Lysane Blanchette-Lamothe

[Citizenship and Immigration, May 26th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, the 3,200 Haitians who are being threatened with deportation have only a few days left to regularize their status and apply for permanent residence.

A number of those individuals have not yet been able to apply. That is what we have heard from organizations like Maison d'Haïti in Montreal.

Quebec's immigration minister and the mayor of Montreal are asking for a three-month deferral. It is not complicated, it would not cost anything and there is no risk.

Why, then, is the minister insisting on refusing this simple request, which would help hundreds of families?

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, May 25th, 2015]

With regard to Express Entry: (a) how much has the government spent on advertising-to-date, broken down by (i) medium, including name of publication, website, or media outlet where appropriate, (ii) dates of advertisement, (iii) cost; (b) what is the budget for future advertising, broken down by (i) medium, including name of publication, website, or media outlet where appropriate, (ii) expected dates of advertisement, (iii) cost; and (c) what analysis is being conducted to ensure that advertising is achieving its intended goals?

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, May 25th, 2015]

With regard to the government’s commitment on January 7, 2015 to resettle 10 000 Syrian refugees by 2017: (a) how many Syrian refugees does the government plan to resettle each year, broken down by government-assisted and privately-sponsored refugees; (b) will the government be fast-tracking applications for privately-sponsored Syrian refugees; (c) what criteria has the government enumerated for prioritizing resettlement on the basis of religion or ethnicity; (d) what instructions have been given to processing officers regarding religion or ethnicity of Syrian refugees; (e) how many government assisted Syrian refugees have been resettled in Canada since January 1, 2015, in total and broken down by month; (f) how many applications for privately-sponsored Syrian refugees have been accepted since January 1, 2015, in total and broken down by month; (g) how many privately-sponsored Syrian refugees have arrived in Canada since January 1, 2015, in total and broken down by month; (h) how many Syrian refugees have made inland claims for refugee status at the Immigration and Refugee Board since July 2013, in total and broken down by (i) year, (ii) month; (i) how many Syrian refugees have received a positive decision at the Immigration and Refugee Board since July 2013, in total and broken down by (i) year, (ii) month; (j) how many applications for private sponsorship of Syrian refugees have been received since July 2013, in total and broken down by (i) year, (ii) month; and (k) how many applications for private sponsorship of Syrian refugees are waiting to be processed?

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, May 25th, 2015]

With regard to the government’s commitment on January 7, 2015, to resettle 3 000 Iraqi refugees in 2015: (a) how many government-assisted Iraqi refugees have been resettled in Canada since January 1, 2015, in total and broken down by month; (b) how many applications for privately-sponsored Iraqi refugees have been accepted since January 1, 2015, in total and broken down by month; (c) how many privately-sponsored Iraqi refugees have arrived in Canada since January 1, 2015, in total and broken down by month; (d) how many Iraqi refugees have made inland claims for refugee status at the Immigration and Refugee Board since January 1, 2015, in total and broken down by month; (e) how many Iraqi refugees have received a positive decision at the Immigration and Refugee Board since January 1, 2015, in total and broken down by month; (f) how many applications for private sponsorship of Iraqi refugees have been received since January 1, 2015, in total and broken down by month; and (g) how many applications for private sponsorship of Iraqi refugees are waiting to be processed?

[Citizenship and Immigration, May 25th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, the minister talks about good service, but frankly, we still do not know why he says that. He makes it sound like the only problem is permanent residents themselves.

Does he realize that processing times for renewing ID cards are much too long? In 2013, 5,000 permanent residents were not allowed to re-enter Canada. There is a problem. Another 14,000 people were forced to apply for temporary travel documents.

Does the minister realize that administrative obstacles, and particularly processing delays, are a major impediment that is penalizing permanent residents?

[Economic Action Plan 2015 Act, No. 1, May 15th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech. He has a long history of standing up for workers, which is something he has kept up here in Parliament.

I would like to talk about the omnibus nature of the bill, since my colleague touched on some very specific points in this bill, which I give him credit for, because he has developed an expertise in these areas.

However, this bill is incredibly broad and will impose some measures that should not normally be found in a budget. As the citizenship and immigration critic, I can confirm that this bill contains some measures that affect citizenship and immigration and that should be studied much more carefully, outside the context of an omnibus bill. Unfortunately, this context is exactly what will prevent us from studying these measures.

Could my colleague comment on how these measures are being brought before the House?

[Employment, May 15th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives ignored Canada's manufacturing sector for years. Today, Montrealers are paying the price. Bell Helicopter in Mirabel is cutting 300 jobs, and last August it cut 250 jobs. Quebec has lost more than 100,000 manufacturing jobs since the Conservatives took power.

Will the Conservatives wake up, get going and help kick-start our manufacturing sector instead of giving presents to their wealthiest cronies?

[Economic Action Plan 2015 Act, No. 1, May 13th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I have a question for my colleague, who spoke a lot about the Liberals' suggestions to help young mothers with young children. I would like to share a statistic from the Childcare Resources and Research Unit, which stated that in 2012, just 22.5% of children under the age of six had access to quality, regulated child care services. More than 73% of mothers of these children are in the workforce. The Liberals' proposal will simply not be enough, in light of the lack of quality, regulated child care spaces for children and given that child care can cost more than $1,500 a month per child. Their proposal does not acknowledge the existing problem.

Is the member prepared to acknowledge these facts and to look at the NDP's new proposal to provide meaningful assistance to women who need child care spaces so that they too can go to work and improve their quality of life?

[Business of Supply, May 8th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for her work. She always shows great sensitivity to issues involving minorities as well as women and youth. That was very evident in her speech.

I would like to comment on the Conservatives' response to this motion from the beginning of this debate. They seem to be saying that they have already given out many tax credits, more or less, and so this one can wait.

The motion before us will definitely reduce the cost of feminine hygiene products. That is one aspect. However, there is another aspect that the Conservatives did not mention at all, namely that this is a matter of principle and justice, of gender equality. This is not just about money; it is also about the thousands of women who signed a petition calling on the government, the decision-maker, to recognize that their need for feminine hygiene products is not a luxury. That makes this a matter of principle, and for that reason alone we must vote in favour of the motion before us and implement it as quickly as possible.

[Ethics, May 8th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, it bothers me that the Conservatives are refusing to tell Canadians whether the Prime Minister's Office was involved in tampering with the report on Mike Duffy's expenses. That is troubling.

Corporal Jolette revealed that the Prime Minister's Office was in frequent contact with several senators involved in Senate committees that, coincidentally, were studying the Deloitte reports on three senators' expenses.

Can the Prime Minister confirm his office's involvement in tampering with the Deloitte report?