House of Commons Hansard #50 of the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was amendments.
This summary is computer-generated. Usually it’s accurate, but every now and then it’ll contain inaccuracies or total fabrications.
Citizenship Act Third reading of Bill C-3. The bill addresses an Ontario court ruling that found the Citizenship Act's first-generation limit unconstitutional. It allows Canadians born abroad to pass citizenship to their children also born abroad, provided the parent has 1,095 cumulative days of physical presence in Canada. Liberals argue this ensures equality and responds to a court deadline. Conservatives and Bloc members contend the bill, which saw committee-passed amendments rejected, devalues citizenship by lacking requirements like language proficiency and security checks, creating "citizens of convenience" and "unfettered chain migration." 34000 words, 4 hours in 3 segments: 1 2 3.
Financial Statement of Minister of Finance Members debate the Liberal government's Budget 2025, presented as a generational investment plan for economic resilience, focusing on housing, infrastructure, defence, and productivity, alongside efforts for fiscal discipline. Opposition parties criticize the budget for a large deficit, increased debt, higher cost of living, and broken promises, particularly regarding the industrial carbon tax. Conservatives propose an amendment for affordability. 9200 words, 1 hour.
Costas Menegakis Conservative Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON
Madam Speaker, I have a lot of respect for you and this House.
The Liberals cannot say one thing one day and say something different the next day. They cannot inhale and exhale at the same time. I hope those words are more appropriate.
Bill C-3 Citizenship ActGovernment Orders
The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Alexandra Mendès) Alexandra Mendes
Order. What causes disruption always translates into not being parliamentary.
It did cause disruption, and I accept that the hon. member substituted the words with “inhale” and “exhale”.
The hon. member for Shefford.
Andréanne Larouche Bloc Shefford, QC
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech in which he talked about the complex immigration cases that are handled in constituency offices.
Since Granby, in my riding, is a welcoming place, this issue keeps city staff very busy. I want to acknowledge them and thank them for their hard work. What we are asking for is a reform, a review of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, which is is very archaic and not very humane. That is what people are saying. It needs to be re-examined.
This is my question. The amendments we proposed were aimed at ensuring that there is an annual report to Parliament so that we can see the statistics, the number of people affected and the cost involved. It is said that this bill could affect 150,000 people, but no one knows the numbers. It is therefore important that there be an annual report to Parliament.
Costas Menegakis Conservative Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON
Madam Speaker, the Liberals continue to disrespect other parliamentarians. That is very clear.
They rejected all of the committee's recommendations and they are not respecting the democratic process. I agree with what my colleague said in her question.
Bardish Chagger Liberal Waterloo, ON
Madam Speaker, this is definitely legislation that, in the riding of Waterloo, has garnered some fruitful conversation. There are examples constituents have shared with me of hard-working, tax-paying Canadians, who often speak both official languages. In one case in my office, the parents worked for an international company abroad. They were born abroad but had been in Canada for decades. Then the wife went to a conference abroad and was not able to travel because she was pregnant. There was a risk of causing damage to her unborn child, so she ended up delivering her baby abroad prior to returning to Canada. That child does not have Canadian citizenship. I would like to hear the member's comments on that.
Also, we are trying to grow our economy, with more international companies helping more global citizens. Is this something we might need to consider, as Canadians might be working and contributing to Canada while perhaps having to be abroad to contribute in meaningful ways?
Costas Menegakis Conservative Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON
Madam Speaker, I do not know if the member opposite has had an opportunity to read the amendments, but clearly this issue was addressed at committee. The Conservatives put forth some very meaningful amendments that would have addressed the case she mentioned of the constituent in her riding. Unfortunately, she and the rest of her colleagues in the Liberal Party voted those amendments down.
Burton Bailey Conservative Red Deer, AB
Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak to Bill C-3, an act to amend the Citizenship Act. I will be splitting my time with the hon. member for Ponoka—Didsbury.
