Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship  Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for his passion and service. He is very engaged and, as I understand, has a very personal commitment to vulnerable Afghans. We do not always align in our ideology, but I think it is important for Canadians everywhere to see tha

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship  Mr. Speaker, it is absolutely unacceptable to say that asylum seekers are taking advantage of the system. The reality is that these people are fleeing violence and looking for a safe haven. Our government will always work for vulnerable people and we are proud of the work we ha

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship  Mr. Speaker, in my opinion, the Bloc Québécois has lost all credibility, because it believes that asylum seekers cross that border for an all-inclusive vacation package and that the situation asylum seekers must face is a joke. This is no joke to us. It is serious. We are workin

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship  Mr. Speaker, before I answer the question, I would first like to say a few words about the incident that occurred in my community of Orléans this morning. My thoughts and prayers are with all those who are affected, and I want to sincerely thank the first responders and simply t

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship  Mr. Speaker, I am going to be very candid this morning, because in my opinion, the Bloc Québécois has lost all credibility if it believes that asylum seekers are crossing the border for an all-inclusive vacation package or feels that the situation asylum seekers are facing is a j

The Economy  Madam Speaker, I think we can all agree in the chamber that no person with a disability should live in poverty. That is why we are committed to creating the Canada disability benefit, a thoughtfully designed income supplement with the potential to seriously reduce poverty and imp

Black History Month  Mr. Speaker, February is internationally known and recognized as Black History Month. It gives us an opportunity to recognize the remarkable contributions of Black Canadians to the community of Orléans and to all of Canada. This year's theme, “Ours to tell”, invites us to engag

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship  Mr. Speaker, we are taking every step to address the backlog in the short term while making Canada's immigration system more sustainable in the long term. Allow me to be very candid. We have processed approximately 4.8 million applications in total, nearly double the number of t

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship  Mr. Speaker, I have to say that if it was a matter of will, there would be 40,000 Afghan refugees here already, but there are obstacles that are beyond certain control. As the member just said, the minister did meet him, but let me remind this House of the last numbers we have.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship  Mr. Speaker, Quebec continues to be one of the government's valued partners, and we recognize that the province is working hard to support asylum seekers. Our government has provided $534.5 million in assistance to the provinces, including $374 million to Quebec to alleviate th

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship  Mr. Speaker, francophone immigration plays a key role in promoting the French language across Canada and Quebec. I would remind my colleagues that Quebec determines its selection criteria for the majority of immigrants in Quebec, including language skills. We will always respect

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship  Mr. Speaker, the member opposite is well aware that the Canada-Quebec accord gives the province the exclusive authority to select the majority of its immigrants. As I said, we have always respected and will always respect Quebec's jurisdiction over immigration. I know that our g

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship  Mr. Speaker, today, this is the first time that I will answer a question concerning francophone immigration and its importance for Quebec and the rest of Canada. I would like to point out to the House, because I do not know if I will have another opportunity, that this is the fir

Retirement Congratulations  Mr. Speaker, today I am going to dedicate my first statement of 2023 to recognizing someone special from my constituency who has served us all for many years. Lise Séguin, a resident of Orléans, is a nurse counsellor with the House of Commons occupational health and safety depar

Questions on the Order Paper  Mr. Speaker, with respect to parts (a), (b), (c), (d) and (e), as well as to the establishment of immigration levels in Canada and their effect on the Francophone presence in Canada, IRCC has not conducted the type of impact studies referenced in the inquiry. The immigration leve