Lost his last election, in 2011, with 36% of the vote.
Immigration November 29th, 2001
Mr. Speaker, it sounds like he is reading from the same cue cards that the minister reads from every day.
The government consistently defends the status quo. It talks about the power to detain but it never seems to use it. We know that many of these undocumented claimants, some of whom may be connected to the Taliban or al-Qaeda were photographed, fingerprinted and then just released.
How can the government continue to pretend that this is an adequate response to the crisis we face?
Immigration November 29th, 2001
Mr. Speaker, the government's own immigration officials are confirming that there is an unprecedented tide of undocumented refugee claimants arriving at our international airports. Officials say this high number of undocumented arrivals is due to the war in Afghanistan or the mistaken impression abroad that the government is poised to crack down on the abuses that are rife within the refugee system.
How can Canadians have any confidence that their security will not be compromised as we face the rush of people fleeing the war zone?
Immigration November 27th, 2001
Mr. Speaker, arrests and detentions are not private acts. We need to get off on the right foot on the basis that the government is going to have new sweeping powers to detain, with lower public scrutiny. The minister claims that people will not be held on just whispers and innuendo, so her accounting should have real substance.
When is the immigration minister going to establish regular reporting of both numbers and types who are being detained under her ministerial authority?
Immigration November 27th, 2001
Mr. Speaker, the immigration minister claims to have powers to detain people where there is a concern about status in Canada. The United States has detained about 1,000 people since September 11, but Washington routinely keeps the public in the loop about what it is doing. Getting the same information in Canada seems to happen only by accident.
How many people has the immigration minister detained? Give us a number. Canadians have a right to know.
Immigration November 26th, 2001
Mr. Speaker, this is the state of the refugee determination system: inadequate screening at the front end and decisions on status being made by unqualified patronage appointees, some with criminal records. It is unfair to the reputation of genuine refugees. It is clear that the job of deciding who can remain in Canada is too important to be left to Liberal hacks.
Will the minister promise today to scrap the patronage ridden Immigration and Refugee Board and replace it with a truly independent, impartial and credible adjudication system?
Immigration November 26th, 2001
Mr. Speaker, my question is the for the immigration minister.
Yves Bourbonnais, who is now under corruption investigation, has already been convicted of breach of trust, sentenced to prison and suspended from the practice of law. However, when this was revealed six months ago, the chairman of the IRB stood by this blatantly unqualified patronage appointee.
How can Canadians trust the integrity of our immigration and refugee system when the minister continues to appoint Liberals tainted by scandal to the sensitive job of who gets to stay in Canada? How can she do that?
Immigration November 20th, 2001
Mr. Speaker, the country is watching how well the immigration minister protects us. Certainly the Americans are watching, and the minister has not inspired a lot of confidence. Look at the lineups at the border for example.
How the minister handles refugee Almrei reflects upon our security and our economic interests. What is the minister going to do to fix the system that has allowed Almrei to be accepted first of all as a refugee and then apparently cannot be deported?
Immigration November 20th, 2001
Mr. Speaker, Hassan Almrei was arrested in Mississauga in a raid on October 19. CSIS believed that he was a member of an international network of extremism for Osama bin Laden.
Yesterday the federal court ruled that there was reasonable grounds for links to terrorism. Will the minister ensure that her system swiftly deports such an individual?
Immigration November 6th, 2001
Mr. Speaker, immigration officials with years of experience said at the Senate committee that even Bill C-11 which the minister boasts about would not help the problem. In fact I have heard that she has a senior bureaucrat running around just releasing people if the per diem bill gets too high.
The minister's own officials warned over a year ago about the criminal and security risk of non-documented arrivals. They had to have something to get here in the first place. We believe that all who destroy documents should be automatically detained until they meet identity and security needs. Australia does this in a humane and very cost effective way. Why can Canada not do that?
Immigration November 6th, 2001
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the immigration minister. The government refuses to automatically detain claimants who show up with no documents. Internal communications of Immigration Canada reveal that 60% of refugee claimants show up without papers.
Her officials warned the minister over a year ago that this was a criminal and security risk and that it was critical to stop this practice, but she ignored them. Why does the minister ignore the facts and advice of her own immigration officials about security?