44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 6, 2022 10:00AM
- May/6/22 11:25:01 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, as mentioned before, we have expanded the passport intake services at over 300 Service Canada offices across the country. We hired and trained over 500 staff already last December. We opened three new processing centres across the country and simplified the services. Canadians, Service Canada and our public service have been working night and day, and we need to thank them for all the work they have done throughout the pandemic.
We continue to work with public servants to make sure that Canadians are getting the service they are entitled to.
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- May/6/22 11:25:41 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, a month after he announced that he would charter planes for people displaced by the war in Ukraine, the Minister of Transport has admitted that he has yet to send a single plane.
There is already an agreement with airlines, though. The planes are ready, but his government has hit the brakes, claiming that it is complicated because the refugees are moving around.
Women have already found a way to leave their country and flee the Russian army with their children. Does anyone seriously think that they will not be capable of figuring out how to make their flight?
When will the government arrange an airlift?
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- May/6/22 11:26:21 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, more than 24,000 Ukrainians have come to Canada since the beginning of January.
As the Prime Minister announced, we will charter planes to bring more Ukrainians to Canada.
I also want to acknowledge Canadians and Quebeckers for being so generous and for coming together to welcome Ukrainians at this historic moment for Canada.
Again, I thank the member for her question.
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- May/6/22 11:26:59 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I can assure the minister that the planes that are grounded here at our airports do not have a single damn Ukrainian family on them. That is guaranteed.
In the Laurentians alone, there are 60 families who offered to open their homes to refugees and there are already 260 volunteers ready to help. They have been ready for weeks. All that is missing are the refugees. Why?
Line Chaloux, director of the organization Le Coffret, said that they do not have money to purchase plane tickets. If there were chartered flights, they would be here.
Everyone is waiting on Ottawa. When will the government charter flights?
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- May/6/22 11:27:39 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, as I said, more than 24,000 Ukrainians have arrived and hundreds more are arriving every day.
I would also like to mention that we have introduced an innovative program in partnership with Air Canada, The Shapiro Foundation and Miles4Migrants. It will allow us to welcome 10,000 Ukrainians and their families. These are free flights to Canada.
More than 2,000 Canadians have donated more than 140 million Aeroplan points to the Ukraine2Canada travel fund. On this side of the House, we are always going to do more, not less.
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- May/6/22 11:28:21 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, for the past two years, immigration processing times have been ridiculous. Thousands of people are waiting. They have no idea what is going on, and the government is not treating them with respect.
These are human tragedies, uprooted lives and broken dreams. The Liberals can see that, yet they do nothing.
They tell people to contact their MP, but our offices can only handle five applications at a time. This is insane; we are getting dozens of desperate calls every day.
When will the Liberals commit the necessary resources to treat these people with a modicum of respect?
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- May/6/22 11:28:59 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question.
Last year, we welcomed over 405,000 new permanent residents, the largest number of newcomers in a single year in Canadian history.
I would like to let my esteemed colleague know that, in the first quarter of this year, we set even more records. We processed over 157,000 permanent residence applications and issued over 100,000 work permits and over 10,000 study permits a week.
We have made considerable investments, and we will continue to be there for people who choose Canada.
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- May/6/22 11:29:41 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, Canada's immigration backlog now exceeds two million people, with significant backlogs in every stream. The minister said he was going to fix it, but the backlog is increasing, not decreasing. Afghans and Ukraine nationals in urgent need to get to safety are mired in red tape. Families are separated. Lives are put on hold. For the caregivers stream, processing time is not even available. Passport offices are jammed: My constituents are having to camp overnight to get their passports.
Will the minister stop using COVID as an excuse for the growing backlog, and do his job to fix this broken immigration system?
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- May/6/22 11:30:21 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. member for her advocacy on this. Last year, we welcomed more than 405,000 new permanent residents: the greatest number of newcomers in a year in Canadian history. In the first quarter of this year, we hit even more records, processing over 157,000 permanent residence applications and issuing more than 100,000 work permits, and we are processing over 10,000 study permits per week as we are further boosting the processing capacity at IRCC with an investment of—
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- May/6/22 11:30:56 a.m.
