House of Commons photoWon her last election, in 2006, with 46% of the vote.
Investor Immigrants March 28th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, we are currently reviewing the investor immigrant program. It is very clear. There is a moratorium in effect on this program. We are looking for new ways to make the program more effective across Canada, but I can assure the hon. member for Bourassa that the new program will not undermine in any way the positive results of the Quebec program.
Immigration March 19th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, when taking over a new department, it is perfectly normal for a new minister to examine all documents, policies, draft policies and relevant agendas, and readjust and adapt the development schedule consequently. That is what was done. Again, I considered this document was inappropriate for distribution.
Immigration March 19th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, as the parliamentary secretary said last Friday, when I came to this department, I reviewed all existing documents, all current policies. I revised the calendar and the agendas. The document in question was deemed inappropriate for distribution.
Immigration March 14th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, first of all, I would like to say that Canada is not and never will be a safe haven for war criminals. That is quite clear. We have made a commitment to Canadians and to the international community to take action against war crimes.
The hon. member for Willowdale is understandably concerned about the delays in processing our case load, so am I. And I can assure him that we will be closely monitoring the situation as regards delays and that we will try to do better. That said, it must be understood that these cases are extremely complex from a legal point of view and that they require a huge amount of documentation. Department officials need to be very well prepared before they start their investigations.
Again, I can assure the hon. member for Willowdale that we will act promptly on this matter.
Immigration March 12th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, since this is the third day that the same question has been asked, I will give the same answer for the third time.
If the hon. member for Bourassa has any evidence that one of our employees is not abiding by the department's directives, he should refer the case officially to our deputy minister and we will take action.
Immigration March 12th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, it is clear that all employees with the Department of Citizenship and Immigration must comply with the law and with a code of ethics. It is also clear that we will never condone the use of bribes by employees, as the hon. member for Bourassa suggests.
That said, if anyone has reason to believe that one of our employees is not abiding by the code of ethics, I would invite this person to bring the case to our attention. You can rest assured that we will monitor the situation very closely.
Immigration March 11th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, we have indeed received Mr. Tassé's report. We are looking at it now, and after studying all its recommendations, we will act on most of them. Again, Mr. Tassé's report contains no allegation of fraudulent or illicit acts involving any departmental officials.
Immigration March 6th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, each situation is assessed on its own merits. Again, the situation is reviewed on a periodic basis. Even in the case of Burundi or Rwanda, the situation will be assessed regularly week after week. All deportation suspensions are temporary. In this case, there is no temporary suspension for the time being.
Immigration March 6th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, as you know, there is an advisory committee that examines conditions in countries to which people are to be deported. Whenever this committee meets, it reviews the situation as a whole, what is happening inside the country, how past deportations went, whether the situation changes from day to day, and whether or not deportations should be temporarily suspended. In summary, every time someone is deported from Canada after having exhausted all avenues of appeal provided for in Canadian legislation, we assess the potential risks of sending this person back to his or her country. If we do send someone back, it is with the assurance that this person will be able to go home without facing persecution.
At this time-which does not mean that the situation will not change in a few days, next week or next month-we are still deporting people to Algeria.
Department Of Citizenship And Immigration March 5th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, I would suggest that the hon. member for Bourassa read the Tassé report before reading certain press reports.
I did so myself; I read the report. And this report clearly states that participants were informed that they were welcome to come forward with any evidence of illicit acts contravening our legislation and that it would be brought to the attention of the authorities concerned. Not one came forward with any such evidence.
Before making accusations against Citizenship and Immigration officials, the hon. member for Bourassa should check the facts.