Chris Alexander

[Citizenship and Immigration, September 23rd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, Canada's fair and generous immigration and asylum systems are second to none. There are numerous avenues of appeal open to all of those whose cases fail at the first instance. Once those avenues of appeal have been exhausted, we expect claimants to leave the country.

I would call upon all of those who care about this family to deliver that very clear message to the Pusuma family.

[Citizenship and Immigration, September 23rd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, we have not only done our job in Syria by taking in 1,500 refugees and growing, we have not only done our job in Iraq, by taking in 18,000 plus refugees, more than any other country in the world, we have not only done our job as a donor with over $600 million of support in all fields to meet the needs of people affected by that crisis, but we have also done our job on the security front.

Our Prime Minister and our government will revoke the citizenship of dual nationals who commit terrorist acts and will revoke the passports of those who go there. Why will the NDP not support us on these—

[Citizenship and Immigration, September 23rd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, it is sad to see a former foreign service officer carrying out a misinformation campaign targeting the Canadian public.

We have said many times in this House that over 200 government-sponsored refugees have arrived in Canada, and that more than 1,500 Syrian refugees are already receiving protection in Canada. Let us be serious about a serious crisis. That is what we are doing on this side of the House.

[Citizenship and Immigration, September 22nd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, our government fully recognizes that the provinces have responsibility for delivering these programs. What differentiates us from the opposition is that we want to enable the provinces to get value for taxpayers' money, to make sure that those programs go to immigrants, refugees, and those who actually qualify for them, and to close the door to abuse. That is what we have been trying to do for years.

We would like to hear, on this side of the House, both from the NDP and the Liberals, why they will not stand up at this time, of all times, for the revocation of citizenship for dual nationals who commit acts of terrorism and for the revocation of passports? The Liberal leader has been running away from microphones, and the NDP does the same.

[Citizenship and Immigration, September 22nd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, this is a serious crisis. It would be great if the members opposite would join us in getting serious answers and not scaremonger on these issues.

We made it a priority to reunite families at the beginning of the Syrian crisis. We have processed all of those applications. There are 1,500 Syrians who now enjoy Canada's protection, in addition to well over 18,000 Iraqis who have resettled since the beginning of our efforts there, in 2009. That is a combined effort that is second to none worldwide, and the hon. member should join us in celebrating it.

[Citizenship and Immigration, September 22nd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member has it all wrong once again. Sweden has accepted asylum seekers, not resettled refugees. Canada remains at the forefront of efforts to resettle refugees. We have gone over our target for this year. Fifteen hundred Syrians are now enjoying Canada's protection.

As well, why do the members opposite always forget to note what Canada has done for Iraq? Well over 18,000 Iraqi refugees are resettled in Canada.

These conflicts are linked. So is Canada's humanitarian response.

[Citizenship and Immigration, September 22nd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is still a leading donor in Syria. More than $600 million has been offered for use in all areas. We have resettled close to 1,500 refugees. We have already surpassed our targets for this year.

The hon. member asked a question about Iraq, but she forgot to mention that Canada has already welcomed more than 18,000 Iraqis. That is more than any other country.

[Citizenship and Immigration, September 18th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, every asylum seeker benefits from the generosity of our system. There are many avenues of appeal.

However, when those appeals are exhausted, we expect the individuals in question to leave the country.

[Citizenship and Immigration, September 18th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the member's statement is once again completely false. His scaremongering is well known in this place and unfortunately across Canada.

We as a government are proud of our record of the highest sustained levels of immigration in Canadian history, including the strongest family reunification numbers in Canadian history. It never happened under the Liberals.

In only three years, over 70,000 parents and grandparents will have been processed to come to this country. That stands in stark contrast to the backlogs, the dysfunctionality, and the lack—

[Citizenship and Immigration, September 18th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is way off base.

We have made important reforms to the temporary foreign worker program to ensure that Canadians have priority access to all available jobs.

The exemption the hon. member spoke of applied only to certain temporary foreign workers. We are aiming for several thousands of francophone immigrants, and we are making great strides.