- Member of Parliament
- Member of Parliament
- Conservative
- Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry
- Ontario
- Voting Attendance: 64%
- Expenses Last Quarter: $135,225.85
- Government Page
- Mar/6/23 7:01:46 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, in that four-minute response by the government, and after 34 days of going public with the problem of wanting a plan and resources, we got the same answer: It is listening, it is consulting and it is meeting. Having a meeting is not an outcome, but the Liberals could confirm and communicate that they acknowledge their shortcomings and acknowledge that communication was poor.
Most importantly, what the City of Cornwall and our community are asking for are proper resources. Some $16 million is what has been unveiled so far to go to DEV centre for its contract. We do not know about the former Ramada Inn property. There are tens of millions of dollars to go to those sites, and not a dollar can be allocated to local resources on the ground that could help end the chaos and act as a pinwheel. The IRCC and the minister need a plan to actually solve this chaos, not more meetings and conversations. We need a plan.
I will ask this again, and there is one minute for a response. Where is the plan and the timeline to fix what the government broke?
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- Mar/6/23 6:53:09 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I have said in this House and during question period, a growing number of Canadians believe that everything feels broken in this country. There is correlation and a connection to what they are feeling that brokenness from: the poor management from the current Liberal government.
Whether it was when Veterans Affairs Canada officials admitted that their staff offered MAID to multiple veterans when they were looking for help or the lack of accountability when it comes to foreign interference, getting to the bottom of it and having transparency to make sure it never happens again, Canadians feel like their federal government is broken. When it comes to trying to get a passport or accessing an airport with ease and reasonableness, they feel like things are broken. If anybody has ever gotten a bill from CRA when they owe $41.72, they get the letter right away and it says they have 30 days to pay or the penalties start. Then, the Auditor General said there was $15 billion in fraudulent and wrong payments that went out by the government, and the government says it is not worth even trying to collect on this.
Everybody increasingly believes that the federal government is broken because of the opioid overdose epidemic that is happening in many parts of this country. Only a couple of weeks ago, to the Prime Minister's surprise, the government suddenly found out that there was a permit granted to produce and distribute cocaine in British Columbia. Sadly, the leader of the party said today, very clearly, that it is easier to get a permit to distribute and produce cocaine in British Columbia than it is to get a passport. That speaks volumes about what Canadians are seeing these days.
After eight years, everything the federal government touches gets worse. There are more public servants than ever before. More money is being spent and allocated and promised, but the results are worse than ever. The Auditor General confirms the government spends more money and gets fewer results, so Canadians feel like things are broken because if this were any other business or any other way of life, those managers would have been fired a long time ago.
I want to follow up on how the City of Cornwall is unfortunately seeing how things are broken in our country these days. It is seeing Roxham Road and the national problem and challenge that we have faced of an unprecedented volume of irregular border crossings, with people seeking asylum and refugee status here in this country.
Thirty-four days ago, I put out a public statement because two large processing centres came into the community, but the Minister of Immigration did not say a word or acknowledge it. The minister provided zero consultation, zero heads-up and zero resources to help the City of Cornwall deal with this.
Cornwall is a welcoming community. We have seen the diversity, and we have seen the benefits of immigration over the course of the last couple of years. However, it has been 34 days, and it has been a couple of weeks since I asked my original question. We had a week and a half since IRCC officials came to Cornwall to hear first-hand how frustrated the city is by the poor communication, leadership and management around that.
From city council to provincial and federal officials, local charities, health and education, people are looking for a plan. After 34 days of this going public but months of the government's knowing the chaos and the confusion and the strain on local resources on the ground, they are looking for a plan.
They finally came down to Cornwall and listened, admitted their communication was poor and admitted that something needs to change. Months later, they are hearing the consultations. Having a meeting is not an outcome. They have heard the problem. The City of Cornwall and the stakeholders who want to help, who want to end this chaos and fix what the government has broken, want a plan. My repeated question and follow-up to the government tonight is this: What is the plan? What resources are we going to get to address the problem when it comes to the IRCC processing centre?
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- Feb/10/23 12:05:52 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the minister is telling the people of Cornwall that there is absolutely no problem when it comes to his failed, broken system in this processing centre. Do not take my word for it; take the words of the mayor of Cornwall, who said this week, “The IRCC is not on site, they’re not here. They’re in Ottawa managing this file from an arm’s-length distance…to make decisions about it without consulting with us or hearing our side, that’s not effective”. I could not agree more.
For the minister to paint such a rosy picture, when there is so much chaos happening in Cornwall because of his poor leadership, is tone deaf and out of touch. When will he fix the problem—
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- Feb/10/23 12:04:33 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, after eight years, everything in this country feels like it is broken, and we need look no further than Cornwall, Ontario, to find another example of Liberal incompetence. Months ago the Liberals signed contracts with local hotels for a major Roxham Road processing centre, but local partners on the ground received zero notice, consultation or resources. The Liberals have broken our immigration system, and their chaos is hurting my community.
Will the Prime Minister take responsibility for this mess so we can fix what he broke?
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