Hon. Sean Fraser, P.C., M.P., Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship: Your Honour, with respect to the honourable senator’s question, I expect that members of the Senate will appreciate that when it comes to specific visa applications, I’m not at liberty to comment.

That said, the families of the victims of PS752 have suffered an egregious injustice. We’ve advanced certain measures, including from an immigration perspective but not exclusively so, to see if we can better support those families. I do agree with the Prime Minister that it was a mistake to invite the Iranian soccer team to take part in that match.

Thankfully, better judgment prevailed, and at the end of the day, the game did not happen. There was a request for an additional soccer team to come and fill the space. That game didn’t happen either, not as a result of anything to do with immigration but, I understand, labour negotiations between the athletes and the organization.

With respect, there was no special effort made on my part regarding the particular soccer match that the honourable senator has referred to.

Senator Duncan: Yes. Senator LaBoucane-Benson, is it possible that this “cut-and-paste,” as you refer to it, took place at the technical level, rather than the political level?

Senator LaBoucane-Benson: I cannot answer for sure, and we really do need to ask that question in committee, but it seems to me to be a technical cut-and-paste. But, again, this needs to be resolved in committee.

Hon. Sean Fraser, P.C., M.P., Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship: Thank you very much, senator. I have great respect for officers of Parliament and for the need to operate in a context of free and proactive disclosure of information. For what it’s worth, I spent some time working for a human rights organization in South Africa to promote those very values.

With respect to Bill C-13, some of the challenges that we deal with in terms of how money will be spent are tied to the fact that the bill hasn’t been passed yet. To the extent that there are things that could shift before the final version of the bill is in place, of course, that would impact the decisions that we would take that are germane to what the PBO is looking for.

I would be happy to get back to you as soon as I’m able to do so with whatever outstanding information there may be. We’ll look forward to continuing our engagement with the PBO to make sure we’re operating in an environment that promotes the disclosure of information and transparency in government spending. I think that’s a very important principle in our democracy.

Hon. Yonah Martin (Deputy Leader of the Opposition): Thank you, minister, for being here.

Minister, tomorrow will mark 10 months since Kabul fell to the Taliban. It’s a terrible stain on our country that Afghans who risked their lives alongside Canadian soldiers and diplomats who are now seeking safety in Canada have not yet received a response from your department almost a year later. On May 12, you told a committee of the other place that everyone would get a response from your department in a matter of weeks to let them know if they will be brought into the special resettlement program or not. You said they would “. . . have an answer in a very short period of time . . . .”

That has not happened, minister. Your office told The Globe and Mail on Monday that more clarity would be provided in the coming weeks. Your government left these Afghans behind to focus on an election no one wanted, and you still can’t help them. How much longer do you expect Afghans living in constant fear of the Taliban to wait?

Hon. Jean-Guy Dagenais: I want to come back to the issue of Roxham Road. I would like an update on the number of people who have illegally entered Canada through this “hole” in our border, which I would describe as a one-way breach from the United States. How many people have entered Canada via Roxham Road? How many people have been deported? How much has all of this cost us?

Hon. Sean Fraser, P.C., M.P., Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship: First of all, the experience this woman has had is completely unacceptable. Sexual violence, particularly against women, is an absolute scourge on our society. Frankly, I think that, as men, we need to do whatever we can to encourage men and boys not to be bystanders and witness the kind of behaviour that allows people to transform into these perpetrators of sexual violence.

There should be a criminal record check. I need to dig into the specifics of this individual case. I’m reticent to comment about it, not being aware of the application process of this particular individual.

When it comes to decisions that are taken by the court, senator, I think you will appreciate that they are completely independent of what the government would do. From my perspective, serious criminality is justification to have a temporary resident — under whichever stream they may have used to enter Canada — deported from Canada. In my view, it’s enough to prevent them from arriving in the first place.

To the extent that you would like to follow up with our team to have us dig more deeply into the individual facts of this case, perhaps that is something we can take a look at.