Being a Canadian should mean something. Citizenship is not merely a passport or an identifier. It should mean pride, belonging and responsibility, but Bill C-3 risks turning Canadian citizenship into little more than a slogan and a check box, and in doing so, it cheapens the value of Canadian citizenship. When we start treating citizenship like a formality instead of the privilege that it is, we weaken the pride and unity that make our country strong. This bill cheapens what it truly means to be Canadian.
Canadian citizenship is more than a passport. It is a promise, a bond of loyalty and shared values. It is a commitment to the nation in which one lives. It means saying yes to the social contract that binds us.
As citizens, we contribute to the society in which we live. We contribute in exchange for rights and privileges. These rights and privileges have been fought for, died over and earned over hundreds of years. Citizenship is about taking an active role in our towns, cities and neighbourhoods, helping one another, building community and taking pride in this incredible country we call home. This bill would turn that privilege of citizenship into a mere piece of paper.
Under Bill C-3, some people living outside of Canada could automatically become Canadian citizens even if they have never set foot here, if they were born or adopted abroad and if their parents spent only about three years in Canada, just enough to meet the bare minimum requirement of 1,095 days that Bill C-3 sets out. This requirement does not even have to be consecutive days spent here.
The individual would not need to know our culture and may never even visit Canada, yet they would receive the same rights and privileges as someone who was born and raised here, or someone who chose to immigrate to Canada lawfully and build their life here. There would be no application process, no citizenship test and no background or security check. A person born with few ties to Canada would be granted full privileges, like those contributing.
A consequence of this may begin to arise in Canada's health care system. Already as it stands today, over 6.5 million Canadians are without a family doctor. Wait times in hospitals have skyrocketed. There are over 80,000 foreign-trained medical professionals in this country who are not working in health care. Canada is paying more into health care today than ever before and outcomes continue to worsen. In 2024, the median wait time for health care was 30 weeks, the longest wait times ever recorded in this country.
We have also had record population increases over the past 10 years. This is not a coincidence. Adding more people to any system that has not grown to keep up will result in worse outcomes, be it in health care, housing or societal cohesion.
Imagine a Canada where citizens who have never set foot on Canadian soil come into this country and begin receiving health care. They benefit from a system that working Canadians have contributed their hard-earned dollars to. This would only further the strain and demand we are already seeing in a health care system that is barely afloat.
Bill C-3 would give out citizenship automatically, with no screening for criminal history, no review for national security and no check for any real connection to Canada. At a time when many countries are working to keep their citizenship processes strong and secure, the Liberal government is lowering the bar.
Under Bill C-3, a person could live here on occasion, spend most of their life abroad and have a child overseas, and that child would still become a Canadian citizen automatically, without any review and without any ties to this country. That cheapens what it means to be Canadian.
For generations, becoming a citizen has meant something real. It has meant putting down roots, working hard, learning our history and contributing to our communities. It has meant earning the right call ourselves Canadian and being proud of it. However, the bill would open the door to citizens of convenience, people who can enjoy the benefits of being Canadian without sharing in the responsibilities that come with it.
This is part of a large pattern. After 10 years of the Liberal government, Canada's immigration system is broken. It is not the fault of newcomers who were promised a better life, but it is the fault of a government that has brought people into Canada under false pretenses, mismanaged our immigration programs, failed to plan for housing and ignored the strain on health care and social services.
The Conservatives support restoring citizenship to lost Canadians and ensuring that adopted children are treated equally, but the bill would go far beyond that. The Conservatives tried to fix these problems in committee. We proposed common-sense amendments that would have protected the values of Canadian citizenship. We asked that parents passing on citizenship by descent or adoption show a real residency in Canada for consecutive years, just as any naturalized citizen must do. We proposed language and knowledge requirements so that new citizens by descent understood Canada's history, laws and responsibilities. We required security screening for adults so that anyone gaining citizenship would be vetted and would pose no threat to national safety. We also called for the minister to report annually to Parliament on how many automatic citizenships are granted abroad and to disclose any cases where security screening was waived.
