examined our risk tolerance; and leveraged provincial, territorial and other partners to ensure we are able to respond quickly and effectively to client concerns.

Here are some very telling statistics for 2022 compared to 2021: IRCC has processed over 135% more PR applications, nearly three times more work permits, nearly one-third more study permits and nearly five times more temporary resident visas.

We have been taking concrete steps to reduce the number of applications in the system that have been in the inventory for longer than service standards. Our government knows that the wait is too long for those hoping to come to Canada to start their new lives, reunite with loved ones or further their education, and for business owners seeking valued foreign workers.

We are working hard to address the challenges and return to the service standards that our clients expect, and that is what Canada's future students, workers, permanent residents and citizens expect. I am proud to stand on behalf of our government and reassert our commitment to improve processing, reduce backlogs and ensure that our immigration system works for everyone.

Immigration, Refugees and CitizenshipAdjournment Proceedings

6:55 p.m.

Green

Mike Morrice Green Kitchener Centre, ON

Madam Speaker, I am glad to hear of more resources being allocated. I hope to see those resources lead to improved outcomes for the people in my community who are separated from loved ones who may be sick or who may have had a baby and are waiting to meet their child for the first time. However, I would like to know better how the resources are being allocated to these so-called “non-routine” cases, which are the most time-intensive and heartbreaking that we deal with.

Could the parliamentary secretary share more about whether enough time and resources are being given to these non-routine cases and what percentage of cases are non-routine, as those are the ones having the most challenging situations, so that Ataklti can meet his daughter, and so that Naima can visit her sick mom?

Immigration, Refugees and CitizenshipAdjournment Proceedings

6:55 p.m.

Liberal

Marie-France Lalonde Liberal Orléans, ON

Madam Speaker, as the hon. member knows, each and every case is different, and immigration officials are working hard to address the delays while ensuring the safety of Canadians.

Immigration has faced significant global challenges, including the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and Ukraine, a pandemic-generated backlog and a surge in demand for people wanting to come to Canada. We did not create these challenges, but we do have a plan to address them, and our plan is working. We have invested to increase processing capacity and are adopting new technologies to improve our system.

We know, as the member mentioned, what too many clients face, and the wait time is too long. We are committed, as always, to ensuring that we return to our service standards.

Elections CanadaAdjournment Proceedings

6:55 p.m.

Conservative

Michael Cooper Conservative St. Albert—Edmonton, AB

Madam Speaker, CSIS advised the Prime Minister that when it comes to foreign interference, the policy of the government should be grounded in transparency and sunlight, and that foreign interference should be exposed to the public. When it comes to Beijing's interference in our elections, the Prime Minister has been anything but transparent. Let us look at the facts.

On November 7, Global News reported that last January, the Prime Minister was briefed about a vast campaign of interference by Beijing in the 2019 election directed by Beijing's Toronto consulate involving 11 candidates. For two weeks, Conservatives asked the government what the Prime Minister did with that information. Did he report it to Elections Canada, to law enforcement, or did he sit on his hands and cover it up?

For two weeks our questions were met with silence by the Prime Minister. Suddenly, after two weeks, the Prime Minister broke his silence and essentially said “nothing to see here as it pertains to me,” claiming that he was not briefed, but using very carefully chosen words that he was not briefed about candidates receiving money from China. That is not what Global News reported on November 7 that the Prime Minister was briefed about. The Prime Minister was reportedly briefed about a vast campaign of interference by Beijing, directed by the Toronto consulate. It was reported that those candidates received money but, again, it was never alleged that that money directly came from China, that a cheque was written from China to 11 candidates.

It was telling yesterday when the Leader of the Opposition asked a pertinent question of the Prime Minister: Was he briefed about electoral interference by Beijing? Not once, not twice but on five occasions, the Prime Minister refused to answer. Today I asked the Prime Minister whether he had been briefed about electoral interference by Beijing specifically involving any candidates. Again, the report pertains to 11 candidates and a vast campaign of interference. Again, there was no answer from the Prime Minister.

