Debates of June 9th, 2025

Main Estimates and Supplementary Estimates (A), 2025-26

[The Assistant Deputy Chair, Conservative, John Nater]

The hon. member for Côte‑du‑Sud—Rivière‑du‑Loup—Kataskomiq—Témiscouata.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Côte-du-Sud—Rivière-du-Loup—Kataskomiq—Témiscouata, QC]

Mr. Chair, unemployment is rising across Canada.

According to some experts, there will be approximately 100,000 job losses by the fall. However, you keep increasing immigration. Why do you insist on pushing newcomers into unemployment?

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Mr. Chair, that is absolutely not my intention.

[The Assistant Deputy Chair, Conservative, John Nater]

Comments should be directed to the Chair.

The hon. member has the floor.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Côte-du-Sud—Rivière-du-Loup—Kataskomiq—Témiscouata, QC]

Mr. Chair, the minister is not answering my question.

Some economists are predicting a recession by the fall with the potential loss of 100,000 jobs, many of them in Ontario and Quebec. However, the government is bringing in immigrants. Why?

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Mr. Chair, we are working hard to manage immigration by 2027. We have already released all the figures. We will reduce the number of temporary and permanent visas.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Côte-du-Sud—Rivière-du-Loup—Kataskomiq—Témiscouata, QC]

Mr. Chair, what number is the minister talking about?

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Mr. Chair, we are reducing the number of visas for students and workers. We are working in every way possible to bring those numbers down.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Côte-du-Sud—Rivière-du-Loup—Kataskomiq—Témiscouata, QC]

Mr. Chair, how many people in Canada are currently subject to removal proceedings? Does the minister know? Can she give me a number, please?

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Mr. Chair, that is a question for the Minister of Public Safety.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Côte-du-Sud—Rivière-du-Loup—Kataskomiq—Témiscouata, QC]

Mr. Chair, she is referring the question to another minister.

Last December, 460,000 people were awaiting removal. That figure is equivalent to the population of the city of Laval, Quebec. However, the government has lost track of 30,000 of them. How many are actually going to leave the country this year?

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Mr. Chair, once again, the issue of people leaving the country is a question for the Minister of Public Safety. We are, however, in close contact with my counterpart.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Chair, I will be going ten minutes and five minutes, just for the record.

I believe the Prime Minister truly understands the economics of immigration. It is really encouraging, whether it is in the throne speech or the mandate letters, the degree that he incorporates the idea of sustainable immigration levels. That is not a new term to me; in fact, during the nineties, I often talked about it inside the Manitoba legislature.

To get an appreciation of the value of immigration, something that I do not believe the Conservatives understand, is to take a look at the overall numbers and figure out what is in the best interest of the country, making sure to get that mix correct. For example, if we take a look back at the history of Manitoba during the nineties, when I was an MLA, going into the 2000, 2006-07 era, we see that immigration changed a great deal. In the early nineties, our average numbers were probably somewhere in the neighbourhood of 3,000 to 3,500, give or take a few hundred. For many of us, that was too low. We wanted to see more immigrants coming to the province of Manitoba. In fact, it made our population somewhat stagnant until Jean Chrétien and Gary Filmon came to the table with the provincial nominee program.

That has been an economic gold mine for the province of Manitoba. It is a program that I am very passionate about. Manitoba needs the nominee program and is very much reliant on it. Through that particular program, what we saw was that for the first time, Manitoba's numbers actually increased, and increased quite dramatically. Back in the nineties, I was suggesting that we should have somewhere in the neighbourhood of 1% of our provincial population from immigration, figuring that if we were to get the mixture right, it is a sustainable immigration number.

That is what we were able to achieve because we used the nominee program as an economic driver, which then complemented the other streams that the federal government had in place. As a direct result of being able to manage that program, having that agreement between Canada and Manitoba, we were able to enhance our immigration numbers. If it were not for that nominee program, arguably, Manitoba's population would be nowhere near what it is today. In fact, some would argue that we could have lost our population.

When I listened to the Conservatives across the way during the first series of questions they asked, and I would invite people to read what they were asking, they did come across as very anti-immigrant. That concerns me because it was immigrants who helped build this country we have today. Taking a look at the last 20 to 30 years in the province of Manitoba, we have seen the substantial growth of our Filipino-heritage community, our Punjabi-heritage community and others, but those two have led the way. We can take a look at health care, which was being discussed a great deal, or our manufacturing industry or the new entrepreneurs who are opening up, developing and building homes.

I think we do need to be sensitive to the different regions, different provinces and rural versus urban. It is important to recognize that temporary immigrants play a critical role in food security. We need to have temporary visas that enable individuals to come and help us out in our rural communities so that we can provide the type of food we are providing, not only locally but to the world.

If we really want to get into the discussion about immigration, there are far more positives than negatives. When we think of the situation we are in today, we have to factor in the circumstances that brought us to this point. Whether it was the pandemic that ultimately led to more temporary workers, or the drive from universities and provinces in different regions of the country demanding more temporary residents, there is a reason it has taken place in the manner it has.

The system is not broken. Yes, we need to take actions to make sure we can continue in a sustainable way. As the Prime Minister has said, it is about having an immigration level that is sustainable and making sure we get the mixture right. We need to be sensitive about our rural communities that need those temporary workers. We need to be sensitive to those post-secondary institutions that are, often, trying to build a world reputation on the type of education that is provided in these facilities.

I recognize there was also a lot of abuse in that area. There are things we can learn. We need to work with provinces in a closer fashion. We need to recognize that there are some issues that need to be dealt with. However, to paint with one brush and to say this is an action that has to be taken, and it is universally applied across the nation, I do not think is fair.

