Helena Guergis

[Citizenship and Immigration, December 8th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the immigration minister claimed ignorance about the illegal campaign contribution, dismissing it as a “clerical error”, but today we learned that she actually attended the donor's event on the same day that the cheque was issued.

Is she still claiming ignorance, or will she finally admit her incompetence, rethink her answer of yesterday, and resign?

[Citizenship and Immigration, December 7th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, the government says that the sponsorship scandal was an administrative error too.

How many rules does the minister think she can break? Her own staff member was quoted today as acknowledging that two people donated money to the campaign but that just one received the receipt. That is against the law.

Will the minister finally be accountable? Will the minister do the right thing and resign?

[Citizenship and Immigration, December 7th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration cannot keep hiding. Canadians need to know that we have a minister who is accountable and who plays by the rules.

However, today we learned that the minister accepted a donation that was funneled through one of her campaign workers. She knew that this was an illegal donation. She only returned it because she got caught.

When will the minister do the honourable thing and step down?

[Citizenship and Immigration, December 3rd, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Prime Minister told the House that he supported his minister.

I ask hon. members, with immigration staff who do business in strip clubs, an immigration minister who misleads Canadians and with the minister now being reduced to public ridicule on billboards, will the Prime Minister finally do the right thing, restore integrity to the ministry and fire the minister?

[Citizenship and Immigration, December 3rd, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, the immigration minister told Liberal colleagues that there would be no ministerial permits issued during the election campaign. She then issued one for a stripper who worked on her campaign.

While thousands of immigrants were put on hold during the election, why did the minister break her own rules and reward her campaign volunteer?

[Citizenship and Immigration, December 2nd, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the government stripper program required vulnerable women to send nude photos to immigration officers overseas. Now the government has said that it has changed the program, and change it, it has.

Now these women have to submit their nude photos to HRSD officers in Canada. Why does the government continue to aid and abet the exploitation of women?

[Citizenship and Immigration, December 2nd, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, the government has been very confused on its stripper policy. The program does exist. The program does not exist. The program is under review. Then the minister said that the program does exist, but it is not about strippers at all.

The immigration minister has shown time and again to both sides of the House and to Canadians across the country that she is completely incapable of running her own office, let alone a government department. When is she going to step down?

[Citizenship and Immigration, December 1st, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, the fact remains that this program requires women to submit nude photos of themselves. Imagine how degrading this could be for them. Do they have to audition for the immigration officers as well? Maybe this is why the minister's staff regularly went to strip clubs.

Why does the minister continue to support and defend programs that clearly degrade and exploit women?

[Citizenship and Immigration, December 1st, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration told us that the stripper program did not exist. The Prime Minister told us that it did exist but it was under review. The minister told us that it really was not about strippers after all.

The facts are this program does exist. It is degrading, insulting and it exploits women.

Why are women in such vulnerable positions being told that they should submit a nude photo of themselves in order to be accepted into the country?

[Citizenship and Immigration, November 26th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, my question is really very simple. I would appreciate it if the minister would stop dancing around the subject. Why are legitimate claimants left waiting in line while the minister allows queue jumping under a program that she says she does not support?