Debates of Feb. 25th, 2026

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Andrew Scheer, Conservative, Regina—Qu'Appelle, SK]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government has created a sentencing discount system for foreign criminals. The Prime Minister claims that they have the system under control.

Let us look at the case of Rajbir Singh. This criminal sexually assaulted a young woman and received a conditional discharge so he would not have a criminal conviction registered against him so he could stay in the country. Under the Liberal Prime Minister's sentencing discount policy, not only are dangerous criminals allowed to stay in the country, but they get released early.

When will the Prime Minister fire his immigration minister, or does he think that she has it all under control?

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, the assertion of the member of the opposition party is absolutely false. When somebody is before the courts facing criminal charges and conviction, they are deemed to be inadmissible to Canada. The Canada Border Services Agency takes this very seriously and has inadmissible individuals removed. Last year, we removed over 22,000 individuals from Canada.

However, let me be very clear. The issue of lawful access is a tool that law enforcement has been asking for. The party opposite has absolutely failed in supporting those policies so that we can have a safer country.

[Andrew Scheer, Conservative, Regina—Qu'Appelle, SK]

Mr. Speaker, if they had confidence in the immigration minister, then she would be answering these questions herself.

Let us take a look at another case. Joyson Lewis assaulted his girlfriend. He grabbed her, tearing her shirt in the process, threw her to the ground and hit her again. The judge in the case sentenced this foreign criminal to nine months of probation specifically so that the conviction would not be entered into the record and he could stay in Canada.

Why is the Liberal government doubling down on a policy that gives sentencing discounts to foreign criminals, and when will the Prime Minister fire the minister?

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is a rule of law country, one that respects the rule of law. Nobody is above the law. The discounts that the member is talking about are absolutely false. What I will say is that the Canada Border Services Agency removes those who are inadmissible to Canada, those with criminal penalties.

Let me also be very clear that the party opposite absolutely refuses to move on lawful access, a tool that law enforcement has been asking for from coast to coast to coast. This is the record that the party has in terms of defending the rights of Canadians and keeping Canada safer.

[Carol Anstey, Conservative, Long Range Mountains, NL]

Mr. Speaker, by the end of this year, three million temporary residents will have had their visas expire, and the government has no enforcement plan to ensure that they leave. Last year alone, 1.5 million permits expired, and the Liberals just simply assumed they would magically comply. The system is out of control. Housing is strained. Youth unemployment is rising. Our health care system is broken. Canadians are clearly paying the price.

When will the Prime Minister take responsibility for this failure and fire his immigration minister?

[Ruby Sahota, Liberal, Secretary of State (Combatting Crime)]

Mr. Speaker, we have been getting the immigration system under control. Bill C-12 is about to pass through the Senate. This will not allow people to abuse our asylum system.

If they cared so much about crime, they would have passed Bill C-14 a long time ago. We could have passed that bill back at Christmastime. There are 80 different changes to the Criminal Code of Canada. We are strengthening our Criminal Code more than we have seen in generations.

[Carol Anstey, Conservative, Long Range Mountains, NL]

Mr. Speaker, competence is not talking points. It is measured by results.

The 33,000 non-citizens listed as wanted by the CBSA is not competent. When 86% of rejected asylum claimants remain in Canada, that is not compassion. That is a system that is not being enforced. The minister has lost control of the file and the confidence of stakeholders. Now members of her own caucus are questioning her ability, and Canadians are paying the price.

Once again, will the Prime Minister take responsibility for this failure and fire his immigration minister?

[Ruby Sahota, Liberal, Secretary of State (Combatting Crime)]

Mr. Speaker, if the Conservatives really cared about these issues, they would support us and the responsible legislation we are putting forward. We are bringing down asylum numbers in this country and we are reducing fraud in our system, with the leadership of the immigration minister.

If the Conservatives cared, they would stop their divisive politics and hate tactics, they would join us in making sure that legislation passes swiftly through the House, and they would stop the obstruction.