With respect to serious criminality, that is certainly grounds for being denied entry to Canada. I don’t have before me the specific facts on the file of this individual case. What is most important is that we believe and support survivors of sexualized violence and ensure we continue to put tools in place to prevent this kind of thing from ever happening.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, I wish to draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Elaine R. Goldstein, spouse of the late Honourable Senator Goldstein; Dahna Goldstein, his daughter; Sarah Altschuller, his daughter-in-law; Ezra Altschuller, his grandson; Doron Goldstein, his son; and friends and collaborators of the late senator.

On behalf of all honourable senators, I welcome you to the Senate of Canada.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, our interpreters tell us that the issue has been resolved, so we will recommence with the answer from Minister Fraser to Senator Plett’s question.

To answer the question, I was grateful for the work that Mr. Seeback had done, as well as that of members of the committee. We agreed with the spirit of the private member’s bill as it was put forward; however, I had some reservations about its content, including, for example, the fairly unrestricted nature on the medical insurance that would have been available without having an opportunity to vet the insurance providers.

By making certain changes but still moving forward with the essence of the bill, we’re going to be able to do a lot of good and reunite families who may not have qualified for permanent programs. Had this been about credit, we probably would have had a big flashy announcement, but to me, and I hope to Mr. Seeback and others, this is and always was about reuniting families.

On the Order:

Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Coyle, seconded by the Honourable Senator Deacon (Nova Scotia), for the second reading of Bill S-9, An Act to amend the Chemical Weapons Convention Implementation Act.

The Hon. the Speaker pro tempore: Is leave granted, honourable senators?

Hon. Yvonne Boyer introduced Bill S-250, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (sterilization procedures).

(Bill read first time.)

The Hon. the Speaker pro tempore: Honourable senators, when shall this bill be read the second time?

(On motion of Senator Boyer, bill placed on the Orders of the Day for second reading two days hence.)

The Hon. the Speaker: Would Senator LaBoucane-Benson accept a question?

Senator LaBoucane-Benson: I will.

Hon. Amina Gerba: Minister, the immigrant entrepreneur program requires investments — for example, purchasing a business — before applicants even know whether their work permit application has been approved. However, investing in Canada does not guarantee that your immigration application will be approved. Minister, your website states that immigrants are selected on the basis of their potential contribution to the country’s economy. Can you tell us what measures your department is putting in place to increase the number of immigrant entrepreneurs who could contribute to our country’s prosperity?

[English]

Hon. Clément Gignac: Thank you, minister, for being here with us. Under the terms of the Canada-Quebec Accord signed in 1991, Quebec has more authority over immigration than any other province and is responsible for selecting skilled workers. Still, given the decline of French in the Montreal area, where nearly 85% of immigrants choose to settle when they come to Quebec, the province recently asked to fully repatriate all immigration powers. The Premier of Quebec even spoke of the risk of Quebec becoming another Louisiana in North America. I won’t ask you to comment on those remarks. However, I would like you to explain the reasons and motives behind your reluctance to grant more powers to Quebec so that it can control all the tools needed to protect the French language.

The Hon. the Speaker: Pursuant to the order of Thursday, June 9, I leave the chair for the Senate to receive Mr. Philippe Dufresne respecting his nomination as Privacy Commissioner. The Honourable Senator Ringuette will chair the committee. To facilitate appropriate distancing, she will preside the committee from the Speaker’s chair.

[Translation]

On the Order:

The Senate in Committee of the Whole in order to receive Mr. Philippe Dufresne respecting his appointment as Privacy Commissioner.

(The sitting of the Senate was suspended and put into Committee of the Whole, the Honourable Pierrette Ringuette in the chair.)

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, the time for Question Period has expired. I’m certain all colleagues will want to join me in thanking Minister Fraser for being with us today.

Thank you, minister. We look forward to seeing you again in the future.

The Hon. the Speaker: Thank you very much, colleagues.

Hon. Senators: Question.

The Hon. the Speaker: Honourable senators, we welcome today the Honourable Sean Fraser, P.C., M.P., Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, to ask questions relating to his ministerial responsibilities.

Pursuant to the order adopted by the Senate on December 7, 2021, senators do not need to stand. Questions are limited to one minute and responses to one and a half minutes. The reading clerk will stand 10 seconds before the expiry of these times. Question Period will last one hour.

On behalf of all senators, minister, welcome to the Senate of Canada.