Official Languages  Mr. Speaker, the statistic that the member keeps repeating has to do with one's mother tongue. That excludes me and my family, the Minister of Transport and the Minister of Tourism. What does it take to be a Quebecker in Quebec? I am a proud Quebecker. I am proud to be a Quebecker and to say that I am a Quebecker, but the statistic that the member keeps quoting refers to one's mother tongue.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship  Mr. Speaker, Canada remains a destination of choice for skilled newcomers, and immigration remains an essential tool in our plan to address the labour shortage. Thanks to programs like express entry for temporary foreign workers and international students, we are welcoming newcomers with high-demand skills to spur innovation and economic growth.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship  Mr. Speaker, I think members can see how thin-skinned the Leader of the Opposition can get when he gets a piece of his own medicine. International students are a credit to this country. They are the future of this country and are an asset that is very lucrative, and we cannot let them down.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship  Mr. Speaker, clearly our government institutions are subject to systemic racism. We should not deny that. Better than that, we need to act on it. It is why I have instructed my deputy minister to work with her team to make sure that we are addressing racism and systemic racism across the government but particularly in Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

Questions on the Order Paper  Mr. Speaker, with regard to the proposed redesign of the Canadian passport, the development of the new passport began in 2013 following the launch of the last passport design. The new theme was approved by the Minister of IRCC on July 4, 2019, and the final images were approved by the minister on November 16, 2020.

Questions on the Order Paper  Mr. Speaker, with regard to part (a), the newly unveiled Canadian passport was delivered as part of a comprehensive project led by IRCC to replace the passport booklet and all related production printing equipment and infrastructure to produce this new passport. The Treasury Board of Canada has approved a project budget of $161 million for this project, which began in 2016, and it includes costs payable to the Canadian Bank Note Company, CBN, for various project deliverables.

Questions on the Order Paper  Mr. Speaker, with regard to parts (a) and (b), please find the timeline concerning actions associated with the new B series passport design below. In January 2013, the current passport, the A series, was launched. Research and development efforts began, to document specifications for future passport contracts based on lessons learned from the 2011 contract.

Questions on the Order Paper  Mr. Speaker, with regard to part (a), the passport program conducted annual client satisfaction surveys with Canadians beginning in 2011. This included possible themes for the new Canadian passport. A new design is required in order to maintain the integrity of the new passport and to align with international security best practices of a five-year passport redesign cycle.

Questions on the Order Paper  Mr. Speaker, with regard to part (a), the passport redesign is a milestone from the ePassport Next Generation project. An expenditure authority in the amount of $161 million has been provided by the Treasury Board Secretariat to design, develop and deploy Canada’s ePassport Next Generation suite of travel documents and all related printing equipment, software and infrastructure by October 2024.

Questions on the Order Paper  Mr. Speaker, insofar as Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is concerned, the response to part (a) of the question is as follows. The service standards for the processing of refugee travel document applications from 2015-16 to 2019-20 consisted of four service levels: for applications received by mail, 20 days; for applications received in person via mail-out or pickup, 10 days; for applications submitted in person with express service request, two to nine business days as required for pickup; and for applications submitted in person with urgent service request, within two business days for pickup.

Questions on the Order Paper  Mr. Speaker, when students change institutions, they are to report it through their MyAccount profile. This data, however, is embedded within the student’s Global Case Management System case file in such a way that it is not possible to extract for reporting purposes within the timeframe of a written question.

Self-Government Treaty Recognizing the Whitecap Dakota Nation / Wapaha Ska Dakota Oyate Act  Madam Speaker, there have been discussions among the parties, and if you seek it, I believe you will find unanimous consent to adopt the following motion: That, notwithstanding any standing order, special order or usual practice of the House, Bill C-51, entitled An Act to give effect to the self-government treaty recognizing the Whitecap Dakota Nation / Wapaha Ska Dakota Oyate and to make consequential amendments to other Acts, be deemed reported back from the Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs without amendment, deemed concurred in at the report stage and deemed read a third time and passed.

Indigenous Affairs  Mr. Speaker, last year, we resolved a record number of 56 specific claims for $3.5 billion in compensation. In addition, this past April, we reached a historical settlement with Treaty 8 first nations, which will return just over 44,000 hectares of land to those communities. We are also addressing a number of past harms, namely the harms caused by the tragedy of residential schools and the destruction of language and culture, with the Gottfriedson settlement earlier in January for $2.8 billion.

Indigenous Affairs  Mr. Speaker, we all have a duty to fix the systemic issues that continue to fuel this national crisis and to act on the calls for justice identified by the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. That is why budget 2023 includes a $125-million investment to implement the national action plan, support the family and survivors circle and launch a red dress alert.

Red Dress Day  Mr. Chair, clearly, there is a need for education. We know this from the clear record of failure of enforcement bodies across this country to serve indigenous peoples and protect them, for stronger reasons, that is still going on in this country. Absolutely, there is a need to continue that education, cultural sensitivity training and engagement with the community.