Randeep Sarai

[Business of Supply, May 24th, 2018]

Mr. Chair, tourism is one of the fastest-growing industries in British Columbia, and in my riding of Surrey Centre. Hotels, restaurants, and the tourism industry depend on tourism. Could the minister tell the House how many visas were granted in 2017, particularly from the two fastest-growing economies, China and India? How many of those visitors were granted 10-year multiple-entry visas?

[Business of Supply, May 24th, 2018]

Mr. Chair, I would also like to ask what the department is doing to ensure that permanent residence applications for caregivers are being processed quickly and efficiently, and that caregivers who arrive as temporary workers continue to have a pathway to permanent residency.

[Business of Supply, May 24th, 2018]

Mr. Chair, can the minister or the parliamentary secretary tell us how they have reunited families in Canada, particularly through changes and improvements to the spousal program?

[Business of Supply, May 24th, 2018]

Mr. Chair, I would like to begin by highlighting how our government is working to help families through immigration, especially by reducing backlogs and shortening processing times for newcomers to Canada.

I will deliver 10-minute remarks, using data provided by the great public servants of our country and not from Google or Wikipedia, and then I will ask a few questions.

As many of you know, moving to a new country can be difficult. That is why we allow people to immigrate with their spouses and children. My riding of Surrey Centre is home to thousands of new immigrants, in fact almost 1,000 a month. Last year, we implemented our promise to raise the age of eligible dependants who accompany their parents from under 19 to under 22. This allows more families to bring their older children with them. We also allow for subsequent sponsorship of other relatives, including parents, grandparents, and spouses.

However, many of my hon. colleagues have met newcomers who have faced the hardship of family separation. We all know how difficult it can be to hear the stories of people who have waited for a long period of time to bring their immigration process to fruition. That is why reuniting families has been and will continue to be one of the top immigration priorities of our country. It is clear to us that keeping families together helps to improve their integration into Canadian society, helps to improve their economic outcomes, and helps them to go on to contribute to their new homes in Canada.

However, saying this is one thing and making it happen is another. In December 2016, we announced improvements to Canada's spousal sponsorship application process to make it more efficient and easier to navigate. These changes included new and improved spousal sponsorship application packages, which were made simpler for sponsors and applicants to understand and use.

Then, as part of our commitment to enhancing client services, we also responded to feedback from applicants and made additional improvements to the application package in June 2017. All along, the plan has been to improve the spousal sponsorship process and make it faster and easier for Canadians and permanent residents to unite with their loved ones. These initiatives have yielded results.

For example, in December 2016, there were almost 75,000 people in the backlog of global spouses and partners. As of the end of 2017, more than 80% of those people had received final decisions on their applications. This means that thanks to these changes, spouses and partners are being reunited here more quickly. In fact, we have cut wait times for spouses from 26 months down to 12 months.

These are important changes. Canadians with a partner or a spouse who is abroad should not have to wait for years to have that person immigrate, nor should those already here in Canada be left uncertain of whether they will be allowed to stay. We want all newcomers to integrate well into their communities and succeed. Speeding up family reunification helps them to do that, and we all benefit from it.

We continue to listen to our clients, and we continue to work to improve the process. The government overhauled the spousal application package to make it more straightforward, simpler to navigate, and easier to understand. We have also made some changes to avoid unnecessary delays due to the submission of documents. Now spousal applicants submit their schedule A, the background declaration forms, as well as police certificates, as part of their initial paper application process. This helps to process applications even more quickly. I should note that the government will continue to listen to those who are in the application process and, based on their feedback, will act to continually improve service.

Allow me to add a few words on our actions to reunite Canadian citizens and permanent residents with their parents and grandparents. We continue to improve Canada's sponsorship program for parents and grandparents because it, too, helps to strengthen both Canadian society and our economy. We realize that helping people reunite with their parents and grandparents is an important issue for many families in this country. As a result, we've made the parent and grandparent program more fair and transparent, and we are working with potential sponsors to ensure that they are informed and aware of what they need to do in this process.

We doubled the maximum number of parent and grandparent sponsorship applications for processing, from 5,000 to 10,000. We also significantly reduced the inventory of applications by over 80%, from 168,000 applications in 2011 to approximately 29,600 in December 2017. As well, it is worth noting that families can also consider the parent and grandparent super visa, which allows holders to stay in Canada for up to two years on the initial visit compared to six months for a regular visa.

Finally, I will outline the actions we have taken to improve the processing of applications under the previous live-in caregiver program, which was closed in 2014 with a significant inventory of outstanding applications. In fact, in my office alone, I had over 40 such live-in caregivers who had been waiting for more than seven years to get their applications processed.

Our government places great value on the services that caregivers provide to families and communities in Canada. We recognize the role they have played in supporting Canadian children and aging parents, in contributing to communities, and in helping to grow Canada's economy. Because of this, our government will continue to ensure that caregivers and their families are reunited in Canada faster.

