Debates of June 9th, 2025

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

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am choosing my words to go with the fact that we have national interest projects that need to be built. It is not for me to choose which ones they are, but I will be making sure we build in the national interest.

[Jeremy Patzer, Conservative, Swift Current—Grasslands—Kindersley, SK]

Mr. Speaker, the minister is going off the facts. She is saying that there is no mention of pipelines in there. It sounds as though the Liberals are not going to get pipelines built. Now, if there is national consensus, if they are able to get it, will cabinet veto it as it was given to them in the Impact Assessment Act?

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I find this rich coming from the Conservatives, who were unable to build any projects over their time, because they did not care for the environment and they did not do indigenous consultation.

[Jeremy Patzer, Conservative, Swift Current—Grasslands—Kindersley, SK]

Mr. Speaker, what is the average wage in the oil and gas sector?

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is not for me to start talking about average salaries or salaries. However, what I will say is that we are going to make sure there are well-paying union jobs right across this country in building a strong Canada.

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, it is an absolute honour to be here this evening as the minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship.

I want to take a moment to really thank the constituents of Halifax West for placing their faith in me and electing me a second time as their member.

I am joined this evening by the deputy minister, Dr. Harpreet S. Kochhar. I want to take a moment to thank him and all the staff who have helped me in the very short few weeks that I have had a chance to be a minister in this government and go through the transition.

I have a number of comments to make, and they do relate to the estimates, which is why we are here tonight.

I am pleased to speak about the direct investments our government is making in immigration, refugees and citizenship in Canada through this year's main estimates.

We are here today so that Canadians know how public funds are being spent and are updated on the work we are doing to ensure a well-managed immigration system. The investments we make today are vital to Canada's growth and to our future economy.

As outlined in the Speech from the Throne, our government is committed to restoring Canadians' confidence in a strong, efficient and responsive immigration system.

We want our immigration system to be a critical part of driving economic growth across the country. Doing so in a targeted way, we remain committed to a previously announced reduction in overall immigration levels in the next few years. That reduction is reflected in the decreased funding requested in these main estimates. Simultaneously, these estimates reflect a variety of IRCC-delivered programs that set us up as we aim to attract the talented newcomers Canada needs the most, uphold our obligations internationally and provide them with the adequate resources needed to have a shot at success while here.

These main estimates will enable us to meet the urgent housing needs of asylum seekers, provide essential health services to newcomers, and establish a more stable digital platform that will modernize the client experience and better address global challenges.

To that end, we are investing $134.8 million in platform modernization and digitization to deliver improved client services through online accounts, new support processes, as well as streamlining, processing and digitizing visa and permit applications. By investing and improving the client experience, we better equip ourselves to attract in-demand newcomers with skills that Canada most likes to have in high-need sectors such as health care and construction.

At the same time, we remain committed to restoring public confidence in our immigration system. Canadians and newcomers expect a sustainable and well-managed system with clear rules that meets our long-term economic needs and operates with integrity and fairness.

A key component is better management of temporary immigration so that the number of new immigrants we welcome is reasonable in relation to our capacity to receive them and ensure their success.

This government is committed to capping temporary immigration, which includes international students and temporary workers, to under 5% of the national population by 2027. That work has already started. These main estimates also fund integrity measures that will better protect all in Canada. Biometric collection supports us in managing identities and ensuring that anyone looking to remain in Canada is properly vetted. That is why we are investing $55.5 million in a fully supported biometric collection service. To continue ensuring the safety of Canadians and all those in Canada, we will continue working with the Canada Border Services Agency, as further outlined in the strong borders act, which this government introduced last week.

Immigration remains integral to our country's long-term success. As such, we will continue working with provinces, territories and municipalities to ensure that both national and regional immigration targets and objectives are met. With local labour market demand in mind, dynamic programs such as express entry Canada and the global skills strategy will ensure those with in-demand skills can accept job offers and contribute to the Canadian economy more quickly.

Our relationship with Quebec is unique with regard to immigration. Through the Canada-Québec Accord, we will provide $867.3 million to Quebec to support the settlement and integration of newcomers in the province, a $92.3-million incremental increase compared to last year. This government recognizes the significant pressure that increased volumes of asylum claimants have placed on provinces, territories, municipalities and community partners, which is why we put forward significant investments via the interim housing assistance program. The renewed housing program model invests in more dependable and cost-effective solutions that help build long-term capacity nationally.

We have also proposed investments for the provinces and territories that are resettling vulnerable and protected persons through the interim federal health program. By ensuring that these clients have access to the basic health services guaranteed to Canadians, we are helping make the integration process smoother for them, as well as for the provinces and territories where they settle.

We have existing legal pathways to resettlement and to claim asylum, which is why this work goes hand in hand with ongoing efforts to reduce irregular crossings at the border. Canada's asylum system and refugee programs must be protected so they are fully responsive and operational for genuine claimants who need Canada's compassion and support.

Overall, it is important to note that any funding increase in certain programs is offset by a decrease in other programs, such as programs where we have met our commitments or whose temporary purpose has been fulfilled. This, coupled with the refocusing of government spending to other initiatives, has helped contribute to the recovery of certain costs.

Let me conclude by saying that immigration is essential for our country's economy and accounts for almost 100% of Canada's labour force growth. Our plan will build on support for the provinces, territories and communities while upholding our international obligations and humanitarian values.

