Mr. Speaker, Canadians are losing confidence in the fairness of our immigration system.
The Auditor General found over 153,000 suspected cases of international student visa fraud, yet only a fraction are being investigated. At the same time, the Ethics Commissioner found that a deputy minister who was in immigration at the time broke the Conflict of Interest Act by fast-tracking a friend into an $80,000-a-year role at immigration, despite their having no French, no government experience, no basic systems knowledge and no expertise in federal laws.
With the system in its worst shape in years, fraud goes unchecked, the minister avoids accountability and insiders get special treatment. Decisions like this, alongside other online failures such as the pay system, undermine the work of dedicated public servants and demotivate those who actually follow the rules.
Canadian taxpayers expect qualified people in charge. How can they trust the government when their connections matter more than their competency?