Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship  We will not opine, of course, on specific proposals in the context of an election, but at the same time, we will continue to work with the Province of Quebec to build on the great record of collaboration we have had with the Government of Quebec. In fact, I met just this week with my new counterpart from Quebec and we had a great meeting. We committed to work to—

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship  There is $74 million for the Immigration and Refugee Board so that refugee claims can be heard faster. The Conservatives do not have that record. Their record is they left us with a massive backlog in asylum claims at the IRB. Their record is they left us with fewer border security operations as a result of cutting almost $400 million from CBSA.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship  Mr. Speaker, the facts speak for themselves. This is the Conservative position on parents and grandparents. The Conservatives described parents and grandparents as a “burden” on the federal government in terms of financial support. They have described parents and grandparents as a drain on the provinces.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship  We have quadrupled the number available for Canadians and permanent residents to reunite with their families. While the Conservatives are busy dividing Canadians, we are focused on reuniting families.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship  They even tried to hit the delete button where, for two years under their watch, Canadians could not be sponsors. We are focused on getting the job done. The Conservatives will continue to—

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship  Speaker, we inherited a backlog of 167,000 people in the parents and grandparents program. Under Conservative leadership, families were waiting eight years to be reunited with their parents and grandparents. We have brought that process time down to less than two years. We have quadrupled the number, from 5,000 to 20,000 spots, so that more parents and grandparents can be reunited with their families.

Official Languages committee  I made my comment with respect to what I felt was the record of the Conservative Party when it was in government. I felt that cutting health care to refugee claimants, a practice that the Federal Court called “cruel and unusual treatment”, is something that demonstrated a lack of compassion for refugees.

Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship  Mr. Speaker, let us compare our records. Under the former Conservative government, spouses had to wait 26 months to reunite with their family members. We have brought that down to 12 months. Not only that, but we were able to remove 20,000 spouses from the backlog they left us.

Business of Supply  That is our record, and I am happy to put that record against theirs any day.

Business of Supply  Mr. Chair, the hon. member is actually speaking about the record of her party when it was in office. It was the Harper Conservatives who had really bad wait times for refugees. It was the Harper Conservatives who had really bad wait times on allocations for privately sponsored refugees.

Business of Supply  This includes $74 million that is being invested as part of budget 2018 into the Immigration and Refugee Board for faster processing of asylum claims so that those who require protection get to stay in Canada, move on with their lives, and contribute back to Canadian society, and those who are not legitimate refugees and who do not have a legitimate claim for refugee protection are removed from Canada. Our record on investing in border security operations is clear. The Conservatives cut border operations by $390 million.

Business of Supply  Their record in terms of immigration processing is horrendous. It kept families apart for years. We are doing the right thing. We are making the necessary investments to respond to the cuts that were made under the Harper Conservatives.

Business of Supply  Therefore, we have a good track record, not only in increasing the number of refugees that we resettle into Canada, but also in the processing time. The fact is that the Harper Conservatives had unlimited intake but very limited output, which resulted in huge backlogs that we inherited.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship  This is the first time the international community has worked together to develop a comprehensive set of principles to better manage this phenomenon. It is disappointing to see the Conservatives and Maxime, the member opposite, engage in peddling Rebel Media conspiracy theories while we work with the international community to protect our robust immigration system.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship  Our government believes in expanding the youth mobility program to Portugal, as it will give valuable work experience and perspective to Canadians travelling abroad. Unlike the Conservatives, we believe the world needs more Canada.