Debates of Feb. 25th, 2026

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, every file for asylum comes through a very rigorous security check, both through CBSA and through CSIS. Our law enforcement works every single day to keep Canadians safe. The rigorous process to ensure that those who are inadmissible are deemed to be inadmissible and are removed is something that our law enforcement agencies do each and every day. The assertions made by the opposition are absolutely false.

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

Mr. Speaker, it is embarrassing. The ministers do not even know how their own system works. Yesterday, the Prime Minister falsely claimed he had the immigration system under control. He blindly expressed full confidence in his immigration minister.

These are the facts: 300,000 asylum claims, a four-year backlog, nearly three million temporary residents with expiring permits and no plan to remove them, auto-approving asylum claims from terrorist-sponsoring countries without any human intervention.

Ask any Canadian. Immigration is far from under control. Now even Liberal MPs are questioning her place at the cabinet table, so will the Prime Minister finally wake up, listen to his own MPs and fire his incompetent immigration minister?

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, what I can say is that we have a robust refugee protection system that ensures the safety and security of Canadians. First and foremost, we have a system through the Immigration and Refugee Board whereby every single file is assessed for its merits and its compliance with the refugee convention of 1951.

Secondly, before somebody is granted permanent residency, there is a vigorous security check, which enables Canada to ensure the safety and security of Canadians, from our law enforcement agencies, including CSIS and the Canada Border Services Agency. The assertions made by—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for Riding Mountain.

[Dan Mazier, Conservative, Riding Mountain, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I asked the immigration minister at health committee how many more patients our health care system could handle. She laughed and then said it was not a fair question for immigration. She said it was not a fair question, but six million Canadians do not have a doctor. People are dying waiting for care. Our system is at capacity, and she does not even know it. If the minister setting immigration levels does not think health care capacity is her business, then she has no business being minister.

Will the Prime Minister fire her today?

[Marjorie Michel, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, Canada has the values to which the world aspires. We have always been and always will be committed to fundamental rights and human dignity. We believe in our universal health care system. Let us not play politics at the expense of asylum seekers. As I just said, we must build a better health care system, and we are doing it working with provinces and territories.

[Dan Mazier, Conservative, Riding Mountain, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal immigration minister falsely told the health committee that rejected asylum claimants lose the premium health benefits her government provides, but she was wrong. In fact, her own department had to correct her. Rejected claimants remain fully eligible for premium health benefits like physiotherapy and home care under the interim federal health program.

A minister who does not know her own program has no business running it. Will the Prime Minister take accountability and fire his immigration minister?

[Marjorie Michel, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I would remind my colleague that health services are the responsibility of the provinces and territories, not the federal government. The Minister of Health and the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship have a duty to work with the provinces and territories on services.

As members know, the immigration minister has nothing to do with those providing services on the ground.

[Fred Davies, Conservative, Niagara South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canada's immigration system is broken, and the Liberal immigration minister is treating this critical file like a game of hide-and-seek. She is not very good at hiding, but the Liberals are very good at deflecting. Even her own Liberal colleagues have called out her abject incompetence.

As the minister tries to hide, Canadians are left witnessing a youth unemployment crisis and three million temporary resident visas expiring in 2026. Will this minister stop playing games and start taking responsibility for the mess that she and the Liberals have created?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency]

Mr. Speaker, it is clear, without there being much substance to the question put on the floor, that the Conservatives have decided, for political reasons, to try to use immigration as a wedge issue in Canadian politics. They could be using their questions to focus on the Canada-U.S. relationship. They could be using them to focus on how we can improve health care or how we can grow the economy, but no.

For the more than 10 years that I have been elected as a member of Parliament, time and time again, when things get tough, the Conservatives pivot to attacking newcomers. We are dealing with, in some instances, some of the most vulnerable people in the world. I wish we could focus on some of—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Order.

There is a lot of noise coming from one side, from the end over there. I have my eye on a certain member, but there is a lot of noise coming from that side.

The hon. minister may continue, but I will ask members to please keep it down.

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Central Nova, NS]

Mr. Speaker, I will conclude very quickly.

This is a time for thoughtful debate on policy solutions that will advance the country's interest, not a time for immature name-calling.

The Economy

[Mike Lake, Conservative, Leduc—Wetaskiwin, AB]

Mr. Speaker, less than a year ago, the Liberal election platform promised that the federal deficit would be limited to an already eye-popping $62 billion. That deficit exploded to $78 billion in the fall, with billions more added since. Our federal debt is now nearly two and a half times what it was just a decade ago. Meanwhile, the Toronto Star is warning this morning that Canadian household debt has risen to a record $2.6 trillion.

