Madam Chair, that is a provincial responsibility, as the member should know.
House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2015, with 56% of the vote.
Business of Supply December 9th, 2015
Madam Chair, that is a provincial responsibility, as the member should know.
Business of Supply December 9th, 2015
Madam Chair, the provinces are certainly making every effort to receive and to prepare for the refugees. We have reinstated the federal health program, including the supplementary elements to assist that process.
I would say that if the provinces are so concerned, in the way that the member is, about this terrible burden they are about to bear, why is it that 10 out of 10 provinces have supported our project? Why is it that when we add up the provincial commitments, they have oversubscribed and there are more 25,000 agreed to by the provinces?
The member understates the degree of enthusiasm expressed by the provinces themselves and their generosity, instead of—
Business of Supply December 9th, 2015
Madam Chair, I know that the member tries to dress her comments up in pretty garb, but it still appears to me that implicitly, directly, or indirectly, she is pitting Canadians against refugees by the implication that they will deprive Canadians of mental health care and housing, etc.—
Business of Supply December 9th, 2015
Madam Chair, I think the member overstates the situation. The 25,000 is a large number to bring in in a short time, but it is a very small number relative to 35 million Canadians, relative to 1 million refugees brought in to Germany, and relative to the 10% of the population of Jordan that consists of refugees.
If the member is pretending that this is such an enormous burden for Canada to absorb—
Business of Supply December 9th, 2015
Madam Chair, a lot of these costs are governed by the Canada social transfer.
I think the member should share the welcoming spirit of so many Canadians towards these refugees, rather than using language that tries to pit refugee against Canadian, whether in terms of psychiatric care or social housing.
Business of Supply December 9th, 2015
I am not sure I quite caught that, Madam Chair, but as to the questioning on why the provinces should bear the cost of health care, it is partly because health care is under provincial jurisdiction. We already pay for the transfers. It is also because, as I have said a number of times, this is a national project where every government and every Canadian should step up and bear his or her share of the costs.
Business of Supply December 9th, 2015
Yes, Madam Chair.
Business of Supply December 9th, 2015
Madam Chair, my understanding is that that would not be provided.
Business of Supply December 9th, 2015
Madam Chair, we provide the income support, including the extended health coverage for up to a year.
Business of Supply December 9th, 2015
As I have made clear in various statements, Madam Chair, we are extending the interim federal health care, including the extended services. The provinces will pick up the health care once a person signs onto provincial health care, but the federal government will continue to pay for the extended services.