Mr. Speaker, Canada's immigration policies are very clear. There is a process for people to follow that want to immigrate to Canada.
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Citizenship and Immigration November 22nd, 2004
Mr. Speaker, Canada's immigration policies are very clear. There is a process for people to follow that want to immigrate to Canada.
Citizenship and Immigration November 22nd, 2004
Mr. Speaker, let me assure members that the Ethics Commissioner will be looking at all of the issues that have been raised. I have great confidence in my integrity and in all of the decisions that I have taken. I will await the Ethics Commissioner and will not prejudge him.
Citizenship and Immigration November 22nd, 2004
Mr. Speaker, as I have indicated, we have an independent Ethics Commissioner who was introduced and fought for by our Prime Minister on this side of the House because we wanted an independent and transparent government. I will await the Ethics Commissioner's response. I will not prejudge it, nor should the opposition should do that.
Citizenship and Immigration November 22nd, 2004
Mr. Speaker, as I indicated earlier, we have an independent Ethics Commissioner for whom we all have asked. I have asked that independent Ethics Commissioner to review all the aspects of this case, as has the opposition agreed to as well. I await the response of the Ethics Commissioner.
Citizenship and Immigration November 22nd, 2004
Mr. Speaker, I would like to reiterate the fact that last week I personally asked the Ethics Commissioner to review the whole process. Now that the official opposition has approved of that process as well and did a subsequent request, we should let the Ethics Commissioner do his job
Citizenship and Immigration November 19th, 2004
Mr. Speaker, I have asked the ethics commissioner to give me advice on whether or not I breached any of the ethical codes, but I would like to tell the member something else.
The deputy leader of the Conservative Party requested a permit a couple of weeks after the election for a personal friend. I have since learned that the hon. member's personal friend was a former Conservative candidate and has been a big political contributor to the Conservative Party. I guess I should have asked, did he work on the campaign?
Citizenship and Immigration November 19th, 2004
Mr. Speaker, all requests for intervention from all members of the House are looked upon with one reason. What is the merit of the case? Does it fit into the humanitarian and compassionate grounds? Does it fit into the Canadian way? Only on those merits of the case, did I issue a permit for the official opposition critic just before the election last year. Did I ask if this person was working on his campaign? No, I simply asked and responded to a request on humanitarian and compassionate grounds, and I issued the permit.
Citizenship and Immigration November 19th, 2004
Mr. Speaker, I was going to bring a book with me, which is thick, full of all the requests I get from all members of the House, lots of them being from the Leader of the Opposition, from the House leader and from the opposition critic. I get requests every day, yesterday included. When I leave this House and go back to the lobby, there is usually somebody from the member's side waiting there.
Citizenship and Immigration November 19th, 2004
Mr. Speaker, the member across the way never ceases to amaze me with his hypocrisy and his sanctimonious attitude when he is asking questions. He is discriminating against people because of a profession of which he does not approve.
Is it not ironic that the member for Edmonton--Strathcona tries to impress the House with his flamboyant vocabulary when talking about breaching the rules? Was he not clearly in breach of the rules when he asked his assistant to impersonate him on a Vancouver radio station? Now he stands up here and attacks me.
Citizenship and Immigration November 19th, 2004
Mr. Speaker, I am very proud of the work that I am doing as the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. I exercise my responsibility under humanitarian and compassionate grounds all the time in response to many, including the hon. member who asked me the question and who asked me a couple of days ago to intervene on a file for him.
I will continue to do my job based on humanitarian and compassionate grounds because that is the way we do things on this side of the House.