Bob Saroya

[Tamil Heritage Month, May 20th, 2016]

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to voice my support for recognizing the month of January as “Tamil Heritage Month”.

January is significant to the Tamil community because it includes Thai Pongal and the Tamil harvest festival. It provides an opportunity to showcase the Tamil community's vibrant culture, history, and traditions with fellow Canadians.

Tamil Canadians have overcome tremendous obstacles and have made significant contributions to the growth and prosperity of Canada. The Sri Lankan Tamil community is a model for any refugee community and is one that Canada can be proud of. It is only fitting that Tamil Heritage Month be dedicated to celebrating the Canadian Tamil community's unique cultural life and to recognize its contributions to Canadian society.

[Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, May 19th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are so concerned with the refugee numbers that they have forgotten the people themselves.

The Liberals have failed to support Syrian refugees once they arrive, and many of them are using food banks while making the transition to Canada.

How could the minister have been so arrogant as to suggest it is a Syrian cultural value to depend on food banks?

[Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, May 18th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, a few decades ago, over 200,000 Sikhs lived in Afghanistan. That number has dwindled to less than 2,000 today. Afghani Sikhs continually encounter social discrimination and physical intimidation and now remain stuck in the surrounding countries. Why have the Liberals expressed an attitude of indifference toward the plight of Afghani Sikhs and failed to resettle them to Canada under section 13?

[Afghani Sikhs, May 18th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I stand today to raise awareness of the plight of Afghani Sikhs in light of the Prime Minister's apology for the Komagata Maru. It was only a few decades ago that over 200,000 Sikhs lived in Afghanistan. Tragically, that number has dwindled to less than 2,000. Why? It is because they continually encounter social discrimination and physical intimidation.

Fleeing Sikhs now remain stuck in surrounding countries. An additional secretary from the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee visited me to plead for Canada's assistance.

This Liberal government has expressed an attitude of indifference toward the plight of Afghani Sikhs, but I will always stand up for Afghani Sikhs and those persecuted around the world.

[Committees of the House, May 16th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, Conservative members of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration have prepared the following dissenting report in response to the report tabled by the committee that addresses the special immigration measures for nationals of Haiti and Zimbabwe.

Canada is the most generous and welcoming nation in the world and the Conservatives believe that strong, evidence-based immigration policies are important in continuing that legacy. While there are recommendations within the committee report that we stand behind, such as increasing publicity and outreach efforts to individuals impacted by these special immigration measures, there are certain recommendations that we cannot support in the absence of a thorough evidence-based review and analysis.

We have prepared this dissenting report to encourage the implementation of strong, evidence-based immigration policy that will allow Canada to be welcoming and hospitable for generations to come.

[Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, May 9th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have promised to remove the visa requirement on Mexico. The Liberals have also promised to base their decisions on evidence.

Since a visa requirement was imposed on Mexico, the asylum rate for Mexican nationals during the last four years has remained below 1%. In 2008, prior to the imposition of a visa, the asylum rate was above 25%.

Would the minister tell Canadians why he is making changes when the evidence clearly does not back it up?

[Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, May 5th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, since the visa requirement was introduced four years ago, the asylum rate for Mexican nationals has remained below 1%. In 2008, prior to imposing a visa, the asylum rate was above 25%.

The Liberals have not conducted a visa exemption review and yet they have promised to lift the restriction. What are the Liberals doing to ensure the asylum rate does not increase when they lift the visa requirement for Mexico?

[Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, April 22nd, 2016]

Madam Speaker, the Edmonton-based Islamic Family and Social Services Association has said, “The government needs to step up” and that it needs to boost support for Syrian refugees who are increasingly turning to the food banks to eat. One representative said, “It's a huge problem”, that the Liberals are “not great with helping them resettle”. Did the Liberals just pick an arbitrary number and think they could wash their hands clean of the rest?

[Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, April 22nd, 2016]

Madam Speaker, support groups from across the country are struggling to meet the needs of refugees brought to Canada. Government-sponsored refugees are using food banks to meet their day-to-day needs. They are not gaining language training services and they are not being empowered to successfully transition to life in Canada.

Why did the Liberals focus on bringing in government-sponsored refugees if they had no plan to support these refugees?

[Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, April 19th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, once again, the Liberals' lack of planning has resulted in Syrian refugees being extorted by crooked immigration consultants. These consultants are charging Syrian refugees thousands of dollars and selling them false hope of coming to Canada.

The previous Conservative government cracked down on crooked consultants. When are the Liberals going to close the door on those who are taking advantage of the most vulnerable?