Mr. Speaker, in my question for the Minister of Immigration on November 22, last month, I can only think that the minister's reply was not only to ignore the question but to deflect from accountability for his failures with a personal attack on me and my staff that was as pathetic as it was transparent. Let us be honest. We all know that someone resorts to personal attacks when they cannot defend a position based on its merits, and there is no defending the minister's complete and utter incompetence.
To set the record straight, while I have gotten used to the minister's insults, I will not tolerate outright misrepresentations made against me or my staff, especially when I have evidence that categorically proves that my staff and I have made several representations to the minister to assist my constituents and their families.
For the minister to state that I have “never brought a single case to [him]” is an outright mistruth. If the minister had any credibility, he would do the honourable thing and withdraw his offending and inaccurate comments. Perhaps he should check with his own departmental staff to see the cases that we have brought to the minister.
I also want to correct the minister as to why I am no longer sitting in my former seat. It had nothing to do with my not wishing to sit near the Green Party leader; I had done so for nearly two years. I moved simply because, due to the addition of a new independent member, I would be sitting next to an MP whom I personally feel does not share the same interests that I have for a democratic Canada. The immigration minister would do well to review why certain members of his party's caucus no longer find themselves within it, and he may actually learn something from the exercise.
It was unconscionable for the minister to suggest that I only asked my question of his useless administration of the immigration department for my benefit. It was out of utter frustration for individuals who are trying to make Canada their home but who are suffering from delays and from the inability to receive any answers as to why they are waiting years to have their cases actioned. I have raised with the minister cases of doctors and skilled tradespeople, individuals who would contribute to building a better Canada for all Canadians but who find themselves languishing in an immigration quagmire.
Under the minister's direction, the morass that is IRCC seems better suited to letting the IRGC and other terrorists blatantly use and abuse our immigration and refugee systems in order to remain in Canada, rather than to help other people who would become contributing and law-abiding citizens. What an utter disgrace, and it gets even worse.
Due to the minister's incompetence, Canada is now facing heavy tariffs being laid on Canadian exports to the United States by the incoming Trump administration. Instead of bringing doctors to heal Canadians, the government issues new passports to admitted human traffickers. Instead of prioritizing tradespeople who would build the homes we need, the immigration minister abuses his power and uses a ministerial intervention, not for a life-or-death situation but to save a five-time criminally convicted foreign national who boasted of foreign financing to blockade Canadian roads, highways and pipelines.
It is high time for the minister to be dismissed by the Prime Minister before further damage is done to Canada and to those who not only want to make our country their home, but want to help heal Canadians and build the homes we need.
Therefore, would the parliamentary secretary not agree that the first step to fixing a problem is to acknowledge that we have one, and that at the core of it is an incompetent minister with twisted priorities?