What we have is the opposite of transparency. We have a smokescreen from the Prime Minister, a prime minister who is answering questions no one is asking, denying allegations no one is making, all while avoiding answering the question that needs to be answered, namely, was the Prime Minister briefed about electoral interference by Beijing? Specifically, was the Prime Minister briefed about electoral interference by Beijing involving candidates? I ask again, was he, yes or no?

Elections CanadaAdjournment Proceedings

7 p.m.

Kingston and the Islands Ontario

Liberal

Mark Gerretsen LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons (Senate)

Madam Speaker, I am sorry the member feels as though his question has gone unanswered, but sitting through the same question period as he has on a number of occasions, I have heard some fairly direct answers, which I will attempt to provide to the member once again. Perhaps he will take them from me.

The reality is that at a time when democracy is challenged worldwide, Canada's electoral system is healthy and robust, and Canada continues to rank among the healthiest democracies. However, there is no question that with the rise of authoritarianism, what we are seeing in other countries around the world today, with an increase in both the public's and the media's focus on foreign interference, protecting Canada's national and economic security requires strong action. That is exactly what the government has done since 2015.

As the Prime Minister has said very clearly and the Minister of Public Safety has repeated, our government has put in place an independent process of experts, chaired by the Clerk of the Privy Council, something that the previous Conservative government had not thought important enough to do. That group of experts, chaired by the Clerk of the Privy Council, which includes the heads of Canada's security and intelligence agencies, was given the important responsibility of ensuring that Canadian elections were free and democratic. The good news, which I hope would excite the member opposite, is that experts have confirmed both elections were exactly that: free and democratic.

It is important to remember that witnesses we heard in the PROC committee, on which the member who asked the question and I sit, including the Chief Electoral Officer and CSIS officials, commented on the fact that attempts to influence democratic elections do not equate to causing actual influence, nor is this a new phenomenon in Canada or around the world. The information the Conservatives are asking for is already made available in unredacted form to independent experts, as well as to members of the NSICOP committee, which the previous leader of the opposition, I would remind the member, removed his Conservative caucus members from in 2020.

This is in addition to the current study being undertaken by the PROC committee. Again, the member and I both sit on that committee and are both fully aware of the opportunity to ask these questions. The work being done by committees like NSICOP, by CSIS and by national security experts strengthens the democratic process and Canada's elections, and the Conservatives are undermining this important work rather than offering a more productive contribution to the discussion of security in elections.

Canadians should be asking what the Conservatives have to gain by instilling fear and division among electors in an effort to convince them that our elections are unfair and influenced by foreign actors.

Elections CanadaAdjournment Proceedings

7:05 p.m.

Conservative

Michael Cooper Conservative St. Albert—Edmonton, AB

Madam Speaker, no one is questioning the overall integrity of the last two elections. That is not the issue.

There is a specific report of specific interference involving 11 candidates, and it was further reported that the Prime Minister was briefed about that interference. It is important that the Prime Minister be transparent. That was the advice he had received from CSIS. I do not understand why the parliamentary secretary is unwilling to answer that very straightforward question, so I will ask it again.

Was the Prime Minister briefed about electoral interference by Beijing last January, and specifically in respect of candidates?

Elections CanadaAdjournment Proceedings

7:05 p.m.

Liberal

Mark Gerretsen Liberal Kingston and the Islands, ON

Madam Speaker, I would refer the member to the answer to that exact question that the Prime Minister gave today when he answered that question.

Furthermore, and perhaps more importantly, the member just said himself that no one is questioning the electoral integrity. If that is the case, why is the member continuing to ask? Maybe he needs to be more clear on exactly what he is accusing the Prime Minister of, so we can then try to address his question.

If the member wants to be direct and transparent, as he is suggesting is so important right now, maybe he should be direct and transparent in what exactly he is suggesting that the Prime Minister has done, because he just said, by his own admission, that apparently nobody is questioning, including Conservatives, that there was any electoral interference. Then why the charades and why keep going on and on about this?

Elections CanadaAdjournment Proceedings

7:05 p.m.

Liberal

The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès) Liberal Alexandra Mendes

The motion to adjourn the House is deemed to have been adopted. Accordingly, the House stands adjourned until tomorrow at 10 a.m. pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).

(The House adjourned at 7:08 p.m.)