Debates of May 27th, 2026

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Burton Bailey, Conservative, Red Deer, AB]

Mr. Speaker, 74,000, three‑quarters the size of Red Deer, is the number of rejected refugees still in Canada getting luxury, taxpayer-funded health care that Canadians can only dream of. They are supposed to be deported, not given better care than those paying for it. Worse, the Liberal government has lost track of 28,000 of these fraudsters. They have vanished into our communities and are still billing Canadians.

Where are these 28,000 fraudsters, and when will the Liberal government deport them?

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, as I said yesterday, this is a temporary program for health coverage. It covers essential services. The cost is tied to volumes. The good news, which the Conservatives do not want to hear, is that we brought the volumes down by 59% because of a Liberal budget, because of a Liberal bill. As the PBO said this week, we will save taxpayers over $400 million annually.

[Dan Mazier, Conservative, Riding Mountain, MB]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Liberal House leader defended luxury health benefits for asylum claimants whom his own government rejected, stating they are “the most vulnerable people on...earth”. Really? How about William Imona-Russel, the rejected asylum claimant who raped two women and murdered a 20-year-old girl while still in Canada? Under the Liberals, criminals like him remain eligible for luxury health benefits like physiotherapy and home care.

Do the Liberals still believe these rejected asylum claimants deserve better health benefits than Canadians?

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

Mr. Speaker, we believe that criminals should be in jail. We believe that criminals should be prosecuted to the full—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. government House leader, from the top, please.

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Gatineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we believe that criminals should be prosecuted and jailed to the full extent of the law. We also believe that Canada has an obligation under international treaties to accept vulnerable people from war-torn and ravaged areas around this world. Every single Canadian I know, except perhaps that member, would give care to a vulnerable human being who arrives on Canadian shores and needs our care.

[Costas Menegakis, Conservative, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal asylum system is a dumpster fire. The minister told Canadians the government stopped paying for asylum seekers' accommodations, but it is now simply bankrolling municipalities to do that for it. The Parliamentary Budget Officer has found that nearly 74,000 failed asylum claimants are also still receiving luxury health benefits. After a year, the Prime Minister's immigration system looks like the anniversary edition of the last 10.

Will the Prime Minister stand up, admit that his Justin Trudeau-inspired immigration policies have failed and finally end the luxury health benefits for failed asylum claimants?

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, I know that member and I respect him, and I know he knows that I am here to manage immigration and migration responsibly to strengthen our rural communities. That is exactly what we are doing. Our asylum claims are down 59%. The PBO confirmed with us that because of the measures we have taken with co-pays and with Bill C-12, we will be reducing those costs by $400 million annually. We will continue to protect those who are in need of protection.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Mr. Speaker, a non-citizen on a student visa organized major theft from an Alberta store not once, but 14 times. They were convicted of a major crime under Canada's Criminal Code, which carries a punishment of up to 10 years in prison.

They should have been deported, as the law requires, but today we found out that they were not. The National Post reported that a judge gave them a sweetheart deal, house arrest, so that they could avoid deportation. By voting against our bill to ensure non-citizen criminals do not get sweetheart sentences, the Liberals sent a message that it is okay for non-citizens to commit major crimes.

Why?

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, the member knows that there is nothing in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act that allows judges to discount any sentences. She also knows that, Canadian or not, no one can commit a crime on Canadian soil with impunity, including those who are on asylum and anyone else. We have brought in measures. We have brought in criminal bills. The Conservatives keep avoiding voting with us. We expect them to let us, in the next couple of weeks—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for Calgary Nose Hill.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the minister is right. There is not anything in the Criminal Code. That is why we put forward a bill to put something in the Criminal Code to stop this. When she had an opportunity to sway the justice minister to support the bill, the man who created the massive Liberal dumpster fire that she is perpetuating, she said, “No, it is fine.”

Today, the Liberals are defending this abysmal practice. This is divisive post-nationalism that the Liberals have put forward for years. The respect for the rule of law is a minimum requirement for anybody in our country, and when they erode that, they erode our national identity. Every normal Canadian would agree with this.

Why do the Liberals not agree?

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

Mr. Speaker, the issue that the member raises has been an issue in Canada for a number of years. She should know well that the Supreme Court of Canada, in 2013, actually ruled on this specific issue. What is interesting about the timeline of that decision is that she was sitting in the federal cabinet at the time and chose to do absolutely nothing about it.

