House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2015, with 56% of the vote.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship December 11th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe for her question.
I am pleased to announce that CN and the chairman of the board, Robert Pace, have set the gold standard for corporation donations, with a $5-million donation to help house Syrian refugees. Yes, I said $5 million. We are all so proud of this national project, and the generosity of all Canadians will ensure it is a success.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship December 11th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question and also his acknowledgement that it was indeed a wonderful evening last night, and it was. I neglected to mention that, in addition to my federal colleagues, Kathleen Wynn was also there, the Premier of Ontario.
In answer to the question, that case is under active investigation by my department as we speak.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship December 11th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, I was unaware of this point regarding Denis Coderre, but I will look into that immediately.
I just want to say that my colleagues, the Minister of Health and the Minister of National Defence, and I were with the Prime Minister and two opposition colleagues last night. It was a wonderful evening to greet the first refugees in an air force plane to arrive in Toronto. It was a wonderful night for all Canadians to celebrate.
Points of Order December 10th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, my comment was intended in a lighthearted way to celebrate the arrival of the refugees this evening, but I understand it could have been taken in a number of ways. I understand now, on reflection, that I should not have made it, so I am happy therefore to apologize for that comment to my colleague.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship December 10th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, the answer is yes.
After discussions with my colleague from Bourassa and the Quebec immigration minister, I decided that my department was going to help these Haitians to regularize their status in Canada. I am consulting with my colleague, the Minister of Public Safety, and we will provide more details about this soon.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship December 10th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, we are into sunny ways; I would suggest that my colleague look a little more cheerful.
In answer to her question, I will give an answer. I can assure her that my department has assured me that no people have been displaced by other refugees. There will be no impact on their entry.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship December 10th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, this is a wonderful day, when we welcome the first plane full of 160 new Canadians. I learned from a 10-year-old girl, when I went to visit an apartment that was being made ready for refugees, how to say this in their own language. I would teach every member of the House to say Ahlan wa sahlan fi Canada.
Business of Supply December 9th, 2015
Mr. Chair, I am not sure whether the member is talking about Syrian refugees, but I imagine she is. The number of Syrian refugees who have arrived since November 4 is 416. By the end of the year, there should be 10,000. By the end of February, the total should be 25,000.
Business of Supply December 9th, 2015
Mr. Chair, with respect to Syrian refugees, that coverage was restored a few weeks ago, but that was not clear to all doctors in Canada, so I clarified that today. We sent messages to everyone in the health care field and to provincial ministers clearly stating that the program had been reinstated for Syrian refugees.
With respect to other refugees, we made a clear promise during the campaign to restore the program in full for all refugees. That has not yet been done, but it will be done as soon as possible.
Business of Supply December 9th, 2015
Mr. Chair, the Canada-Quebec Accord Relating to Immigration and Temporary Admission of Aliens has been in place for a long time now—since the Mulroney era, if I am not mistaken. That means Quebec has a special role to play.
This year, Quebec is receiving $340 million from the federal government. It is fair to say that that is a generous amount compared to what the other provinces receive. That accord worked well.
Naturally, the more immigrants and refugees Quebec accepts, the more money it should get. We are in daily contact with our Quebec counterparts, and we have an extremely good relationship with them. Quebec will receive more money as a share of increasing net federal spending and in proportion to the number of immigrants.