Transportation

[Xavier Barsalou-Duval, Bloc, Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have cut $5 billion from public transit. That means $5 billion less in a fund that has yet to provide a single penny to Quebec, while Ontario and the western provinces are stuffing their pockets.

Strangely enough, $5 billion is the same amount as the Cúram cost overrun. That means $5 billion more for companies that are blowing the budget on underperforming software, and $5 billion less for public transit projects.

Why are the Liberals not investing more money in Quebeckers in Quebec instead of making their consultants rich?

[Gregor Robertson, Liberal, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada]

Mr. Speaker, the good news is that we have the build communities strong fund, which includes public transit. This is a $51-billion infrastructure fund that the House has the opportunity to support in the budget implementation act. It is $51 billion, and a significant percentage of that applies to public transit.

We are in talks with the Government of Quebec to pursue the opportunity for public transit investment. We hope to conclude those negotiations and be able to make ongoing investments in public transit across Quebec, as we have across the country.

[Patrick Bonin, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the $5-billion cut to the Canada public transit fund is unacceptable.

Alliance TRANSIT denounced it this morning, and the cities have too. A coalition of organizations such as Équiterre, Trajectoire Québec, Vivre en Ville and many others is accusing the federal government of causing harm to users, to public transit, to mobility and to the government's own climate objectives. Worse still, Quebec has yet to receive a penny from this fund, while Ontario and Vancouver are raking in money.

Are the Liberals going to cancel their budget cut and make sure that Quebec finally receives its share?

[Gregor Robertson, Liberal, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada]

Mr. Speaker, we are ready to pursue public transit investment with the Government of Quebec. We are at the table. We are negotiating. We welcome the opportunity to invest. There are significant dollars available in the build communities strong fund. When the BIA is passed, we will be able to move that funding through, on top of the $25 billion that is available in the Canada public transit fund. Add all that up and there is a significant increase to the public transit funding that is available, and there is more flexibility for provinces and territories and cities to pursue.

Justice

[Tamara Kronis, Conservative, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister falsely claims he has our immigration system under control, but when a non-Canadian on a student visa can spy on his female housemates for six months and not get deported, Canadians know the system is out of control. He recorded them in various states of undress. He recorded them using the bathroom, but instead of protecting these women, Liberal sentencing discounts allow immigration consequences to benefit the offender.

When did the Liberals abandon vulnerable women, and when will the Prime Minister finally take accountability and fire his immigration minister?

[Ruby Sahota, Liberal, Secretary of State (Combatting Crime)]

Mr. Speaker, it is completely the opposite. The Conservatives would like Canadians to believe that there is some policy in place. There is no policy in place. The provinces should respond for those types of actions that are happening in provincial criminal courts. It is not federal policy. If anything, we are strengthening the Criminal Code of Canada to make sure that criminals face the penalties they should for these outrageous crimes.

[Tamara Kronis, Conservative, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Mr. Speaker, that is not an answer, and this is not isolated. When a non-citizen can sexually assault someone's 18-year-old daughter twice and not be deported, the system is out of control. This offender was found guilty of sexual assault. The judge knew he would be deported, but then they gave him a discharge and probation, so another criminal stays in Canada.

The Liberals accuse us of all kinds of things, but their judges are pleading down at the expense of our daughters, so I will ask again: When will the Prime Minister fire his immigration minister and get immigration back under control?

[Ruby Sahota, Liberal, Secretary of State (Combatting Crime)]

Mr. Speaker, these are not our judges. These are Canadian judges appointed by provinces. Our criminal court hearings happen at the provincial level.

Conservatives would like Canadians to believe that there is some type of federal policy that is making judges make these decisions. There is absolutely no such policy. If anything, we are tightening the Criminal Code of Canada. In Bill C-16 and Bill C-14, we are making sure that we support victims of sexual assault and that we make conditional sentences no longer a thing.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Gabriel Hardy, Conservative, Montmorency—Charlevoix, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Prime Minister said that the immigration system is under control. I am sorry, but contrary to what the Prime Minister says, things are not going well at all. Quebec alone has taken in 200,000 asylum seekers. That puts pressure on the health care, education and child care systems.

