Chris Alexander

[Citizenship and Immigration, May 28th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of National Defence and his predecessors have regrettably had to remind Canadians over and over again about a decade of Liberal darkness on defence matters: mismanagement, lack of spending, lack of procurement.

On immigration, we on this side have to remind Canadians now about decades of Liberal mismanagement of our immigration system. We inherited a system with backlogs on every front, and we have reduced every one of those backlogs.

Immigrants are getting to this country, getting approval to come to this country as economic immigrants in weeks. Parents and grandparents are here in larger numbers than ever before, thanks to the—

[Citizenship and Immigration, May 28th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, everyone knows that the backlogs we have been fighting for nine years are a Liberal legacy. Everyone knows that, were it not for this government's actions, parents and grandparents could be waiting up to 10 or even 12 years in 2015.

In contrast to their approach, we have taken measures to reunite families, and that is why we are very proud of the fact that 75,000 parents and grandparents will immigrate to Canada over the next three years.

[Citizenship and Immigration, May 27th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, it is pathetic to hear a New Democrat claim the Liberals' immigration policy was a model. They left a legacy of backlogs, abuses and dashed hopes for immigrants who wanted to come to this country.

Despite all of that, this year we are proud to be welcoming 280,000 new immigrants, and we are proud to have welcomed 260 new citizens last year. Those are the biggest numbers in Canadian history.

[Citizenship and Immigration, May 27th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, it is not surprising to see that member and that party dumping on the changes we have made to the immigration system because they voted against them all. They voted against the reform of our asylum system. They voted against measures to reduce backlogs. They voted against measures to protect the value of Canadian citizenship.

We on this side are proud to have made the largest number of newcomers Canadian citizens last year, in Canadian history, and to be accepting the largest number of new immigrants to this country in decades.

That is action. We are taking it.

[Citizenship and Immigration, May 25th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, far from being bureaucratic and cold, Canada still has the fairest and most generous immigration system in the world. That is why we gave Haitians the opportunity to stay in Canada without becoming permanent residents for 10 years after the earthquake and political instability in Haiti. Everyone affected by these measures was informed of the option to apply for permanent residence. We encouraged them to do so. Over one thousand applications have been received.

The figures mentioned by the member opposite are completely inaccurate. A large number of Haitians have taken advantage of this opportunity to become permanent residents of Canada.

[Citizenship and Immigration, May 25th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, the best way for permanent residents to travel freely is to become Canadian citizens. That is why our government is so proud that 260,000 permanent residents became Canadian citizens last year. That is the highest number in Canadian history.

We are providing good service to permanent residents who stay here for two years out of five and meet the program criteria. We will continue to do so, because we know how important immigration is to Canada's future.

[Citizenship and Immigration, May 25th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, just because the date has expired on a PR card does not mean that someone loses their status in Canada. We issue thousands of these new cards every year, but applicants, those permanent residents who qualify, have to put in the application, and they have to meet the requirements of permanent residence. That is two years out of five inside the country, and they need all the documentation to prove that.

We will continue giving good service to Canadian immigrants, to new Canadian citizens, and to all those visiting our country.

[Citizenship and Immigration, May 12th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, these temporary measures have been in place for 10 years, thanks to one of the most generous immigration systems in the world. It should come as no surprise, not to the Haitians nor to anyone else, that these temporary measures are coming to an end, because we announced it on December 1.

Minister Weil and I met with the community in January. I personally visited the Maison d'Haïti in Montreal and the one in Toronto three times. Yes, let us be clear: all Haitians will have the opportunity to apply for permanent residence on humanitarian grounds until May 31. If Minister Weil would like to open other avenues towards permanent residence, she can use Quebec's programs to do so.

[Citizenship and Immigration, May 5th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, the scandal is the NDP's failure to recognize the progress that has been made in this area.

This Conservative government is the only one in Canadian history to have brought over 2,500 francophone immigrants to our country. We do not even know how many francophones immigrate to Canada through Quebec's programs and how many of them settle in other provinces. We have strengthened the capacity of all of the francophone immigration networks to receive francophones in record time in every province and territory of Canada.

[Citizenship and Immigration, May 5th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, our government is proud to be the only government in the history of Canada to have attracted more than 2,500 francophone immigrants to the provinces and territories outside Quebec every year since 2006.

The new express entry program will allow us to identify many more francophone immigrants and to ensure that they settle in all regions faster than ever.

We have provided funding for francophone communities and francophone immigration networks in the roadmap. We are taking action to enhance the francophone presence throughout Canada.