For our part, we are in the midst of launching the most serious set of criminal law reforms to strengthen the Criminal Code that this country has seen in generations. Regardless of one's immigration status, if they commit a serious crime, they should be met with a serious penalty and, where a court deems appropriate, that can and should include deportation.

Public Safety

[Frank Caputo, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister called Beijing Canada's greatest security threat. That was during the election. Despite this, within a year, he signed a memorandum of understanding with Communist China as it relates to security matters. I have been asking for that memorandum of understanding for over five months. The minister and the Prime Minister have refused to disclose it.

When will they produce the memorandum of understanding that was signed with Communist China?

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, let us be clear: Canada has had an MOU with China on combatting crime in various forms since 2010. These have never been made public. As with the potential release of any sensitive national security document, we are carefully following the advice of our intelligence and law enforcement agencies. We will continue to work collaboratively with international and law enforcement partners to combat transnational criminal networks to keep Canadians safe. Canada will always be guided by three principles, including the rule of law, protection of Canadians and the defence of—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola.

[Frank Caputo, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola, BC]

Mr. Speaker, if the minister wants to talk about history, let us talk about history. When in the past did a Prime Minister call Beijing Canada's greatest security threat, and then within a year sign a memorandum of understanding? Never before had we heard stories of foreign interference to the same degree. Never before had a Prime Minister said exactly what he said.

Why is he unprepared to shine the light? The Liberals do not want to shine the light and they do not want to inform Canadians. Will they do it today, yes or no?

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, let me reiterate that we have had some form of an agreement on safety and security since 2010 with China. They have never been made public, including under the opposition who were in government at that time. We will continue to work in collaboration with law enforcement and with our international partners to ensure the safety and security of Canadians. We are a country of the rule of law and we will be guided to protect Canadians and to defend Canada's democracy and sovereignty.

[Connie Cody, Conservative, Cambridge, ON]

Mr. Speaker, one year ago, Canadians did not feel safe on their own streets. After a year of the same old Liberal government, they are now afraid in their own homes. In Cambridge, people are being attacked where they sleep. A 60-year-old senior was assaulted in his own home. A homeowner had his wallet taken while the offenders also tried to steal his car. In the middle of the night, a woman was sexually assaulted by a stranger who broke into her home. This is what happens when repeat offenders are let back out instead of being kept behind bars. Canadians are paying the price.

How much worse does it have to get before these Liberals stop letting criminals cycle through the system and start keeping Canadians safe in their own homes?

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

Mr. Speaker, we have been working aggressively to put forward many pieces of legislation, a record number, over eight pieces of legislation, in the House that address these issues and that address public safety, to make more changes to the Criminal Code of Canada than any other government has made.

We are strengthening bail laws and we are making sentences longer, but the provinces also have to do their part. What we have heard is that many Crown attorneys dismiss charges, even to the point where we have seen prisoners accidentally released. The provinces, too, have to resource their courtrooms.

[Connie Cody, Conservative, Cambridge, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal minister just told Canadians to feel safer because they proposed a band-aid for a system they broke. Canadians do not need another paper promise. They need to be safe in their own homes. The Liberal government's soft-on-crime laws let repeat offenders walk free and come right back through Canadians' front doors. Police are forced to arrest the same offenders again and again because the system keeps letting them out.

Criminals are not getting the message and are getting bolder because they know they will not face real consequences. A system that will not keep them behind bars is not protection. It is failure. It is like putting a screen door on a submarine; it is completely useless.

When will they shut down this revolving door and start protecting Canadians?

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

Mr. Speaker, we are strengthening penalties and we are giving law enforcement the tools they need to catch criminals. Just last week, Peel Regional Police arrested over 65 individuals connected to organized retail crime. These are criminals who were going out and looting our small businesses. We are working to make sure that bail laws are strengthened.

Do members know who has been getting in the way? The Conservatives have. Time and time again, police chiefs across the country are telling us they need the tools in Bill C-22 and the—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for Rivière-des-Mille-Îles.

Sport

[Linda Lapointe, Liberal, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians watched with pride as more than 250 Canadians competed in the Milano Cortina Olympic and Paralympic Games this year. Nothing makes us prouder than cheering on team Canada.

Can the Secretary of State for Sport tell us how the Government of Canada is supporting these outstanding athletes?