Debates of March 24th, 2026

Francophone Immigration Outside Quebec

[Arielle Kayabaga, Liberal, London West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as we celebrated the International Day of La Francophonie on March 20, we also celebrated a new $1.5-million investment to support francophone immigration to minority communities outside Quebec. It is no coincidence that these two things happened at the same time. As a Franco-Ontarian who arrived in Canada as a French-speaking refugee, I know what it means to find one's language, culture and place in a francophone minority community.

In 2025, 8.9% of permanent residents admitted outside Quebec were French speaking. Our goal for this year is 9%, and we are aiming for 12% by 2029. These figures represent families that choose to build their lives in French in communities like London and southwestern Ontario.

This investment is an acknowledgement of our francophone minority communities' contribution to our country. I will continue to be their voice in Ottawa and to ensure that francophones in southwestern Ontario—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman.

The Economy

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are failing Canadian workers, farmers and businesses. The Prime Minister promised he would have a trade deal done nine months ago, but we are still waiting. He is not even willing to sit at the negotiating table. While he dithers and delays, Canada has lost over 100,000 jobs in the first two months of this year alone. Our economy is shrinking. We have the second-highest unemployment, the highest household debt and the highest food inflation in the G7.

If the Prime Minister is looking for someone to blame, all he needs to do is look in the mirror. His government is running the biggest deficit in history and blocking growth with anti-energy laws. It added more bureaucratic red tape to construction projects and imposed an industrial carbon tax that punishes Canadian farmers and manufacturers. All this Liberal mismanagement results in our economy shrinking, jobs disappearing and our national debt rapidly growing out of control.

If the Prime Minister will not take blame, will he just get out of the way so Canadians can get back to work?

The Aga Khan

[Taleeb Noormohamed, Liberal, Vancouver Granville, BC]

Mr. Speaker, tomorrow Canadians will welcome His Highness Prince Rahim Aga Khan, the 50th hereditary imam of the Ismaili Muslims, to Canada. It is his first visit to Canada since his ascension to the imamate.

Canada and the Ismaili imamate have a decades-long history of partnership and co-operation, built on shared values and a commitment to improving the quality of life of people around the world. This relationship transcends politics and reflects the best of Canada in action in some of the most challenging places across the globe. This visit by His Highness will serve to reaffirm that commitment and to find new ways to work together in a complex world, supporting development through economic progress, collaborating to address global issues like climate change and food security and building a stronger, more pluralistic Canada.

For Ismailis, this visit holds special significance as it will be an opportunity for thousands of people in our community to meet with our imam and to recommit ourselves to our values of kindness, compassion, spiritual search and working to build stronger societies in which everyone can belong.

On this important historic occasion, I know that all members in the House will join me in welcoming His Highness the Aga Khan to Canada.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Auditor General exposed three Liberal ministers' complete mismanagement of immigration.

Liberal ministers in this government ignored evidence of widespread fraud involving 150,000 fake international students. They investigated 3% of cases and abandoned half of those because the suspected fraudsters did not respond to their emails.

Will the Prime Minister stand up in the House of Commons and fire these incompetent Liberal ministers?

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, we support the Auditor General's recommendations and have been taking action since 2025. In fact, 100% of cases flagged by institutions are followed up on, and we are investigating high-risk cases. The results are clear. Controls and checks are being strengthened. The number of student arrivals has decreased by more than 60%. We are restoring integrity to the system and getting it under control.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, my question was for the Prime Minister, who is here in Ottawa today. He needs to take responsibility for his three incompetent ministers, the Minister of Justice, the Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages, and the Minister of Immigration. All three have shown astounding incompetence. We are talking about 149,000 potential cases of fraud that were not investigated. Only 3% of the cases were looked into, and most of them were dropped.

Will the Prime Minister take personal responsibility for his incompetent cabinet and fire his ministers?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages]

Mr. Speaker, I got into politics because I love my country, Canada. The opposition member got into politics because he had tendinitis. He thinks that Canadians are losers and that his job is terrible. He is on video saying exactly that and also claiming that visas are being handed out to anyone and everyone across the province. That is irresponsible, and that is why we stand behind the Prime Minister.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, with that kind of incompetent, incoherent answer, it is not hard to understand how that minister failed to investigate 97% of the 150,000 suspected cases of fraud in the international student program. Not only that but of the 3% that he did have investigated, the department abandoned half of those because the suspected fraudster did not respond to investigators' emails. This is the current Liberal government.

Will the current Liberal Prime Minister take responsibility, fire that minister, the justice minister and the immigration minister?