These were reasonable, balanced and responsible changes. They would have restored integrity while still addressing the unfair treatment of lost Canadians.
Due to the hard work of Conservatives at committee, with the help of our colleagues in the Bloc, these amendments were successfully carried, but just yesterday, the government caved to the radical NDP and rolled back these common-sense amendments, once again proving that they do not value what it means to be Canadian and that the bill is nothing more than a vote-buying ploy.
The government says that it wants fairness, yet it refuses to protect the value of Canadian citizenship. The Minister of Immigration has an opportunity to fulfill her promise to help lost Canadians while ensuring citizenship is not given to those with no real connection to Canada.
This is about fairness, but it is also about integrity. It is not fair to the millions of immigrants who came here, learned our language, passed their citizenship test, paid taxes and built lives here to see others receive the same citizenship automatically from abroad. That creates a two-tiered system where some earn their place and others inherit it with no effort.
For decades, immigrants came to Canada under harsh conditions. Many came with nothing and worked to earn their place in Canada. They came with barely any money let alone the privilege of citizenship.
We can fix this. The Conservatives believe citizenship should be based on loyalty, service and contribution, not on loopholes and paperwork. We can restore pride in Canadian citizenship and give newcomers a system that is strong, fair and consistent. However, Bill C-3 would not strengthen citizenship; it would weaken it. It would trade commitment for convenience and a genuine connection for technical calculation. Canadians deserve better.
We must reject the watering down of our citizenship and the broken immigration system the Liberal government caused over the past 10 years. We must return to a society where our values are championed, not spat on.
Canada is founded upon principles that recognize the supremacy of God and the rule of law, where everyone has the fundamental freedoms of conscience, religion, thought, belief, opinion, expression, peaceful assembly and association; where every citizen has the right to vote; where every citizen has the right to enter, remain in and leave Canada; where everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of the person; and where every individual is equal before and under the law.
I came here to this House to defend these principles, and I along—
The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Alexandra Mendès) Alexandra Mendes
Unfortunately, the hon. member is way over time.
Questions and comments, the hon. parliamentary secretary to the government House leader.
Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Madam Speaker, the reality is that the Conservatives are actually saying no to grandchildren. They are saying no to individuals who are Canadians, who live in Canada, and saying that their grandchildren should not be considered Canadians. That is what they are saying no to. I wonder if the member truly believes that is fair given the ruling of the superior court of Ontario.
When we talk about the amendments, as the Conservatives often do, we need to know there are 169 Liberal MPs. When we combine the Bloc and Conservative members, there are 166. The majority of the House agrees with the government with respect to grandchildren. I wonder if the member might want to reconsider his position on the bill itself.
Burton Bailey Conservative Red Deer, AB
Madam Speaker, a decade of the Liberals has harmed the reputation of Canadian citizenship, either because of the neglect and mismanagement of the Canadian immigration system or because of the policies that have weakened the value of Canadian citizenship.
Canada is one of the only countries in the world that allows descendants of visitors and temporary residents born on Canada's soil to automatically become citizens. With over three million temporary residents and a half a million undocumented persons now living in Canada, continuing to allow temporary residents' descendants to automatically claim citizenship will have a deep impact on Canada's immigration system, housing, jobs and social services.
Mario Simard Bloc Jonquière, QC
Madam Speaker, what the parliamentary secretary to the government House leader is not saying is that the government took amendments that were duly adopted in committee meetings and threw them out.
Right now, my colleague is talking about the government's majority in the House. That is one thing. However, committees serve a purpose. Otherwise, we would not have them. We would vote on bills here in the House and that would be it.
Perhaps my Conservative colleague can comment on the fact that the government behaved very inappropriately by completely rejecting amendments that were duly adopted in meetings of a committee of the House of Commons, which must serve a purpose. What does my colleague think about that?
