Ahmed Hussen

[Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, February 24th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, our government is proud of Canada's tradition of compassion toward those who are fleeing war and persecution. We focus on the most vulnerable.

We continue to work with the UN Refugee Agency to identify the most vulnerable people who need resettlement. We also work very closely with private sponsors in Canada to make sure that Canada continues its tradition of welcoming those who are vulnerable and who seek safety and security in Canada.

[Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, February 24th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to maintaining a refugee system that maintains our tradition of providing compassion to those seeking safety and security in our country. We remain committed to working closely with CBSA, RCMP, and local communities. We thank communities for their generosity, and local officials for welcoming individuals who are coming over from the United States.

As far as the safe third country agreement is concerned, the hon. member may know or should know that, as of this morning, the head of the UNHCR in Canada has said that the domestic asylum system in the United States is unchanged. Therefore, the parameters and conditions of the safe third country agreement continue to be met.

[Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, February 23rd, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for Brampton East for his hard work on behalf of his constituents.

We inherited an immigration system that was broken. Applicants faced long processing times, which usually kept families apart. This is why we worked really hard to make sure that we attacked that processing time, lowering it, and now we have a new standard of 12 months for all family class applications.

We will continue to lower processing times, and I commit to the hon. member and this House that we will have better client service in the immigration department.

[Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, February 22nd, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for London North Centre for that excellent question and all members of this House for their advocacy and leadership on this really important matter.

Yazidi women and girls and other victims and survivors of Daesh have suffered the worst atrocities imaginable. We continue to work very closely with provinces, municipalities, and other government agencies, including school boards, to make sure that the right settlement supports are in place to meet the group's psychological and integration needs.

I also want to take the opportunity to thank Nadia Murad, with whom I spoke last night, for her tireless leadership. We know that Canadians will never forget her leadership on this file.

[Public Safety, February 22nd, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to rebuilding and strengthening the relationship with Mexico that was considerably damaged by the previous government.

I can tell members that the Mexico visa lift has resulted in lasting economic benefits for Canada, more tourism, and more international students coming to Canada. We work very closely with Mexican officials to address any risks and we continue to make sure that we work closely with Mexico to ensure that the visa lift is a success.

[Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, February 22nd, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I am familiar with the matter, but as the hon. member can appreciate, I am not allowed by federal privacy laws to comment on specific cases.

[Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, February 16th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, our government has proven time and time again that we will welcome those fleeing war and persecution. We are proud of the fact that members of this House voted and expressed their support to resettle victims and survivors of Daesh into Canada. We fully committed to meet that goal. We have an operation that is already under way. I will be providing details in the near future.

[Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, February 16th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, we have proven to be a compassionate government when it comes to welcoming those fleeing war and persecution. We have a system in place that is one of the most compassionate refugee systems in the world. The U.S. executive order has had no impact on domestic asylum policy. Each and every eligible asylum claimant has access to a fair hearing, and each case is assessed on its merits.

[Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, February 15th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I met with the local union representative for Vegreville, as well as a staff member, two days ago. I have spoken with the mayor of Vegreville. I understand this change will have an impact on staff and their families. That is why we are committed to going ahead to make sure we help the community with those impacts, minimize those impacts.

I can assure the hon. member that all full-time employees will have their jobs available to them one hour away in Edmonton and the new location will have more immigration processing and more jobs.

[Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, February 15th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, on the issue of the case processing centre in Vegreville, we understand this change will have an impact on staff and their families, but we are working very hard to make sure we minimize those impacts. That is why all full-time employees in the current case processing centre will have their jobs available to them in Edmonton, which is one hour away. We continue to engage the community.

In the new location, not only will we be able to expand our immigration services, we will be able to create more jobs for Alberta.