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

Mr. Speaker, if he wants to talk about incompetence in politics, he need look no further than the mirror. Let us listen to the approach he takes on Canada-U.S. relations, saying it is not the Americans' fault, but it is ours and that we are stupid, while his caucus colleagues go down to the south to say that we are throwing a hissy fit up here. If they want to see incompetence, let us look at the Conservative leader's statements, calling the RCMP leadership “despicable” and calling on his political opponents to be jailed. We will move forward with thoughtful policy that ensures our immigration system moves with integrity while we welcome newcomers who can help grow the economy.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is rewarding and encouraging incompetence by putting the single worst immigration minister in Canadian history in as the new Minister of Justice. That minister caused a 300% increase in population growth. Now we know that there were hundreds of thousands of potentially fraudulent cases that he refused to have investigated. Ninety-seven per cent of the cases of potential fraud were uninvestigated, and half of the remaining 3% were abandoned because the fraudsters did not respond to emails.

Will the Prime Minister take responsibility for these incompetent Liberals and fire them now?

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, let me repeat for that member and his entire caucus. As I said, since 2025, 100% of the discrepancies reported were followed up. They were followed up 100% of the time since 2025, with the high risk investigated. The Auditor General confirmed improvements took place. IRCC has tightened its approach, and we have control over the student visas. The numbers prove it.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, now the mystery is resolved. Only 3% of the 150,000 cases of suspected fraud were investigated at all. Half of those investigations were abandoned because the alleged fraudster did not respond to their email, but now we learn that the government has followed up with another email, and the threat is clear: If there is no response to that email, there will be yet another email.

With this kind of total incompetence under the leadership of the Liberal Prime Minister, why will he not fire these three ministers so we can get the system—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. minister has the floor.

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, let me tell Canadians, this member and his caucus that the report examined 18 months. The government had already initiated improvements to the system way before the audit started. The Auditor General confirmed that the system is tightened, the student visas have been examined, and improvements have taken place. Since 2025, 100% of referrals from institutions have been examined.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, it is unfair for the Liberal Prime Minister to force that minister to respond for all of the mistakes of her two predecessors, whom he has promoted, but it really is the illusion of the Prime Minister. He refuses to stand and answer questions today, although he is in Ottawa, on the fact that we have the only shrinking economy in the G7, the worst food price inflation in the G7, the worst household debt in the G7, the worst housing costs in the G7 and 100,000 jobs lost in the first two months of this year.

Will the Prime Minister have the courage to stand up now and defend his terrible Liberal track record?

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

Mr. Speaker, we will stand up every day and be proud of the Liberal track record in standing up for Canada and building Canada. What the Leader of the Opposition has been treated to today is a minister who is in control of this file and who has seen immigration levels and student visas go down. In fact, last year, for the first time ever, Canada dropped 100,000 from its population. Canada has one of the best immigration systems in the world. People are proud of it, people stand by it and—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for Beloeil—Chambly.

Justice

[Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we are listening carefully to the arguments being presented to the Supreme Court. Some of them are excellent while others range between stupid and downright insulting.

There is still time. Will the government acknowledge that it should instruct its lawyers to withdraw their submission and ask them not to present arguments against Quebec?

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question.

It is very important to clarify the federal government’s position. We have both an opportunity and an obligation to defend the Constitution. It is possible to defend the French language and the Constitution at the same time.

The case has reached the Supreme Court of Canada. That is the appropriate forum for this discussion.

[Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in 2019, the Quebec National Assembly passed a state secularism law. Like it or not, it is legitimate.

Is the government trying to tell Quebeckers that the federal Parliament is superior and has authority over the Quebec National Assembly? Does Liberal Canada think it is in charge of Quebec?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Minister of Government Transformation]

Mr. Speaker, I do not really understand my colleague's question.

First, we need to keep one thing in mind. We live in a country governed by the rule of law, where groups and citizens can challenge laws in court. Ultimately, a case can go all the way to the Supreme Court. That is what is happening with Bill 21.

If the member is suggesting that the federal government would use the power of disallowance, that power has not been used since 1943. I was not even born yet. I am pretty sure he was not born yet either. We have absolutely no intention of using the power of disallowance.

[Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would be lying if I said that I was surprised that he does not understand.

Pierre Elliott Trudeau's Canada forced a constitution on Quebec. Quebec did not sign it and has never accepted it. Today, we are being told that Ottawa is in charge according to this Constitution and its charter designed against Quebec.

By taking action against Quebec in the Supreme Court, is Liberal Canada telling Quebec that its national assembly must submit and that Quebec is a colony of Canada?

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Minister of Government Transformation]

Mr. Speaker, I think that Quebeckers are extremely proud to live in a country governed by the rule of law, where laws can be challenged. That is what some Quebeckers are doing before the Supreme Court right now, and we are going to let the Supreme Court do its job.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Melissa Lantsman, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we can add the Auditor General's name to the long list of people who know the immigration minister is not very good at her job. She already has no idea how to address the millions of expired visa holders in Canada, and a new report found that, of over 150,000 fraudulent immigration cases, less than 3% were investigated. There is no accountability for the fraudsters and no accountability for anyone who broke the system. People like her and the last two immigration ministers still get to sit in cabinet, so I have a question again: When are they being fired?