Burton Bailey Conservative Red Deer, AB
Madam Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague and the Bloc for the support we received at committee.
Immigrants are not to blame for wanting better lives; it is the Liberals' fault for breaking our system and allowing people into Canada too fast for housing, health care and jobs to keep up.
Only Conservatives will restore the value of Canadian citizenship and the immigration consensus the Liberals broke by fixing our broken immigration system and setting clear rules.
Arnold Viersen Conservative Peace River—Westlock, AB
Madam Speaker, I am thankful to the hon. member for his great speech on the topic. I wonder if he has any other examples of how the immigration system has been wrecked. I know that for as long as I have been here, we have been concerned about the Roxham Road crossing. I wonder if he has any other examples he would like to share with us.
Burton Bailey Conservative Red Deer, AB
Madam Speaker, Conservatives believe that Canadian citizenship matters. It is more than a designation on an ID card or a passport to travel the world; it is a shared responsibility that takes every single one of us to adhere to. There once was a time when being Canadian meant something.
It is appropriate that we are entering Veterans' Week, a week when we remember our heroes who fought and died so that we can stand here today. By watering down our citizenship and reducing it to a check box, the Liberal government takes for granted their sacrifices by erasing what they fought and died for.
May we never forget their sacrifices.
Bienvenu-Olivier Ntumba Liberal Mont-Saint-Bruno—L’Acadie, QC
Madam Speaker, the Conservatives are saying that the government is granting Canadian citizenship too freely to people who do not have sufficient ties to Canada. However, this bill requires a parent to reside in the country for at least three years before they can pass on their citizenship to a child born abroad. That is a clear and real requirement.
Can my colleague explain why he feels this requirement, which many experts found to be reasonable, does not respond to his concerns regarding a substantial connection to Canada?
Burton Bailey Conservative Red Deer, AB
Madam Speaker, again, with over three million temporary residents and half a million undocumented persons now living in Canada, continuing to allow temporary residents' descendants to automatically claim citizenship will have a deep impact on Canada's immigration system, housing, jobs and—
Jacob Mantle Conservative York—Durham, ON
Madam Speaker, I have been waiting for an opportunity when you are in the chair and the member for Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas is in the chamber.
I am rising on a point of order to follow up on the point of order I raised on September 26. You will recall, as you were in the chair, that following question period, I raised a point of order that the member for Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas accused the member for Lanark—Frontenac of being a Russian asset. At that time, you suggested that the language might be unparliamentary and that you would review the transcript and come back to the House.
Madam Speaker, I have reviewed the transcript and, if you will review the transcript, you will see that an hon. member is quoted in the Hansard as saying, “Are you a Russian asset?” I am sure that the hon. member will not shy away from his comments and will, of course, take ownership of them.
I am wondering if you will rule on that now; agree that calling another member “a Russian asset”, or accusing them of being a Russian asset, is unparliamentary; and ask the member to withdraw those comments.
Oral QuestionsPoints of OrderGovernment Orders
The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Alexandra Mendès) Alexandra Mendes
The hon. parliamentary secretary to the government House leader, on the same point of order.
Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Madam Speaker, I would be concerned about setting a precedent. When a Speaker indicates that they are going to take something as notice, as a courtesy to the Speaker's chair, members have to provide the Speaker the opportunity to report back to the House.
We would not want to see MPs standing up every time the Speaker decides to take something as a notice to express that the Speaker has not yet ruled.
Oral QuestionsPoints of OrderGovernment Orders
The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Alexandra Mendès) Alexandra Mendes
Indeed, we have not had the opportunity to come back to the House with a proper ruling. We will come to the House when said ruling is done.
The hon. member for Waterloo, on the same point of order.
Oral QuestionsPoints of OrderGovernment Orders
The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Alexandra Mendès) Alexandra Mendes
I have someone on a point of order. There can be one at a time.
The hon. member for Waterloo.