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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 273

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
February 1, 2024 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 273 - Feb/1/24
Hon. Marc Miller (Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Lib.)
  • Feb/1/24 2:28:56 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is true that this affects real people. People should not be treated like cattle. They need to be treated with respect and compassion. It is true that we are making efforts to send asylum seekers to other provinces when they request it, but people need to be treated with respect. That is why I announced yesterday more than $300 million to house asylum seekers. Canada is not exempt from the historic influx facing the west.
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Context: House Hansard - 273 - Feb/1/24
Mr. Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe (Lac-Saint-Jean, BQ)
  • Feb/1/24 2:41:29 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Quebeckers have spent $470 million on asylum seekers. Rather than reimbursing them, the minister is instead announcing $100 million for temporary accommodation for future claimants. That is fine if it means lower accommodation costs in the future, but he has yet to reimburse the costs that have been piling up since 2021. It is as though the minister has not paid his rent for two years and now he is showing up with part of his February rent, saying we are even. Most people would kick out a roommate like that pretty quick. When will he pay Quebeckers back?
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Context: House Hansard - 273 - Feb/1/24
Mr. Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe (Lac-Saint-Jean, BQ)
  • Feb/1/24 2:42:35 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, if he cannot bring himself to answer questions in the House of Commons, he might as well stop coming. There is nothing there to reimburse Quebeckers for taking in asylum seekers over the past two years; there is nothing for education, nothing for francization, nothing for health, nothing for last resort assistance, nothing for sharing intake among the provinces, nothing for reinstating visas for Mexicans, nothing for supporting our overwhelmed community organizations, nothing to speed up the file processing for asylum seekers, and nothing for work permits. That is supposed to be his job. When it comes right down to it, what tangible difference does that announcement make to Quebeckers?
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Context: House Hansard - 273 - Feb/1/24
Hon. Marc Miller (Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Lib.)
  • Feb/1/24 2:43:15 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as people heard yesterday, we are providing the money. Quebec has done more than its share, and we applaud its efforts. There is still work to be done to speed up the work permit process, and we are doing that. We are working with Quebec to speed up the process so that asylum seekers can work in the health care sector. That is very important, but the starting point is working collaboratively with the Government of Quebec.
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Context: House Hansard - 273 - Feb/1/24
Mrs. Claude DeBellefeuille
  • Feb/1/24 4:06:19 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, during question period today, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship misled the House by insinuating that the leader of the Bloc Québécois compared immigrants to heat pumps. That is not what he did. I think we need to listen closely to what the leader of the Bloc Québécois said because he was actually condemning the minister's refusal to reimburse Quebeckers for the costs they have incurred by generously welcoming asylum seekers to Quebec. Serious questions deserve serious answers from the minister, not contempt. Madam Speaker, I would ask that you have a listen and direct the member for Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs to withdraw his remarks and apologize.
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