Mr. Chair, as I said, the Canada social transfer is responsible for assisting provinces with social service costs being provided to all residents of those provinces, including asylum seekers.
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Business of Supply May 24th, 2018
Mr. Chair, as I said, the Canada social transfer is responsible for assisting provinces with social service costs being provided to all residents of those provinces, including asylum seekers.
Business of Supply May 24th, 2018
Mr. Chair, I am proud of the fact that we have a good working relationship with the Province of Manitoba. A few weeks ago, I met with the premier of Manitoba, Premier Pallister. He is on record as applauding our government's response to Manitoba and our working relationship. Of course, we continue to work with Manitoba to address any pressure points that are emerging out of this issue.
Business of Supply May 24th, 2018
Mr. Chair, we are engaged with Quebec in discussions on the figure Quebec has provided to us. We have asked Quebec to work with us to provide us with a breakdown of that number, and those discussions are ongoing.
Business of Supply May 24th, 2018
Mr. Chair, the Government of Quebec has proposed to us that it has incurred costs in the amount of $146 million, and it has asked the federal government to reimburse some, if not all, of that figure. We have asked for a breakdown of those costs to ensure that we know the different lines of costs associated with that number.
Business of Supply May 24th, 2018
Mr. Chair, we engaged with Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, and NGOs through the intergovernmental task force on irregular migration. Quebec has put forward a figure for our government's consideration. We asked for a detailed breakdown of those numbers, and our officials are actually discussing those numbers as we speak.
Business of Supply May 24th, 2018
Mr. Chair, as the hon. member would know, asylum seekers access provincial social services, which are funded through the Canada social transfer. Those are the transfer payments that deal with those costs. The federal government provided $13.7 billion to provinces and territories in 2017-18 under the Canada social transfer for post-secondary education, social assistance, social services, and early childhood programming.
Business of Supply May 24th, 2018
Mr. Chair, as I said earlier, we are engaged in the early stages of litigation on this issue. The government will, of course, vigorously defend its position. No figures are available at this time.
Business of Supply May 24th, 2018
Mr. Chair, the litigation is in its early stages. The government will defend its position. No figures are available at this time.
Business of Supply May 24th, 2018
Mr. Chair, the government is in the early stages of engaging in litigation. The government will, of course, vigorously defend its position in these cases.
Business of Supply May 24th, 2018
Mr. Chair, the government will defend its position in court cases on all issues brought before the Federal Court, and this is no exception.