Debates of May 28th, 2026

Department of Citizenship and Immigration—Main Estimates, 2026-27

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Mr. Chair, these are health care services, essential health care services, provided on a temporary basis for vulnerable populations. They are aligned with the provinces' and territories' fees.

[Fred Davies, Conservative, Niagara South, ON]

Mr. Chair, when I asked the minister at committee about the purchase of real estate for asylum housing, she had a bit of a confused look on her face and provided a rather bizarre answer. She said that the population was staying in these hotels.

How many former hotels, motels or hospitality properties are currently being funded through federal transfers to house failed or asylum claimants?

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Chair, I appreciate the question. Under my watch, in October 2025, the federal government ceased having any asylums in any hotels in this country.

[Fred Davies, Conservative, Niagara South, ON]

Mr. Chair, let me try to rephrase that, because we know that the City of Pickering has purchased hotels through transfers from the federal government. How many hotels is the government funding through transfers to municipalities to house asylum claimants? It is a simple number.

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Mr. Chair, as I said, as of October 2025, the federal government is no longer in the hotel business. We do provide funding to municipalities to have reception centres so they can help the people on the ground.

[Fred Davies, Conservative, Niagara South, ON]

Mr. Chair, we are now calling them “reception centres”.

Is the minister suggesting that municipalities have not been buying real estate with the funds that have been transferred by her department for the purpose of housing asylum claimants?

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Mr. Chair, provinces, territories and municipalities manage shelters. The IHAP funding that the federal government provides is based on local needs and priorities, including, yes, reception centres and transitional housing.

[Fred Davies, Conservative, Niagara South, ON]

Mr. Chair, there is a twist: “reception centres” is catchphrase for allowing municipalities to purchase hotels to put asylum claimants in them.

Let me go back to another question I asked the minister in committee. There are contribution agreements that are signed between IRCC and municipalities. What is the language in the contribution agreement that allows the municipalities to purchase real estate with taxpayers' money?

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Mr. Chair, the very good news, as I have been saying for the last few hours and actually for the last few months, is that the asylum numbers are decreasing.

[Fred Davies, Conservative, Niagara South, ON]

Once again, Mr. Chair, there is a contribution agreement between IRCC and municipalities that receive federal funding. What is the language in the contribution agreement that gives the authority for municipalities to purchase real estate for asylum claimants? It is a very simple question. Does the minister know the answer?

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Mr. Chair, I believe I answered that at one point at committee, but these agreements are public knowledge. They are public and they are viewable. I invite the member to look at them.

[Fred Davies, Conservative, Niagara South, ON]

Mr. Chair, I am not sure we are going to be able to get to the bottom of this.

How many hotels have been purchased with taxpayer money, through contribution agreements between IRCC and municipalities? It is a very simple question.

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Again, Mr. Chair, the federal government is no longer in the hotel business. We provide funding to municipalities in order to reduce pressure on them. They call them reception centres or transitional housing.

[Fred Davies, Conservative, Niagara South, ON]

Mr. Chair, I am not going to get a straight answer, for whatever reason. It does not seem like a difficult question.

In these contribution agreements, she will not verify that there is language that allows municipalities to purchase real estate, but we know that they have purchased real estate because it has been all over the news, including the fact that the City of Ottawa spent over $40 million purchasing real estate for asylum claimants.

Let me ask the minister this. What happens to the real estate? Who gets the proceeds when the city sells this real estate?

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Mr. Chair, I do not know what the issue is with the member, except to say that these funding decisions are based on need, on expected results and on value for money. Would he like the municipalities to entertain people on the streets? The federal government is helping municipalities with the asylum claimants. The number of asylum claimants is reduced. We brought in Bill C-12. There are lots of measures that—

[The Assistant Deputy Chair, Conservative, John Nater]

The hon. member for Montmorency—Charlevoix.

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

Mr. Chair, a few minutes ago, I asked the minister if she acknowledged the evidence that French is declining in Quebec. With all her advisers around her, the minister replied that there is no evidence that French is declining in Quebec or in Canada.

Does the minister wish to stand by that answer?

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Mr. Chair, the French language is fundamental to Canada. I agree with that. We are going to work harder with all the respective parties and come up with policies to ensure that the French language is very important.

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

Mr. Chair, yes or no, is French declining in Quebec?

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Mr. Chair, as I said, protecting the French language in Quebec and across Canada is one of our government's top priorities.

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

Mr. Chair, according to reports by Radio-Canada, Le Devoir, and La Presse, French in Quebec has been in demographic decline since 2021, particularly with regard to immigration. The percentage of native French speakers is projected to drop by 10% by 2036.

Does the minister acknowledge that?

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Mr. Chair, we are working closely with the Province of Quebec and with the minister responsible for francization, but I think that the member knows that Quebec sets its own economic immigration threshold.

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

Mr. Chair, another very interesting fact is that in Montreal, only 58% of the population uses French as their primary language. That statistic is from five years ago.

Does the minister acknowledge that French is in decline in Quebec?

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Mr. Chair, as I have said before, French is very important. That is why we are focusing on francophone immigration. It is not just important for Quebec. It is important for the entire country.

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

Mr. Chair, before coming to tonight's debate, I asked people to send me their questions, knowing that I would be meeting the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship. Here is a question based on a message from Sonia Brisebois.

On January 1, 2025, Quebec had 616,000 non-permanent residents. This includes asylum seekers, refugees, temporary workers and international students. This puts pressure on day care centres, schools and our health care system.

How many will there need to be before the minister admits that the system has collapsed and that we are no longer able to provide proper care to Quebeckers and Canadians?

Basically, at what point do we turn off the tap so we can take care of people properly?