Because we are reducing our immigration targets and temporarily halting immigration-driven growth, spending will decrease in this program, allowing us to redirect those funds to other initiatives.

With our new government, we are supporting the integration of newcomers while giving them a fair shot in Canada. Canadians are telling us they want immigration to work for everyone and to ensure immigrants are adequately supported from the moment they arrive in our beautiful country. That is exactly what we are doing. We are listening. We are taking action.

Canada is a great place to call home. We are here to ensure that everyone in Canada has all the tools needed to succeed.

[Natilien Joseph, Liberal, Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate the hon. Minister of Immigration on an excellent appointment.

Many immigrants and asylum seekers are very worried that they might be sent back to countries where things are unstable or dangerous. How will Bill C‑2 protect the basic rights and the security of vulnerable people in such cases?

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

Mr. Speaker, first, I would like to thank my colleague from Longueuil—Saint-Hubert for the question.

It is a very good question, a crucial question. My answer is that we are taking important steps to strengthen the integrity of our immigration system while honouring our humanitarian commitments. That is why we introduced changes to ensure that our immigration system can handle such challenges now and in the future. Our system will be more efficient and will be able to process the existing backlog faster.

Although people will not be able to seek asylum, they will be able to apply for a pre-removal risk assessment. That is a very important part of our system because these procedures ensure that people are not removed to a country where they could be persecuted, tortured or otherwise harmed.

[Kody Blois, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, let me start by again offering my congratulations to the hon. minister. We are very proud of her in Nova Scotia, and the Nova Scotia members of Parliament who sit in the Nova Scotia caucus.

I know we have not shared our time, but I wonder if she could provide a bit of reflection on her Lebanese heritage, her story and what it means to be the Minister of Immigration.

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

Mr. Speaker, the hon. parliamentary secretary is a member from my home province of Nova Scotia. He has been an absolute delight to work with since I was elected federally, but even prior to that when I was a member of the Nova Scotia Legislature. He reminds me often of how young he is, but there is no age in this place. We all come from such different backgrounds.

The member is quite right that I am of Lebanese origin, and I really do take pride in that. I feel the responsibility on my shoulders of being the new Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship in this beautiful country of Canada, which so many over generations now call home. This country is home, and many people have built their lives here, including my family. My father came here when he was in his twenties, a long time ago.

I was elected for the first time in 2021, and before becoming a minister, I had the privilege of putting forward a private member's bill to enact Lebanese Heritage Month in the month of November. I encourage all members to go back to their communities in November and celebrate the rich history of Lebanese people and of all people who come here from everywhere around the globe to call Canada home.

[Patrick Bonin, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I will use my time to question the minister. I congratulate her on her appointment. It will be a pleasure to have meaningful discussions with her.

My first question is on the oil and gas sector greenhouse gas emissions cap regulations that the government announced in 2021. When exactly will the government and the minister be able to implement these oil and gas emissions cap regulations?

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, I think that the member and I could work well together on the environment.

Capping greenhouse gas emissions is very important. In Canada, 30% of our emissions come from the oil and gas sector. It it very important that all sectors, all industries in our country work to help us cap and even reduce our emissions.

We are continuing our work by using all the tools we have so that—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for Repentigny.

[Patrick Bonin, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we recently learned in the Toronto Star that the Prime Minister might abandon a cap on emissions for the oil and gas sector, among other things, in exchange for the Pathways Alliance carbon capture project.

I would like to know if the minister could provide more information about that possibility.

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as I said, it is important. The government announced a cap on greenhouse gas emissions for the oil and gas sector last December. It held consultations, as it always does for this kind of regulation. It is one of the tools that we have in our tool box.

We remain committed to achieving net zero by 2050.

[Patrick Bonin, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I will repeat my first question to be very clear: Can the minister tell us when the draft regulations for the oil and gas emissions cap will be tabled?

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as I said, in December the government proposed regulations to cap greenhouse gas emissions from the oil and gas sector.

It then held consultations and conversations with the industry and Canadians. It continues to do that work. So—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for Repentigny.

[Patrick Bonin, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would almost like to call a point of order to get slightly more concise answers from the minister, if possible.

I am well aware that the draft regulations were tabled last December.

When will the consultations end and when will the government table its final, official draft regulations for adoption?

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

Mr. Speaker, after we complete the consultations, we will have to study what we have heard and then determine what we need to do, using all the tools that we have, to get us to net zero by 2050.

[Patrick Bonin, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has become the new champion of pipelines in this country. He told the House, in English, that he was going to build pipelines.

What does the Minister of Environment and Climate Change think of the idea of a pipeline that would cross Canada from coast to coast?

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as I said before, choosing projects is not part of what I do, but I always have to make sure that we consider the environment. That is my job as Minister of Environment and Climate Change, and I am committed to doing that.

[Patrick Bonin, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Mr. Speaker, does the minister see a contradiction between Canada's emissions cap for the oil and gas sector and the idea of building new pipelines?

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

Mr. Speaker, once again, it is not up to me to decide what projects will go ahead for our country and to build Canada. That is something we will do together, as a country. My role is to always think about how we can achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

[Patrick Bonin, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Mr. Speaker, before assuming that role, the former environment minister once said that a pipeline like energy east was incompatible with the Paris Agreement.

Does the minister agree with the comments made by the current Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture?