Dominic LeBlanc

[The Economy, December 17th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I want to start by thanking the opposition House Leader for his heartfelt congratulations on my new role. I want to tell him and all Canadians that our government is very proud of the fall economic statement we made public yesterday. The fall economic statement speaks to growth in the Canadian economy. It speaks to supporting Canadians with serious affordability challenges. It speaks to a declining debt-to-GDP ratio, the best in the G7, and we have not finished supporting Canadians, something the Conservatives are not interested in doing.

[Public Services and Procurement, December 10th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, we are always in problem-solving mode. As my colleague knows, this system replaced a 36-year-old system that was at risk of failing across the board. It is used for assessing $40 billion in duties and taxes every year.

A responsible government always tries to secure such an important system for the Canadian economy. We are addressing all the problems quickly to guarantee quick responses for importers. We will continue to do this work.

[Public Services and Procurement, December 10th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I do not want to correct my colleague, but he said that the committee adopted a motion unanimously, implying that our Liberal colleagues also adopted it. This confirms our desire to see parliamentary committees fulfill their responsibilities while respecting the independence of the Auditor General.

If the Auditor General decides to investigate, the government will obviously be very happy to co-operate. We expect her to do her job well. That is what she always does.

[Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, December 10th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, our colleague is well aware that deporting people who do not have legal status in Canada and who have violated our criminal law is a serious responsibility that we accept.

It goes without saying that it is a serious responsibility to work with our police forces and the CBSA. We are also working with our partners in some provinces to ensure that we can detain anyone who poses a real threat to public safety and deport them from Canada.

I have full confidence that we will be able to continue this work.

[Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, December 10th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, it will come as no surprise to my colleague that the answer is neither. Many countries around the world are experiencing similar situations as the number of asylum seekers is increasing.

However, we accept that we have a responsibility, by law, and in accordance with the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, to ensure that certain individuals who pose a threat to Canada's public safety are detained before being removed from Canada. That is exactly what we are investing in now, and we will continue to keep everyone safe.

[Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, December 10th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, we certainly share our colleague's concerns about the circumstances of what happened at the Laval centre on the weekend.

I have asked border services to conduct an immediate review of the facility's security systems. We have tripled the number of guards on site. We have changed protocols for certain people to access certain parts of the facility.

We will keep working to ensure that this kind of thing does not happen again.

[Public Services and Procurement, December 9th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, here in the House, we have repeatedly talked about the how important the work of our border services officers is. They keep our country safe, process immigration cases when necessary and prevent drugs like fentanyl from crossing our borders. CBSA officers do important work for our country every day. We have full confidence in that work.

We are going to invest more to support their important work. That is exactly what we are going to do.

[Public Services and Procurement, December 9th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, again, we obviously share our colleague's concerns.

We want to support Canadian businesses and ensure that their payments are accurate and efficient. We want to avoid extra costs for these businesses. That was the point of modernizing this technology, a process, I would remind my colleagues, that began in 2010. It is not just one government that made the decision to take on this modernization. Two governments decided to improve a system not only in terms of ease of access, but also of duties that have to be paid.

We will address all these issues.

[Public Services and Procurement, December 9th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, our colleague is well aware that the government does not give instructions to the Auditor General. We respect the freedom of committees to study what they want and to invite the Auditor General to look at issues that are important to Canadians.

The CARM replaced a 36-year-old system that was likely to fail. We understand the concerns of businesses and the private sector. I have full confidence that we will be able to quickly address those concerns.

[Public Safety, December 3rd, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, the safety and security of children who participate in the mother-child program is obviously a top priority for the Correctional Service of Canada. It is important to understand that this program has existed for decades, including during the time that Mr. Harper was prime minister of Canada. There are eligibility criteria and protocols to participate in this program. It includes child welfare screening done by competent provincial authorities. The member opposite should be careful before he tries to politicize such tragic circumstances and these most heinous crimes.