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The hon. member for Calgary Midnapore.
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- May/6/22 11:31:00 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, inflation is skyrocketing under the Liberal government and wages are not keeping up. Statistics Canada said hourly wages increased 3.3% from April 2021, which is well short of the 6.7% inflation rate. The central bank raised its benchmark rate half a point in April, and the governor hinted that he would likely do so again.
The Liberal government is destroying our economy and only making life more expensive for Canadians. When will the government take this inflation crisis seriously and provide real relief for Canadians?
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- May/6/22 11:31:42 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, the budget that we have just tabled includes many measures that would put money directly into the pockets of Canadians. I am thinking of the one-time payment for all Canadians having difficulty accessing affordable housing. Our continued funding for the Canada child benefit is indexed to inflation.
Based on what I have been hearing in the House from the Conservatives, and in their leadership debate last night, they have absolutely nothing concrete to propose to Canadians in order to help them face the cost-of-living increase that is due to the war in Ukraine.
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- May/6/22 11:32:16 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, the cost of government is ballooning the cost of living. Gas in my hometown this morning was a disturbing $1.92, and it is supposed to go up again this weekend. Every single day, I am hearing distressing examples of the impact that overdue bills and food prices are having on many people's day-to-day lives.
When will the government start listening to people and turn its talking points into action?
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- May/6/22 11:32:46 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, we have reduced taxes for the middle class on two occasions and the Conservatives voted against it. We have created a Canada child benefit that has helped lift over a million people out of poverty. In our budget, we have concrete measures in order to help Canadians buy their first homes and in order to help Canadians pay for child care. We have been there for Canadians, and the Conservatives have not.
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- May/6/22 11:33:18 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, with the inflation rate at a 30-year high, Canadians are struggling to make ends meet. To make matters worse, Service Canada cannot keep pace with EI claims and fraud cases.
Many of my constituents have not received a cheque since November due to delays in fraud investigations. These are Canadians who have no money left and cannot wait any longer. The mental and physical well-being of these Canadians is at stake.
When will the government add the resources needed to finally reduce these interminable delays?
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- May/6/22 11:33:53 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for the question.
I would like to draw his attention to our budget, which contains concrete measures to help Canadians. I just mentioned the one-time payment for all Canadians having difficulty accessing affordable housing. We are also bringing in measures to help Canadians buy their first home.
I hope the Conservatives will vote in favour of the budget, because it is going to help Canadians.
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- May/6/22 11:34:24 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, inflation is affecting everyone and every sector. The price of diesel is verging on $3 a litre. It is awful. The impact is real, and it is especially hard on farmers who rely on fuel for transportation and for their farming equipment. They were being choked by Liberal taxes, and now they are being suffocated by them. The government blames external factors, but in reality, the government is responsible.
Will the government do what it promised and truly help farmers?
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- May/6/22 11:35:03 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for the question.
The war in Ukraine is a major cause of inflation and it is serious. My heart goes out to the farmers.
The Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food recently made announcements about measures to help farmers pay the fees tied to these price increases. We are working on the issue of fertilizers, because we know that it is important for the farmers. It is important to get fertilizer into Canada, so that has been done. We are now working with the sector to ensure that the fertilizers are available at a fair price.
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- May/6/22 11:35:37 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, only the NDP-Liberal government could be capable of killing two economic drivers with one blow. The proposed surtax on vessels would destroy capital investments in the charter boat industry, kill jobs and drive investment out of the country. Without new charter vessels coming into the market here, tourists will choose to go elsewhere to spend their vacation dollars, further crippling Canada's tourism recovery.
Does the finance minister understand that her high-tax regime will do nothing but kill jobs in the manufacturing and tourism sectors?
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- May/6/22 11:36:24 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, to make sure that we have the resources needed to invest in Canadians and help our economy continue to recover from the pandemic, we are ensuring that the wealthiest pay their fair share. Our government is introducing a luxury tax that would apply on the sale of new luxury cars and aircraft with a retail price over $100,000 and new boats over $250,000.
We are currently studying this measure at the finance committee, and will continue to work with Canada's entrepreneurs and businesses to grow our economy and to make life more affordable.
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