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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 50

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
March 31, 2022 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 50 - Mar/31/22
Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Lib.)
  • Mar/31/22 11:36:38 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the member spent a great deal of his time on the issue of immigration. If we take a look at what we have seen over the last couple of years, I think that we can be fairly proud of the system while always looking for improvements, of course. For example, I believe it was in 2020, with all of the refugees who settled throughout the world, a third of them settled here in Canada. Last year, we had over a half million. That is over 500,000 immigrants who settled or were granted permanent residency here in Canada. Yes, there is always room for us to do more. We have seen a very progressive approach to dealing, for example, with Ukraine and the refugees from there. There have been 12,000-plus since the beginning of the new year, and a streamlined system is now being put in place to enhance those numbers going forward. Can the member provide his thoughts on my comments?
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Context: House Hansard - 50 - Mar/31/22
Mr. Yves-François Blanchet (Beloeil—Chambly, BQ)
  • Mar/31/22 2:26:38 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the government has agreed to ease visa requirements for Ukrainian refugees coming to Quebec or Canada. Now, being rich should not be a criterion for refugees. It is about being equitable. We do not want to run the risk of making some very vulnerable people even more vulnerable. The only solution appears to be a humanitarian airlift. Does the Prime Minister agree that an airlift needs to be set up immediately?
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Context: House Hansard - 50 - Mar/31/22
Mr. Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe (Lac-Saint-Jean, BQ)
  • Mar/31/22 2:56:37 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, flights must be chartered to bring Ukrainian refugees to Canada. According to Michael Shwec, president of the Quebec council of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, the organization thinks that would be a good thing. Imagine a mother who winds up in Poland with her two children. She has to book and pay for plane tickets herself, so that is a barrier. If the government can help, that is one huge obstacle out of the way for her. That is what Ukrainians want in terms of help for exiled Ukrainian mothers and their children. When will an airlift be arranged?
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Context: House Hansard - 50 - Mar/31/22
Mr. John Nater (Perth—Wellington, CPC)
Madam Speaker, certainly in Canada we have a great cultural mosaic of people who come to this country from around the globe, from every corner of the earth, and bring their languages and their culture with them, including, most importantly, those from Ukraine. Certainly we are seeing a great outpouring of support right now in Canada. Would my colleague comment on how we can use the culture that we have here in Canada of so many Ukrainians who have come here over the past century to welcome and embrace refugees from Ukraine and perhaps even encourage visa-free travel from Ukraine to Canada to this welcoming atmosphere here in Canada?
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Context: House Hansard - 50 - Mar/31/22
Mr. Ken Hardie
Madam Speaker, I spent my youngest days in Edmonton, where the Ukrainian community there was large and vital and heavily engaged. Those Ukrainian folks came over as farmers, and the prosperity that Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba particularly enjoy is in no small measure thanks to their efforts over the years. In bringing our Ukrainian refugees here, I think that the mechanism of visa-free travel is certainly one that could be used, but I understand that the process that has been put in place would actually work much more quickly and much more effectively to make sure that we are welcoming the best of the best here in Canada and those who really, truly need our protection for the next few years.
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