To respond to this, the government is committed to eliminating at least 80% of the backlog of live-in caregiver program cases by the end of this year. In fact, we have already reduced the wait time for caregivers from seven years to less than 12 months. This is an achievement that we can all be proud of, as it allows working caregivers to reunite with their families much more quickly.

Under the current caregiver programs, processing times are even shorter, at six months or less. As the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship has stated, we will continue to ensure that caregivers have a pathway to permanent residency. In fact, we are currently reviewing the programs we provide with a view to improving them.

I keep hearing my Conservative colleagues state that irregular migrants are taking spots or are causing delays in the immigration of regular migrants, but in my riding of Surrey Centre, nothing could be further from the truth. Wait times for every category—live-in caregiver, family, and spousal—have decreased. Wait times in the economic categories of express entry or government-sponsored refugees have also decreased.

In closing, I note that our government is determined to support the families of people who immigrate to Canada. We will do so whether by reuniting spouses and partners, improving programs for parents and grandparents, or by reducing the backlog of caregiver applications. The improvements we have made to our programs will continue to help newcomers integrate, build stronger ties, and to contribute to the future of Canada.

[Petitions, April 26th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, kamusta. I am honoured to present this petition to the House. It has accumulated 762 signatures. The petitioners call upon the government to recognize the contributions Filipino Canadians have made to Canadian society, the richness of the Filipino language and culture, and the importance of reflecting on Filipino heritage for future generations by declaring June every year Filipino heritage month, also known as Motion No. 155. I would like to honour the MP for Scarborough Centre, who started this petition.

[Vaisakhi, April 19th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, this week millions of Sikhs around the world celebrate Vaisakhi, the day Sikhs were asked to be saint soldiers, to fight for social justice, to be there for those in need, and to eliminate discrimination. It is a monumental day in the struggle for human rights.

Canada is home to many such Sikhs who work in law enforcement, in the judiciary, and as social workers and who give back through NGOs like Guru Nanak's Free Kitchen, Surrey Memorial Hospital, and the RED FM telethon. They are known around the world to be the first with humanitarian aid, whether it be in places like Haiti, Iraq, or Bangladesh or closer to home in times of disaster, such as when fires broke out in the B.C. interior and Fort McMurray.

In Surrey, hundreds of families, gurdwaras, and local businesses will make and serve amazing meals and deserts for thousands of attendees at Surrey's Vaisakhi parade. Families will walk and pray and remind themselves that wherever they came from, regardless of the colour of their skin, their gender, or their faith, all mankind is one.

I invite members to come join me this Saturday on the birth of the Khalsa.

[Member spoke in Punjabi]

[Trans Mountain Expansion Project, April 16th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, when it comes to social licence, this government has sought and received the approval from the province. That was the previous government. Now there is a new government. However, the province even imposed its own restrictions and conditions on it, which were accepted by Kinder Morgan. We have also accepted them.

Thirty-plus indigenous communities along the route have signed beneficial agreements with Kinder Morgan, and 40-plus, including with Alberta. Labour groups across the province have endorsed this project. The B.C. Supreme Court has stated that the actions of many of those protesters are illegal and that they must stop.

Formal and safe protesting is always welcome. People have every right to express their opinion. However, when companies or individuals go through all the legal challenges, we must abide by those decisions as we are a law-abiding nation.

The Premier of British Columbia should reconsider his actions and comments so he does not escalate this situation. He should take these actions and suggestions to a normal process, which means dealing with either the government or a court of law. Neither of those actions is by enticing protesters. The mayor of Burnaby has said that he would not support police costs for enforcing the order. Those are not the actions of a government at any level.

[Trans Mountain Expansion Project, April 16th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, the member's question has no relevance, so I will answer on the credibility of the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister committed to making a science-based assessment to every decision the government made. We have reinstated that. We have a National Energy Board that has twice approved this project. Our Prime Minister stands by that decision. Our Prime Minister has invested heavily in our coastal waters, protected marine coastal environments in the north, put a moratorium on oil and crude tanker traffic there, and decided which pipeline, based on science and evidence, was the safest to do. He has stood by that to the very end and to this day.

There are no constitutional roadblocks along this way. This is a war between two NDP governments that are fighting between two provinces. As far as the approval process is concerned, our government has stood fast in support of Kinder Morgan, along with managing the environment and ensuring that it is safe and secure.

[Trans Mountain Expansion Project, April 16th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member of Parliament for South Surrey—White Rock.

Anyone who has ever spent time at a busy port like the Port of Vancouver knows how vital marine shipping is to our country's economy. The marine sector is critical to the national economy. The marine shipping industry contributes about $3 billion annually to Canada's gross domestic product.

The economic impact of commercial shipping, however, is much higher. It is estimated at around $30 billion, according to a recent study by the Council of Canadian Academies. This is because marine shipping plays a key role in facilitating international trade. Canada's domestic fleet and foreign vessels transport roughly $200 billion in international trade in goods each year, and marine trade provides some 250,000 direct and indirect jobs to Canadians all across the country.