How have we gone, in just a decade, from a country with a balanced budget and the richest middle class in the world to a country where Canadians are taking on record personal debt to pay off the bills passed down to them by their own federal government?

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

Mr. Speaker, the debt and deficit are fiscally sustainable. The IMF has testified to that fact, and the Bank of Canada has testified to that fact.

We continue to put in measures, of course, to build up the economy, and an opportunities agenda is exactly what this country needs right now. We have seen the government moving ahead to ensure that the resources of this country get to market, to build up infrastructure and to make sure that this country can compete on a global level in a changing international landscape.

If Conservatives want to be serious, they can join us in those initiatives by pursuing policies that are thoughtful, or they can keep playing games.

[Mike Lake, Conservative, Leduc—Wetaskiwin, AB]

Mr. Speaker, under the Liberals' new leadership, Canada's multifront economic crisis has gotten objectively worse. The Liberal Prime Minister himself promised the $62-billion deficit. Their own budget shattered that promise, adding $16 billion in new debt, and they have added billions more in recent weeks. Young Canadians are taking on record personal debt to pay the bill. According to RBC, “64% of Millennials are anxious about their financial future as monthly costs squeeze budgets”.

Which Liberal minister will stand now to explain to those young Canadians why they should take on more personal liability and stress to cover ever-increasing Liberal debt?

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

Mr. Speaker, it is interesting that the Conservatives never tell us what they would cut. If they want to pursue this line of questioning, it is logical that they would go to another issue.

Would they cut the Canada child benefit? They would. Would they cut child care? They certainly would. Would they cut pharmacare? They certainly would do that. Would they cut the school food program, which we want to make permanent? They would do that. Would they not support these measures? They never have, and they never will.

What about a long-term focus, an opportunities agenda, jobs and a focus on families and youth? All those things are at stake, and we are pursuing exactly that. They should join us.

[Sandra Cobena, Conservative, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

Mr. Speaker, millennials were told that, if we worked hard, played by the rules and planned for the future, we could build a stable life here in Canada, but a recent RBC poll shows that 57% have nothing left after paying their monthly bills and 4 in 10 believe that they may never be debt-free.

After years of soaring housing costs, persistent inflation and higher taxes, my generation is carrying record personal debt while also being handed the Liberal government's debt to pay for. When will the Liberals stop loading debt onto our generation so young Canadians can build a life, and not just—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. Secretary of State for Sport.

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

Mr. Speaker, once again, the Conservatives are demonstrating that they have no credibility on affordability because they are ignoring all of the recommendations that the experts are making to pursue a more equitable future in Canada. One of the recommendations the Conservatives chose to ignore was the groceries and essentials benefit. We are using a proven mechanism to provide relief to families in those income brackets that need it most with the rising cost of living. The Conservatives can quote the experts if they want to, but I recommend they follow the recommendations as well.

[Sandra Cobena, Conservative, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are tired of political talking points. The Liberals must have the humility to face the reality. Young Canadians are not falling behind by accident. They are being pushed behind by Liberal policies, and they are not asking for programs. Talk to a millennial. They are asking the Liberals to get out of the way today.

TransUnion Canada reported that household debt reached $2.6 trillion by the end of 2025. Families are living paycheque to paycheque, just to keep a roof over their heads. When will the Liberal government realize it cannot spend its way to affordability and finally focus on bringing down the—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. secretary of state.

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

Mr. Speaker, it is a bit ironic to be criticized about political talking points when the members opposite read from the same page over and over again. They ask the same 15 questions over and over again. They do not write their own questions. There is no creativity from that side. The level of this debate deserves a bit more.

With respect to housing, we have invested $13 billion in non-market housing through Build Canada Homes. After a successful $1.5-billion pilot on co-op housing, we see these strategies are working. Rents are coming down and home ownership is within sight for young people. That is because of the policies of the government.

The Conservatives have a choice. They can get on board or—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for South Shore—St. Margarets.

Industry

[Jessica Fancy-Landry, Liberal, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

Mr. Speaker, in South Shore—St. Margarets, Hawboldt Industries is one of the companies in my riding that is proving that advanced manufacturing for defence is not just an urban story, but is very much a rural one. Rural communities have the talent and the capacity to help Canada meet its defence needs.

Can the Secretary of State for Defence Procurement explain how the new defence industrial strategy will expand opportunities for rural manufacturers such as Hawboldt and create good-paying jobs for all Canadians?