Debates of Nov. 20th, 2025

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Mr. Speaker, for those listening at home, that translates to “They do not know.”

Global News also reported that an astonishing 450 people with assorted roles in Hamas now have ties to Canada. Last week, in response to an official request, the minister was unable to say how many non-citizen criminals and terrorists the Liberals have granted status to, and now Global News is revealing that the terrorist financier has already passed the citizenship test and is awaiting a final decision.

How many other terrorists are the Liberals in the process of granting citizenship to?

[Peter Fragiskatos, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, the member continues to cite anonymous sources on the floor of the House of Commons.

The reality is that security remains always a fundamental responsibility that we take seriously. When security agencies become aware of potential threats to this country, they act accordingly, We trust them to do that.

As for the point that was raised before, relating to what was discussed this week at the immigration committee, I say that the member knows better, because she knows very well that our security system is not upheld by an app, and that criminality checks and national security checks, all of these checks, are carried out before anyone is allowed in this country.

Democratic Institutions

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

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has said that the biggest threat to the security of Canada is Beijing's foreign interference.

Parliament passed a law to create a registry to combat this interference a year and a half ago. The government said it would be up and running by year-end. The government must consult with opposition leaders and introduce a motion to appoint a commissioner.

There are only three weeks left before Christmas adjournment. When will the government consult opposition leaders and introduce a motion to appoint a commissioner?

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, I want to assure the member, as well the House, that we will be moving forward in short order to bring forward the name to the opposition and to have a motion before the House.

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

Mr. Speaker, during the last election, some candidates were vetoed for foreign interference, and others were targeted. CSIS Director Dan Rogers said just last week that China and Russia continue to target Canada. We have had one federal election without a registry, and we could have a second one, at the speed that the government operates.

Where is the sense of urgency in getting the registry up and running? Where are the speeds not seen in generations? Where are the consultations with opposition leaders? Where is the motion?

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, let me take this opportunity to thank the men and women of CSIS for the work they do each and every day to protect Canadians.

I also want to once again assure my colleague opposite that we will be bringing forward a name in short order and that we will ensure that adequate consultation comes before the House.

Public Safety

[Brad Vis, Conservative, Mission—Matsqui—Abbotsford, BC]

Mr. Speaker, extortion threats in British Columbia are up 481% since 2015. The Liberals voted against our Conservative plan a year ago that would have tackled this crisis with mandatory jail time and removing house arrest as an option for extortion with a firearm. Since their refusal to act, thousands of new extortion cases have exploded across Canada.

What do the Liberals have to say to the businesses and the victims of crime who have suffered due to their inaction?

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, what we have to say to Canadians is that we have a bill in front of the House, Bill C-2, that has a very important provision called lawful access, which would ensure that crimes such as extortion are dealt with in an efficient and speedy manner. This is what law enforcement across Canada, from Abbotsford to every part of the country I have visited over the last six months, has been asking for. It is a component of the bill that is so essential.

However, the party opposite has continuously refused to bring forward and accept lawful access as a very basic principle of Canadian criminal law.

[Michael Guglielmin, Conservative, Vaughan—Woodbridge, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in the city of Vaughan, York Regional Police recently charged a local man with four counts of extortion. This is just one case among countless all across the country. In fact extortion is up 330% since 2015 all across the country, but despite this, the current Liberal Minister of Justice voted against our Conservative plan to end the extortion crisis last year. The Liberals could have been proactive and supported our plan a year ago, but instead they waited for the fire to get out of control.

Will the Liberals apologize to the thousands of victims who had to suffer because of their inaction?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Minister of Transport and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, it is always funny when I hear the critic for immigration talking in the House about immigration, when they systematically slapped down any possibility of improving our immigration system prior to the last election.

Now the member for Vaughan—Woodbridge stands up and dares to ask what tools we are putting in place to prevent extortion. He is in the way. Tell the whip to get his boot off the neck of Bill C-2 so we can give lawful access provisions to our police to prevent, detain, arrest and jail extortionists in this country.

[Amanpreet S. Gill, Conservative, Calgary Skyview, AB]

Mr. Speaker, extortion is Canada has exploded by 330% since 2015. Canadians are being terrorized. People are dying. Homes are being sprayed with bullets. What do the Liberals do? Nothing. In Calgary, a woman who was convicted of helping with extortion walked away with just six months of house arrest, all because of Liberal soft-on-crime policies. We presented our Conservative plan a year ago, and Liberals voted it down.

What does the minister have to say to the victims about his inaction?

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, what needs to happen is that the rhetoric from across the aisle needs to stop.

What we need to do is right in front of the House. We have Bill C-2, which has lawful access as a very important principle of criminal law. We have Bill C-12, the strong borders act, and we have Bill C-14, which speaks to the need for bail reform as well as sentencing. These are smart criminal justice reforms that are meant to keep Canadians safe, including Canadians who are experiencing extortion.

It is time to get serious and time for the Conservative Party to come forward and pass the legislation.

Infrastructure

[Linda Lapointe, Liberal, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, public transit is critically important to reducing congestion, supporting economic growth and improving the quality of life of Canadians in urban centres across the country. Last week's announcement regarding the REM project in my riding of Rivière-des-Mille-Îles is important for the greater Montreal area.