There is no question that many of the goods and services that underpin the high quality of life of Canadians have either arrived or departed on ship. They may be consumer goods manufactured overseas that are off-loaded at container terminals, or domestic agricultural products harvested from the Prairies that are exported through Canada's extensive network of ports.

This government clearly understands and appreciates the importance of marine shipping.

As British Columbians will also tell us, what they truly love about living on Canada's Pacific coast is its extraordinary beauty and breathtaking landscapes. The abundance of nature's bounty is a cornerstone of their quality of life. Preserving and protecting this natural heritage is important, not only to local residents but to all Canadians.

Our oceans and coasts are vital to the Canadian experience and our well-being. In addition to enabling the export and import of goods to and from foreign markets, our coasts support traditional indigenous and coastal communities' livelihoods. They are the habitat for abundant Canadian fisheries and a wide variety of sea life. They are a magnet that attracts tourists from every corner of the globe, which is another important part of our economy.

That is why the Government of Canada recognizes that we need a safe and secure transportation system for a healthy and competitive economy. As a trading nation, marine transportation is fundamental to Canada's economic well-being. This is why the government has taken a fact and evidence-based approach in the decision to approve the Trans Mountain expansion, and to work with indigenous peoples and coastal communities to implement the $1.5 billion oceans protection plan.

We have put in place a world-leading marine safety and shipping regime for the transportation of petroleum and other products in order to protect our oceans. These include federal regimes with robust compensation and liability systems that continue to be advanced and improved to minimize impacts on Canadians, ensure they are protected from costs and damages, and that the environment is protected. National Energy Board requirements for TMX are adding even more protections beyond those already in place.

Developing and exporting our resources to benefit all Canadians can be done, will be done, and must be done, using the toughest laws and most stringent safety requirements.

We are further enhancing safety through the oceans protection plan, and doing so in consultation with indigenous communities. The federal government has made unprecedented investments in response capability, the Coast Guard, and protection of whales and other marine life. The OPP is a robust national plan designed to implement a world-leading marine safety system and protect our oceans and coastlines from the potential impacts of marine shipping to ensure the health of our oceans for generations to come.

The Government of Canada believes that Canadians want and deserve a strong economy and a clean environment. It is taking direct and results-driven action to make this vision a reality. Through the oceans protection plan, we are focusing on action, collaboration, and science.

OPP projects are on track to deliver real results to Canadians. In addition to improving marine safety and protecting marine ecosystems through the oceans protection plan, the government is building meaningful partnerships with indigenous people and working with coastal communities, municipalities, provinces, territories, and stakeholders to better co-manage Canada's three oceans.

We are providing additional funding in science and research to improve knowledge and technologies that will prevent and mitigate marine incidents such as oil spills.

We are deploying two large, heavy-tow tugs in British Columbia, improving incident management toward seamless response by implementing the incident command system and driving inclusive and innovative regional and area spill response planning in the Salish Sea and in northern British Columbia.

We are implementing the incident command system and enhancing emergency coordination centres across the government in order to bolster our response capabilities.

These measures will improve the coordination of response actions of departments and agencies when dealing with an incident by using a common response system.

We have identified coastal restoration as a key priority to addressing marine biodiversity loss and threats to aquatic ecosystems and are supporting projects that address restoration priorities and contribute to restoration plans.

We are providing funding that will help reduce barriers to marine training for under-represented groups such as women, northerners, Inuit, and indigenous peoples. Greater access to training will support them in joining the marine labour force.

Once again, I would like to remind members that the oceans protection plan will help create economic opportunities for Canadians today, including jobs for middle-class Canadians, while protecting our waters and our ecosystems for generations to come.

We know that British Columbia is consulting with its citizens on enhancements to the spill management system, and while our government has already consulted extensively, we look forward to working with the province to close gaps in the provincial prevention and response systems and explore how, within its own jurisdiction, the province can enhance efforts to protect our waters and coastal communities.

As we continue to implement the great work that is being done under the oceans protection plan, we look forward to working with every province and territory, including British Columbia and Alberta, to build a stronger future for Canadians. We are protecting Canadians and our coasts. Our requirements on Kinder Morgan tankers are more stringent than for tankers entering Washington State because we have a made in Canada regime in place.

[Trans Mountain Expansion Project, April 16th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague across the way said that there has to be community consent and community buy-in, and I completely agree.

What about the 42 indigenous communities that have signed on? What about the company that has actually engaged with them? There are 30 indigenous communities in British Columbia that have signed beneficial agreements and are now counting on them. Does that not count as community consent?

The companies that work with these communities are given instructions to work with them to get their involvement and buy-in. After doing all these steps, after getting through the NEB process, not once but twice, what is the answer to those 42 communities that have committed and signed beneficial agreements, including 30 in British Columbia?