44th Parl. 1st Sess.
March 28, 2022 11:00AM
- Mar/28/22 2:12:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, members know that Sault Ste. Marie is a kind, caring community. Throughout our history, Ukrainians have contributed to our city's growth and development, and Saultites have been rallying in support of Ukraine for the past few weeks.
The march for Ukraine sovereignty last week was a multi-religious march where our local faith leaders from many religions organized and came together. More than 500 people showed up to pledge their support and demonstrate their solidarity for Ukraine.
I have received numerous phone calls from constituents pledging housing, food, work and more for refugees coming to Sault Ste. Marie. I am working closely with our local partners at the Ukrainian church, city hall and community organizations to ensure that we have an action plan, infrastructure and a hub for resources to support and welcome Ukrainians with open arms.
Saultites are once again showing their love, compassion and community support for refugees and displaced people, and we will be prepared to welcome as many Ukrainians as possible. We will continue to find ways to support refugees and will be prepared for whatever comes our way.
Slava Ukraini.
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- Mar/28/22 2:29:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is not as though this government is known for excellence even in its own areas of jurisdiction.
Everything it touches in its own jurisdictions turns into a fiasco. The Phoenix pay system is not even able to pay its employees. At the immigration department, the backlog is never-ending. It is chaos for Ukrainian refugees. First nations do not even have access to clean drinking water.
The list is long. There is one fiasco after another. Now the federal government is telling us that it is going to look after health care, one of Quebec's jurisdictions. May I say that this makes us very nervous?
Why does the federal government not just increase health transfer as everyone is asking it to do?
It is simple.
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- Mar/28/22 2:40:20 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, on Wednesday, the Prime Minister said before the European Parliament that we cannot abandon Ukraine.
However, today, Radio‑Canada confirmed that his government is abandoning Ukrainians. He is plunging them into endless administrative chaos, which is preventing them from seeking refuge in Quebec and Canada. Despite our collaboration, despite our proposals and our efforts, the federal government's failure on the ground when it comes to helping refugees is even worse than we could have imagined.
We can deal with the paperwork later. There has been enough dilly-dallying. When will the government charter planes and start airlifting families out?
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- Mar/28/22 2:41:38 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, how can it be that, after 33 days of war, there is just one centre in Poland, yes, one, where refugees can give their biometrics? How can it be that, after 33 days, all refugees can do is refresh a website that keeps crashing in the hopes of snagging an almost-impossible-to-get appointment at the only available centre?
Does this government think that the war is waged only on Mondays to Fridays from nine to five? Come on. The Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency travel is a failure. Will the government terminate it and start airlifting refugees?
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- Mar/28/22 2:42:45 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, that is not reassuring in the least. Three weeks ago, the Bloc Québécois asked the government to do better. The situation has evolved since then. The minister's plan to welcome Ukrainian refugees is, by all accounts, a failure.
It has gotten to the point that people fleeing the war in Ukraine have to make their way to Slovakia or even Portugal to get services from Canada. These people have fled war, and they are being forced to flee again, to go even farther, because of the federal government's incompetence.
When will the minister decide to deal with the administrative details later, charter some planes and go get these people?
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- Mar/28/22 2:43:26 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question because it also gives me an opportunity to clarify and mention the announcement made by the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship this morning about our involvement.
We are expanding the federal settlement program for Ukrainians who want to come to Canada to offer language training, orientation, employment assistance and other supports for Ukrainians as they settle into their new communities.
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- Mar/28/22 3:23:17 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am proud to present, on behalf of Canadians from across the country, a petition that recognizes Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the human rights abuses taking place and the humanitarian situation that has evolved with the displaced people. There are 1.4 million Canadians of Ukrainian descent who would love to see more Ukrainian refugees come here.
They are calling on the government to expedite the process of bringing Ukrainian refugees to Canada by moving to a visa-free travel immigration system for Ukrainians rather than the current special visa system in place.
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