House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2015, with 56% of the vote.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship February 1st, 2016
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her strong support on the issue in general.
I would remind the member that we have recently launched a family links program, which seeks to match Canadians wanting to sponsor refugees with Syrian Canadian families whose relatives need help. We are also working on a family reunification program for those still in Syria, but I will look into her specific question of today regarding those who are being threatened and what we can do for them.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship January 28th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his great question. Obviously, when spouses entering Canada have a conditional status, they are at risk of domestic violence because they have no status here. The government is determined to change that, so that all spouses who enter Canada immediately become permanent residents.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship January 28th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, it seems the Conservatives have trouble figuring out whether we are doing it too fast or too slow. However, as I have said to Canadians many times, it is more important to do it right than to do it fast. We are certainly doing it right in terms of security and health. I can guarantee Canadians that the full 25,000 Syrian refugees will be on Canadian soil before the end of February.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship January 28th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, I can assure the member that my government looks into every item of that nature. However, the best summary was provided by a refugee from Syria, currently staying in a Toronto hotel, who was reported as saying this by the media today:
I’m just happy to be here. The tiny room I had in Lebanon was not safe.... I was suffering in Lebanon for two years. Compared to there, this is heaven. Of course, we all want to settle down quickly, but the wait is OK.
That is from a refugee, and it is a very good answer.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship January 28th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, I assure the hon. member that the levels plan will indeed be presented to Parliament well before the deadline date. We are working on this. One of the things to come out of it, as I mentioned earlier, is an astounding, unacceptable increase in the processing times, particularly for spouses. One of the things that will come out of our plan is a determined effort to bring down those processing times, which skyrocketed under 10 years of Conservative rule.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship January 27th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, Canadians across this land are welcoming with open arms and with open hearts the Syrian refugees.
They are proceeding quickly to their housing. Yes, they are spending some time in hotels. That is normal for the process. It is also the case that refugee applicants from other countries are proceeding as planned.
Canadians can be reassured that this operation is a great success, and we will soon have 25,000 new Canadians on our soil.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship January 27th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, I can assure the member and Canadians that the vast majority of refugees are super happy to be in this country, as they have expressed to the media and to me.
Yes, in the course of accepting thousands of new Canadians everything will not be perfect at every instant and there are some issues in hotels, with which we are dealing. However, it is perfectly normal for refugees to spend some weeks in hotels before going on to their permanent accommodations. All of the workers, the Canadians, all levels of government, and all of the volunteers are doing fantastic work.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship January 26th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, my colleague is absolutely right that over the last decade the processing times for family members have mushroomed to the point where the situation right now is a mess. Even for spouses the processing time is typically two years, versus four to six months in other countries. Therefore, members will know that my very top priority as immigration minister will be to bring these processing times substantially down over the coming years.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship January 25th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to thank my colleague for all of her hard work in this area. I am also pleased to tell the House that, as of today, 13,800 Syrian refugees will have arrived in Canada.
However, more important than the numbers, we have done this well, the world has noticed, and Canadians can take great pride in welcoming 25,000 people from a vicious civil war into our wonderful country of Canada.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship January 25th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, I have spoken with my Quebec counterpart. We made a firm decision to allow these people to stay in Canada. That is what we decided, and that is what will happen.