Ahmed Hussen

[Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, February 6th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, we are the party that delivered on providing protection to Yazidi women and girls in Canada. We are the party that has redoubled our efforts to make sure that we continue to provide a home for the vulnerable who are fleeing war and persecution. We are the party that has almost quadrupled the number of privately sponsored refugees. We are the party that restored refugee health care that was cut by the party opposite.

[Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, February 6th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I can assure the leader of the official opposition that we can tell the difference. We are a compassionate country and a compassionate government that cares deeply about refugees. We doubled the number of resettled refugees. We have almost quadrupled the number of privately sponsored refugees. We are the party that has—

[Health, February 5th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, as I have consistently and repeatedly said in the past, there can be no doubt that our government condemns FGM. It is an abhorrent practice, and it is against the laws of Canada.

With respect to the FGM reference in the citizenship guide, the claim that it has been taken out of the guide is entirely misleading as the guide is still under development. The current citizenship guide is outdated and must be revised to better reflect Canada's true diversity, history, and laws. The new guide will refer to Canada's laws against all forms of gender-based violence, including FGM. This feedback and the current work stems from listening to experts, the stakeholder community, and community representatives, because we want to make—

[Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, February 5th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, our government is proud of our record with respect to refugees. We have redoubled the number of resettled refugees that we accept on a yearly basis. We have almost quadrupled the number of privately sponsored refugees that the previous government had, because we realize the important outcomes that privately sponsored refugees have in terms of making a contribution and restarting their lives in Canada.

We are proud of the fact that we have resettled over 1,000 Yazidi women and children who are in need of protection, and that is an improvement over the three Yazidi refugees that the previous government brought in, in its entire term.

[Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, January 29th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, no government mission has made us prouder than the mission to rescue, resettle, and provide safety for survivors of Daesh, mainly Yazidi women and girls. We have resettled more than 1,000 Yazidi women and girls in Canada. We are on track to resettle the remaining 100. We are proud of that commitment. We will continue to expedite those cases as part of the privately sponsored refugee program. We made a commitment to the House, and we are proud to deliver on that commitment.

[Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, December 12th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I agree with the member opposite that FGM is an abhorrent practice. It is against the laws of Canada. I can assure members of this House that the new guide will reflect Canada's diversity and laws, including the laws on gender-based violence. It will highlight and include, in a better way than the previous government, visible minorities, LGBTQ2 communities, the contributions of women, francophone communities, and indigenous peoples. We will listen to the experts. We will produce and introduce a non-partisan guide, unlike the previous government.

[Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, December 11th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, the assertion by the member opposite that we have removed anything from a final citizenship guide is completely inaccurate.

Just to be clear, the content for the new guide has not been finalized. Unlike the party opposite, we actually listened to stakeholders, we listened to experts. I want to remind the member opposite that it was her party that removed any references to LBGTQ2 rights, including anti-discrimination laws, from the citizenship guide. We will ensure that the new citizenship guide reflects all Canadians, not just a few.

[Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, December 11th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, the assertion by the member opposite is completely inaccurate. To be clear, the content of the new guide has not been finalized.

Unlike the previous government, we are engaging with a range of stakeholders and subject matter experts to make sure the new guide better captures the contributions of women, the role of indigenous people, and members of the LGBTQ2 and francophone communities.

I will remind the member opposite that it was her party that removed any references to the LGBTQ2 community rights, including anti-discrimination laws, from the citizenship guide.

[Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, December 7th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for Don Valley West for his question.

Our government values family reunification. We also value the important services that caregivers provide to Canadians. However, for far too long these people have been waiting to reunite with their own families. Under the mismanagement of the immigration system by the Conservatives, caregivers have been facing wait times of between four and five years.

Our government will eliminate the caregiver backlog by the end of 2018, and we will establish a new processing time of only 12 months for new applications. We believe in doing the right thing. Unlike the rhetoric from the other side, we have taken action. We have put resources in place, and have put the right people in place to eliminate this backlog. At the end of the day, this is about people.

[Questions on the Order Paper, December 6th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, with regard to part (a), IRCC received 100,211 interest to sponsor web form submissions.

With regard to part (b), from the 100,211 interest to sponsor web form submissions received, the department identified and removed 5,113 duplicates.

With regard to part (c), the interest to sponsor web form did not include a field to identify the individual(s) to be sponsored. As such, the department cannot determine how many of those who submitted an interest to sponsor wish to sponsor the same individual. If a potential sponsor was chosen, they could sponsor their parent(s) and grandparent(s).

With regard to part (d), the department is still receiving parent and grandparent applications for 2017. For the first round of invitations, potential sponsors had until August 4, 2017, for IRCC to receive their complete applications. IRCC received 6,020 applications. IRCC validates that the sponsor was invited to submit an application and conducts a completeness check before starting processing. Eligibility is determined as part of processing an application. As such, IRCC does not know how many applications will be ineligible.

With regard to part (e), for the first round of invitations, potential sponsors were given until August 4, 2017, for IRCC to receive a complete application. The department confirmed that 6,020 applications were received from the first round of invitations and has now invited additional potential sponsors to submit complete applications. These potential sponsors have until December 8, 2017, for IRCC to receive a complete application. Eligibility is determined as part of processing an application. As such, we do not know how many applications will be ineligible.

With regard to part (f), since the department did not receive 10,000 complete applications as of August 4, 2017, additional individuals from the randomized list of persons who submitted an interest to sponsor were invited to submit an application to sponsor their parents or grandparents. The department is committed to receiving as close to 10,000 complete applications as possible in 2017.

With regard to part (g), the department is still receiving parent and grandparent applications for 2017 and completeness checks are ongoing. For the first round of invitations, sponsors had until August 4, 2017, for IRCC to receive their application. IRCC received 6,020 applications in the first round of invitations. For the second round of invitations, potential sponsors have until December 8, 2017, for IRCC to receive their application.

With regard to part (h), IRCC is still receiving parent and grandparent applications for 2017 and completeness checks are ongoing. For the first round of invitations, potential sponsors had until August 4, 2017, for IRCC to receive their application. For the second round of invitations, potential sponsors have until December 8, 2017, for IRCC to receive their application. If potential sponsors are missing a document, they are able to submit a letter of explanation in lieu of the document. IRCC is being facilitative in order to minimize rejections.

With regard to part (i), processing times are posted on the IRCC website. Please see the following link for the latest processing times for parent and grandparent applications: www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/index.asp.

With regard to part (j), IRCC received 100,211 interest to sponsor web form submissions. After duplicates were removed, the department had 95,098 interest to sponsor web forms. IRCC validates and checks the completeness of the applications before starting processing. Eligibility is determined as part of processing an application. As such, we do not know how many applications will be ineligible.

With regard to part (k), IRCC worked to determine how many potential sponsors should be invited throughout the year to yield up to 10,000 complete applications. Applications received are still being validated to confirm the sponsor was invited to submit an application and to ensure the application is complete. Potential sponsors who were invited in the second round of invitations have until December 8, 2017, for IRCC to receive their application.