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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 285

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
February 26, 2024 11:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 285 - Feb/26/24
Mr. Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe (Lac-Saint-Jean, BQ)
  • Feb/26/24 2:45:50 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the government already owed Quebec $470 million for services rendered to asylum seekers. Its debt has just climbed to $1 billion. These are not projections, these are the bills incurred for guaranteeing the asylum seekers quick access to social assistance, temporary housing, health care and schooling. Ottawa's refusal to pay Quebec what it owes is sabotaging our capacity to not only integrate these asylum seekers, but also serve the entire population. When will the government reimburse Quebeckers?
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Context: House Hansard - 285 - Feb/26/24
Mr. Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe (Lac-Saint-Jean, BQ)
  • Feb/26/24 2:47:01 p.m.
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It is a great relationship, Mr. Speaker. For months, the minister has been repeating that he is at the negotiating table with Quebec, but there are no negotiations going on. The Quebec immigration minister confirmed that on Thursday, when she said that the federal government has been wasting Quebec's time for two years. Fortunately, we know that the premiers will be meeting in the coming weeks. I would like to remind the House that Quebec's budget will be tabled on March 12 and that we are talking about $1 billion here. Will the government announce today that it will pay back Quebeckers?
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Context: House Hansard - 285 - Feb/26/24
Mr. Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe (Lac-Saint-Jean, BQ)
  • Feb/26/24 2:48:07 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, that just goes to show that just because a person is six foot, three inches tall does not mean they are able to take the high road. The federal government also needs to ensure that asylum seekers are spread out among the provinces. Everyone has to put in their share of the efforts. The federal government finally started spreading out the influx last year. However, the last time we asked it to start doing this again, the minister accused us of wanting to deport people, which is a crime against humanity. Were the Liberals guilty of a crime against humanity when they were spreading out asylum seekers last year? Obviously not, so why are they not getting to work now, before Quebec's public services collapse?
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