Denis Coderre

[Citizenship and Immigration, September 29th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, once again, I find it sad that the opposition continually attacks our front line workers, whose role it is to ensure that people take full advantage of this kind of program.

The government is doing an outstanding job in that respect, and so are the people at the visa offices. Of course there may be delays, but I think that overall we are a model for the rest of the world.

[Citizenship and Immigration, September 29th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I find it somewhat regrettable that one would speak ill of a program that is extraordinary for the students who come and share the Canadian experience and at the same time is an investment in a relationship between two countries, eventually.

Therefore, the Government of Canada is looking to invest more. We must find a program that fits the need, but we do want more international students and we will take the necessary steps.

[Citizenship and Immigration, September 25th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, at some point, there needs to be a proper understanding of the distribution of jurisdictions. Some things are provincial and some federal. Our role is to ensure that all cases are properly screened. We are doing that. We are still maintaining a balance between openness and vigilance. Each time questions about foreign students are raised from that side of the floor, they make it sound as if these students were criminals.

We want to increase the number of foreign students we have, and we will.

[Citizenship and Immigration, September 25th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, it is the opposite. We are doing what we have to do.

It is like what I am hearing from another provincial party which is putting immigrants in the crime agenda.

We have to be very careful. We need foreign students. We need to do what we have to do. Our officers scrutinize the situation and they are doing a tremendous job. However to label every foreign student as a potential criminal is total nonsense.

[Immigration, September 22nd, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, the member should listen to the answer to the first question and then see if a second question should be asked.

It is because of our people that we found out about that situation. Of course security is a priority for our government. We need international students and we believe they are truly an investment, not only for us, but for the country of origin because this is how bridges can be built. I believe that we should invest even more to have more international students in Canada.

[Immigration, September 22nd, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I am not sure I quite understand the question. Does she feel now that every student is a problem? Does she mean that international students do not have a place in Canada? We are doing what we have to do. We must remember that in that specific case, it was a person in Mexico who took care of the files. We must be very cautious when we are talking about international students. They are what we need in Canada. We believe they have a place here because they are truly an investment for the future of this country.

[National Identity Card, September 19th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for her question. At this time, we are debating the issue. Canadians are not yet ready to make a decision, nor is cabinet ready to consider the issue.

Of course, we are talking about a societal decision. No cost study has been carried out concerning this type of document. We are not yet at the stage of asking ourselves if there will be such a document, but in the current international context, it is important to deal with domestic problems such as identity theft, and find solutions among ourselves so that we can have a made-in-Canada solution.

[Citizenship and Immigration, September 19th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, my definition of democracy is to have those kinds of society debates. I truly believe that the time has come, especially when we look at the polls, when people are ready to have that kind of discussion. The governments of the G-8 right now are having that discussion. We have many areas where people should debate that kind of issue. I do not think it is painful to decide what kind of future we want for our society. It seems that the Canadian population is ready for that but not the member.

[Citizenship and Immigration, September 19th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, first of all I think it is pretty accurate to say that on this side of the House we decided to have a real debate. We feel that because of what is going on all over the country it is great to have that kind of debate. I truly believe that Canadians should have that kind of debate.

We have not talked about any cuts right now and with regard to what the member mentioned about security, security is our number one priority. We have said since the beginning that everything we have to do we are doing. If the member does not agree with it, that is her problem.

[Citizenship and Immigration, September 19th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I think it is completely unacceptable to say such things today. While the Privacy Commissioner mentioned $5 billion, first, there have been no cost studies on the possible use of this kind of document.

The important thing is that Canadians have the right to debate where society is heading. We have decided to have an open debate. The planet is shrinking; other countries are doing this and it is important to find a typically Canadian solution. Therefore, whether we have ID cards or not, there must be a debate.