This morning, we learned from a Radio-Canada article that the Liberal Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship does not have a strong grasp of her portfolio and is completely unreachable.

Will the Prime Minister take responsibility and fire the immigration minister?

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

Mr. Speaker, as the member well knows, because this question has already been asked multiple times today and has been answered by the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship and other colleagues of mine, asylum claims have decreased by a third under this minister. The number of international students in Canada has dropped by a third under this minister. In addition, between July and October 2025, Canada's population actually declined slightly after many years of growth. That is the record of this immigration minister.

What is the Conservative Party's policy on this?

Pensions

[Éric Lefebvre, Conservative, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I have been rising here in the House to discuss the Cúram software for weeks now. The cost of this IT project has ballooned from $1.6 billion to $6.6 billion. That is a $5-billion cost overrun. Some 78,000 seniors are waiting for their benefits. We have asked the Liberal government dozens of questions, but we are not getting any answers.

Yesterday, I asked if there was anyone in the Liberal cabinet who would take responsibility for this file, who would also bang on their desk and promise to take care of it. This is unacceptable. Canadians are the ones paying out of their own pockets. This is a waste of money.

What is the Liberal government going to do?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario]

Mr. Speaker, I find it ironic that the member opposite is saying that he has asked who to speak to. I have said about 15 times, members should come and speak to me directly if they have cases that they need accelerated.

I have also been very clear in the House that this is a massive transformation of software. We have a portfolio of money allotted to us to do that transformation, and in fact we are under budget.

If the member opposite needs to be briefed, I ask him to come to me immediately after question period, and I will talk to him.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Liberal Prime Minister said that the immigration system was under control, yet the Liberals have abandoned security checks and systematic screening processes and have allowed approximately 25,000 people into the country without even having to talk to a government employee. Meanwhile, where is the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship?

She is not answering any questions. The situation is so serious that even Liberal MPs are calling for her to resign.

Can the Prime Minister step up to the plate and finally fire his Liberal immigration minister?

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, let me be clear about the facts. Officers rigorously review each and every claim before it reaches the IRB, and nobody can claim asylum in Canada without questioning.

To keep Canadians safe, CBSA does the front-end security screening on all adult refugee claimants. There is no rubber-stamping of any files or any claims. Each one is assessed individually on the merits by highly trained decision-makers.

The government worked hard to bring asylum claims down by more than a third last year. We will keep working hard to do that. We have Bill C-12 in front of us.

Employment

[Terry Sheehan, Liberal, Sault Ste. Marie—Algoma, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we know that Canadian workers are the backbone of a strong economy. The government's new workforce alliances are bringing together workers, industry and training partners to build the skilled and resilient workforce that Canada needs for the future. Now more than before, Canadian workers need their government to have their backs.

Can the Minister of Jobs and Families tell the House how the government is supporting workers and strengthening the Canadian economy now and in the future?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario]

Mr. Speaker, the member of Parliament for Sault Ste. Marie—Algoma is a force to be reckoned with. In fact, it was such an honour to stand with him at the Algoma steel mill to support the defence of Canadian-made steel. I want to thank him for his ongoing advocacy. It was a very proud moment for me to announce five additional workforce alliances. These are something the industry has been calling for for a very long time and a way to streamline skills training with the needs of the industry. I am so thrilled that we are working strongly with workers and employers across this country to build Canada strong.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Prime Minister falsely stated that he had the immigration system under control. Does he realize his own immigration department is rubber-stamping asylum claims from terrorist-sponsoring countries like Afghanistan, Yemen and Iran? We just heard that the minister does not even realize that she is auto-approving claims from Pakistan, one of whose nationals was trying to claim asylum when he was arrested in Quebec for allegedly plotting a terrorist attack against Jews in New York City. This incompetence hurts legitimate refugees and all Canadians. Now even his own caucus is calling for the Prime Minister's hand-picked immigration hire to be fired.

When will the Prime Minister wake up and fire this immigration minister?