Can the minister tell the House how this project will improve public transit and support our efforts to build a cleaner, better-connected future?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages]

Mr. Speaker, the REM represents a milestone for sustainable transportation in Montreal and for Quebec as a whole. The opening of the Deux-Montagnes line will change the way more than 170,000 people, including families, workers and students, get around every day. The REM will generate major economic spinoffs, including the creation of 1,000 permanent jobs over time. It will also help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 100,000 tonnes per year. This is an ambitious project that Quebeckers deserve and that is worthy of a strong Canada.

International Trade

[Scot Davidson, Conservative, New Tecumseth—Gwillimbury, ON]

Look out, Mr. Speaker; there he goes again. It seems like the Prime Minister just cannot wait to jump on a plane and leave the country any opportunity he gets. He has been everywhere. He has been to the U.S. twice, then to Italy, Mexico, Poland, Belgium, the Netherlands and so many other countries right across the globe, and now he is back to the U.A.E. However, Canadians are worse off than ever as the cost of living skyrockets faster than the Prime Minister's air miles.

Can the Liberals name one tariff that has been reduced because of all that travel?

[Maninder Sidhu, Liberal, Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, we are taking a team Canada approach to opening new global markets for Canadian workers and businesses. The member opposite should talk to Conservative premiers who applaud the Prime Minister's leadership on the world stage. Let me quote Premier Moe: “we welcome [the Prime Minister's] efforts to raise Canada's credibility in the international sphere.” Premier Doug Ford thanked the Prime Minister for “getting Canada out front.”

Now is not the time to retreat behind curtains like some of the members opposite do. It is time to lean forward and build Canada strong.

[Scot Davidson, Conservative, New Tecumseth—Gwillimbury, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it sounds like any progress on reducing tariffs for Canadians is still up in the air, just like the Prime Minister. There are zero results, and zero tariffs have been removed. That is not good enough, not when investment in Canada is down $47.6 billion, when our country has the worst per capita growth in the G7 and when Canadian families are struggling to eat and heat and house themselves.

Is the Prime Minister always travelling so he does not have to see the consequences his failures have brought on this country?

[Evan Solomon, Liberal, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario]

Mr. Speaker, instead of reading his air miles plan, why do you not read the budget? The only word the opposition seems to know is no. It is time to—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

I am not going to comment on what I have read recently in the budget, but if the hon. member could go through the Chair, he may continue.

[Evan Solomon, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for counting air miles instead of reading the budget.

The only word the opposition seems to know is no. It is time to say yes to building Canada. It is time to say yes to the national school food program. They said no. It is time to say yes to building affordable homes. They said no. It is time to say yes to investing in our national defence. They said no.

It is time to say yes and build Canada strong.

[David Bexte, Conservative, Bow River, AB]

Mr. Speaker, every time the Prime Minister is wheels up, Canadian bank accounts go down. The Prime Minister has taken 28 trips, travelling far enough to circle Earth almost four times. What do Canadians have to show for it? There are no new trade deals and no concrete wins, just photo ops, fancy meetings and hollow letters of intent that never turn into real results. He met with China: higher tariffs on canola. He visited India: tariffs on yellow peas. He had meetings in Washington: higher tariffs on softwood. He had meetings in the U.K.: crickets for beef and pork.

Is he even trying to get tariffs removed, or is he just racking up more Brookfield—I mean air miles?

[Maninder Sidhu, Liberal, Minister of International Trade]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians know two-thirds of our economy is powered by trade. We are opening doors for Canadian products to reach new markets. We have signed new trade deals with Ecuador and Indonesia. We wrapped up an investment agreement with the U.A.E. We are advancing negotiations with ASEAN, the Philippines and Thailand. We have a bill before the House to expand our trade ties with the U.K.

We are laser-focused on opening new markets for Canadian workers and businesses.

Sport

[Chi Nguyen, Liberal, Spadina—Harbourfront, ON]

Mr. Speaker, last weekend was a defining moment for sport in Canada as the Northern Super League, our country's first professional women's soccer league, held its inaugural championship final at BMO Field in my riding of Spadina—Harbourfront.

Can the Secretary of of State for Sport share with Canadians how our government is investing in women's sport, including with the recent $5.4-million commitment to the Northern Super League, to boost local economies and bring communities together?

[Adam van Koeverden, Liberal, Secretary of State (Sport)]

Mr. Speaker, my friend and colleague from Spadina—Harbourfront is somebody who knows a thing or two about the fight for gender equity in sport and beyond.

We are seeing remarkable progress and momentum in women's professional sport across this country. A smart, sustainable business model has built the Northern Super League, and it is redefining what is possible in Canada with professional women's sport. That is why five of Canada's regional economic development agencies have come together to back the Northern Super League. With strategic federal support of up to $5.45 million, we are helping to strengthen the league's foundation and create new opportunities for fans, communities and athletes nationwide.

I want to congratulate the Vancouver Rise on winning the Diana B. Matheson Cup—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for Niagara South.