Alexandra Mendes

[Committees of the House, November 19th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague just reinforced the message I was trying to convey earlier, namely, that it was a Liberal government that introduced the process involving immigration consultants. We created that professional corporation, if you will, which established guidelines, a code of ethics and code of conduct. Some improvements are needed, we agree, but it was under a Liberal government that this measure was brought in.

[Committees of the House, November 19th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, we were in fact under a Liberal government and it was that government that established rules regarding the presence of consultants in all immigration cases. Of course we support the idea that an individual must be authorized in order to become involved in a case on behalf of an applicant.

As for the corporation itself, personally, I am not familiar enough with what is going on in terms of the current corporation of consultants to give an opinion. Nor would I want to commit the party to supporting something that we have not sufficiently explored.

[Committees of the House, November 19th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I think I have clearly explained the Liberal Party's position regarding this report. We object to recommendation No. 7, and our objections are explained in our minority report. Of course we will support the report overall, with the exception of recommendation No. 7.

[Committees of the House, November 19th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for Vaughan for his initial comments.

For the record, I would like to point out that we voted in favour of the report and are preparing a minority report. We supported and continue to support a number of the recommendations in this report, as my colleague already mentioned.

The parliamentary secretary is eager to hear us talk about recommendation 7. We have a very simple question for the government on this recommendation: what business is it of the committee to concern itself with the caregivers of a specific family? It is up to the police to deal with this, not the committee.

We sincerely believe that this was brought before the committee for purely partisan reasons. It is up to the provincial and federal authorities to address these types of issues. That is what we expect of them.

For a long time, our party has been well aware that people hired through this program face some serious challenges when it comes to their fundamental rights. That is one of the reasons why we support the resolution to grant them permanent residency on certain conditions upon their arrival in Canada, so that they can benefit from the protection afforded to all other immigrants.

As my colleague from Vaughan pointed out, the Liberal Party sees immigration and citizenship as part of nation building. We sincerely believe that immigration is the future of Canada. It is how we began, and it will be our future. We believe we must always improve the system. It has never been perfect and never will be, and there will always be room for improvement. That is what we recommend in our minority report.

We support almost all of the recommendations in the report, but the department might need stronger support from cabinet to meet and fulfill its obligations.

We also agree with the recommendations concerning an employer's obligation to respect a set of standards that will protect the rights of caregivers. That is one of the reasons why we supported these recommendations that set out the reasons for which employers will be punished: if they confiscate the passport of individuals who come to work for them, and if they fail to comply with Canada Revenue Agency rules by not making required deductions from an employee's income. We expect people who employ resident caregivers to respect all of these basic rules, as is required for any other employer in Canada.

The Liberal Party believes it is clear that the report, as well as our minority report, must be supported. We would like to point out that recommendation No. 7 does not fall within the committee's mandate at all. That is another reason why we issued a minority report.

I think I have covered the position of the Liberal Party.

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, November 6th, 2009]

Concerning the length of time claimants wait for a refugee claim and appellants wait for an immigration appeal to be heard by the Immigration and Refugee Board, what was: (a) the average wait time, in days, for claimants to have their refugee claims heard before the Board in each year during the period of 2005-2009; and (b) the average wait time, in days, for appellants to have their appeals heard before the Immigration Appeals Division in each year during the period of 2005-2009?

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, November 6th, 2009]

Concerning the length of time it takes to apply for permanent residency under the immigration sponsor program with the Department of Citizenship and Immigration, what is the average wait time, in days, from the day an application is submitted until permanent residency is awarded to an applicant in each year during the period of 2005-2009?

[Jacques Saada, November 5th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to the hon. Jacques Saada for being made a Commandeur de l'Ordre de la Pléiade, which promotes the Francophonie and cultural dialogue. None could be more deserving of this honour awarded by the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie.

I had the privilege of working with Jacques Saada when he was the member for Brossard—La Prairie and minister for, among other things, the Francophonie. I know that all the work he did while heading up that department demonstrated to a lot of people just how important promoting and strengthening the entire francophone community was to him.

During his mandate as the federal minister responsible for the Francophonie, the hon. Jacques Saada actively promoted cooperation and a sense of community among the francophone peoples of the world. He did a lot to foster true multilateral diplomacy in the context of the Francophonie.

I would especially like to highlight his efforts to make Israel and the Palestinian authority full members.

Bravo, Jacques.

[An Act respecting the Health of Animals Regulations (animals in transit), October 28th, 2009]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-468, An Act respecting the Health of Animals Regulations (animals in transit).

Mr. Speaker, today I am honoured to table this bill that aims to make significant changes to the Health of Animals Regulations in order to reduce transit times for farm animals.

The current transit times of 36 hours without water, food or rest for poultry, hogs and horses, and 52 hours without water, food or rest for cattle, sheep and goats are just plain cruel.

I think that most Canadians are not aware of the fact that Canada's non-stop transit times for livestock are among the longest in the industrialized world.

The argument that we have longer transport times due to the size of our country does not hold up. An animal in Europe is no different from one in our own back yard. We must look out for animals' well-being. An animal is an animal is an animal.

I call on all members of the House to support the intentions of this bill.

I am appealing to the common sense of all hon. members to ensure that this motion is passed unanimously.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

[Infrastructure, October 21st, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, a senator got his hands dirty. Instead of punishing him, the government removed all traces of dirt from its website and pretended that nothing ever happened.

Why is the government spending its time politicking instead of governing?

[Infrastructure, October 21st, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I cross the Champlain bridge in Montreal several times a week. It is a major thoroughfare in my riding. The government has come up with a program to patch it up over a ten-year period. Ten years. And it just recently awarded a million dollar contract that reeks of corruption.

When will the government stop thinking only of what it stands to gain and start thinking about maintaining this critical piece of infrastructure?