House of Commons photoWon her last election, in 2019, with 47% of the vote.
Immigration April 2nd, 2008
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member really should listen a little better. We want more immigrants to come here and we want to get them here sooner. We want them here sooner than the six years it now takes, thanks to the previous government's actions.
All of our instructions will be charter compliant and the charter does not allow discrimination by race, religion or ethnicity. The hon. member should know that by now. We want more people to get here sooner. We will get the job done.
Immigration April 2nd, 2008
Mr. Speaker, we put these measures into the budget bill. I am pleased to say that it will be announced tomorrow. It will be debated tomorrow and every member in this House will have the opportunity to address it at length. It also will be discussed at committee, giving full air to everyone's views.
If the Liberals are suggesting that this is discriminatory, I assure all members that all of these things will be in compliance with the charter. For them to suggest that we would break the charter, break the law, is simply more fearmongering. It is irresponsible because they are only after power, not after helping people.
Immigration April 2nd, 2008
Mr. Speaker, it was the Liberal government that tarnished the reputation of Canada when it comes to immigration. It promised a lot but delivered very little.
The Liberals are the ones who capped the number of people who could come here by overburdening a system to the point now where it is crumbling around itself and where we are losing valuable, much needed talent to other countries where the processing time is three to six months. Here it is three to six years.
If we do not do something significant right away, which is what we are proposing, it will take immigrants 10 years to get here. That is not fair to them, not fair to their families here and not fair to Canada.
Immigration April 2nd, 2008
Mr. Speaker, we are making real steps, real steps the Liberals certainly did not make, to cut the backlog, to get more people here faster, to get families here faster and to get skilled workers here sooner.
We are putting new resources toward this, $22 million over the first two years and up to $37 million the year after that. However, it is not enough just to throw money at it and put ourselves back into deficit, as the Liberals would have us do. We need to do it better and smarter, which is why I am so pleased that the Liberal Party is supporting the budget where these changes are coming forward.
Immigration April 2nd, 2008
Mr. Speaker, it is very interesting to see the Liberals defend a system that they themselves destroyed. We are the ones who invested $1.4 billion to help immigrants succeed upon their arrival. They are the ones who voted against that funding and those investments intended to help newcomers succeed.
Immigration April 2nd, 2008
Mr. Speaker, it was the Liberals who created this mess in the first place. Even the hon. member admitted that when he said that the Liberals did not get it done on immigration.
What we are trying to do is to make it possible for more immigrants to come to this country and for them to get here sooner. That is important. We need it for industry. We need families to be reunited. Employers need these people now.
We are being fair. It is transparent and there will be charter compliance because we need these people even if the Liberals do not want them to come here.
Immigration April 1st, 2008
Mr. Speaker, let us listen to what was written in the Winnipeg Free Press:
What the Conservatives propose is common sense.... This is good policy.... Canadians, new and old, have been offered a clear choice: Conservative policy that will benefit Canada, or politics that will benefit Liberals.
Immigration April 1st, 2008
Mr. Speaker, let us take a look at what some other more objective people think about the proposed amendments.
I would like to quote the Vancouver Province, which said:
What the Tories are proposing is to bring order to the current chaos, while allowing immigration patterns to match national priorities.
Surely that is to the benefit of all Canadians, immigrants included.
Immigration March 31st, 2008
Mr. Speaker, the amendments we have proposed will do exactly that. They will bring common sense and good management skills to a very messed up immigration system.
However, having the NDP members stand up for immigrants is more than a little hypocritical because everything we have done for immigrants, they have voted against. They voted against $1.3 billion in settlement funding. They voted against the foreign credentials referrals office. They voted against cutting the head tax. Now they are voting against reducing waiting times.
Immigration March 31st, 2008
Mr. Speaker, we are not hiding anything. It is obvious from the budget that we wish to advance the cause of immigrants in order to advance the cause of trade. We need immigrants and talent. We have to do something now or they will have to wait 10 years to come here, which is unacceptable and unfair.