Instead, I believe we should establish goals, as the Minister of Immigration has done. I do not know how many times she has said that we have these goals and we are moving towards these goals. I think that is a responsible approach. It complements what the Prime Minister is saying, and I will repeat it again:sustainable immigration levels.

We know we have many immigrants here who are permanent residents who will marry a spouse abroad, Canadian citizens who find partners from outside of Canada. This is a very important category, and we have to continue to allow those individuals to come to our country as permanent residents. We have to continue to allow temporary workers to come, to deal with those issues such as in our agricultural communities.

I would like to hear some of the rural Conservatives stand in their place and say, “No, do not allow any temporary workers to come to Canada.” Do members know the damage that would do to our economy? Immigration is there, if we can get a hold and have sustainable immigration levels, to complement our economy, to build Canada into a stronger, healthier economy.

Whether it is the Prime Minister or the Minister of Immigration, both of them understand that. Both of them understand that we have goals that have to be met, and in certain situations, it can be very difficult. Let us remember, when the Conservatives make these demands, that there is a face on the other side of that particular demand. We need to be sympathetic and compassionate in recognizing that. I would like to believe that through the years, as we have built a very strong nation, immigration has played a critical role.

The minister has been in there, I think, three, four weeks to date, and I have appreciated the discussions we have had. I appreciate the fact that she has been putting in the time and energy to make sure we establish those goals and work towards achieving those goals.

If I were to ask the minister a question, it would be on the importance of recognizing that a sustainable immigration level, as the Prime Minister has said, plays a critical role in building a stronger and healthier country. Can she provide her thoughts on how important it is that we achieve that?

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Chair, I want to thank the hon. member for Winnipeg North for all his reflections and accurate information.

Immigration is indeed key to growing our economy and strengthening our communities. I have talked to the provinces and territories since I have become a minister. They are all responsible for immigration, and believe me, they all agree on that.

Canadians rightly want a robust and sustainable immigration system that sets up Canada and all who come here for success. That is the reason the 2025-27 two-year levels plan was set and does exactly that. Prior to last year, these levels plans were yearly, so I was very proud to see the former government set the two-year plan.

We are reducing the number of temporary and permanent residents in the short term to alleviate the pressures on housing and infrastructure. That is the reality. That is a fact. After COVID, many people came to Canada through many ways, and there was stress and strain on our system. With the crisis happening globally, the asylum system, as we know, had strain as well. The measures we are taking will achieve long-term growth.

A well-managed, sustainable immigration system, where everybody has a chance to succeed, is what this government and I, as the new minister for less than four weeks, want. In fact, I was sworn in as an MP not even 15 days ago. My photo is not even up yet. We are doing what needs to be done and what Canadians voted for us to do.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Chair, one of the advantages of healthy immigration policy is recognizing how important it is to have diversity. Canada's diversity is one of the greatest strengths we have, and with it, we have the potential to continue to be the strongest nation in the G7, I would ultimately argue. We are at a time when we should be celebrating that.

A good example of that is the month of June. The Filipino community, the Italian community, the Portuguese community and the indigenous community are all celebrating their heritage in the month of June. I remember in April we were celebrating Sikh Heritage Month. I know the member has been a very strong advocate for the Lebanese community.

I wonder if she could provide her thoughts on how important it is to recognize the diversity Canada shows to the world and how the potential strength for building our nation on that diversity is overwhelming. It is something we should all be very proud of.

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Mr. Chair, I am not sure how many minutes I have, but I absolutely love the question.

I cannot agree more. Diversity in Canada is definitely our strength. It is diversity in our culture, people and languages. I cannot wait to go back to my communities and celebrate Portuguese heritage and Filipino heritage. Actually, next weekend, in my home city of Halifax, the Filipino fiesta is happening. It is on June 21 and 22, all weekend long.

To celebrate all the diverse cultures every single month is something I believe that all members of this House are proud of. All parliamentarians, regardless of the political party we come from, share that with our communities. We are very proud to protect the residents we are here to represent, together with their cultures and their heritage.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Chair, Winnipeg is a wonderful city. Whenever the Minister of Immigration comes by Winnipeg, I would love to have her come to Winnipeg North.

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Mr. Chair, I would love to accept the hon. member's invitation. I just want to say that I have received so many invitations. I wish I had lots of hours in the day to be able to fulfill them, but I am going to do everything I possibly can.

[Arpan Khanna, Conservative, Oxford, ON]

Mr. Chair, I will be splitting my time three ways.

Canada's population keeps increasing at record numbers, and the Canadian Medical Association is quoted as saying, “our health care system is on its knees. We're not meeting the needs of our population.” Does the minister think it is responsible to maintain the current immigration levels during this health care crisis?

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Chair, I have spoken about the pride that I have in the fact that we have tabled the two-year levels plan, which targets decreasing the temporary student population, as well as the temporary—

[The Assistant Deputy Chair, Conservative, John Nater]

The hon. member for Oxford has the floor.

[Arpan Khanna, Conservative, Oxford, ON]

Mr. Chair, does the minister agree with experts that a massive spike in immigration to Canada is putting pressure on health care in our country?

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Mr. Chair, again, we are working to stabilize the immigration numbers, but we also want to bring in talent.

[Arpan Khanna, Conservative, Oxford, ON]

Mr. Chair, is it causing pressure on our system, yes or no?

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Mr. Chair, the reason we are here today is that we recognize that there was strain on our system because of the immigration that is growing.