SoVote

Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 13

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
December 8, 2021 02:00PM
Context: House Hansard - 13 - Dec/8/21
Ms. Jenny Kwan (Vancouver East, NDP)
  • Dec/8/21 2:18:16 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, food bank use in Canada climbed 20% with the pandemic and topped 1.3 million monthly visits. It is the largest increase since the 2008 recession. With the clawback of the GIS and the Canada child benefit, and the elimination of COVID emergency benefits, food banks face further increases in demand. Food banks alone do not solve hunger. They are a symptom of the root problem of poverty. Who are the faces of poverty? They are families, women, seniors, people with disabilities and low-wage earners. They are our friends and our neighbours. Fixed income earners’ buying power has been decimated and we can do something about it. Former NDP leader Ed Broadbent received unanimous support for his motion in 1989 to eradicate child poverty by the year 2000. That was more than three decades ago. The Liberal government has a chance to address the affordability crisis with the fiscal update. A guaranteed livable basic income is the path forward. Better is possible.
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Context: House Hansard - 13 - Dec/8/21
Ms. Jenny Kwan (Vancouver East, NDP)
  • Dec/8/21 10:45:41 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I will be splitting my time with my colleague, the member for Nunavut. I will be asking questions of the minister without preamble. Will the minister waive the refugee determination requirements for Afghan refugees as the government has done for the Syrian refugee initiative?
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Context: House Hansard - 13 - Dec/8/21
Ms. Jenny Kwan
  • Dec/8/21 10:46:15 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I hope that does not take away from my time allocation.
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Context: House Hansard - 13 - Dec/8/21
Ms. Jenny Kwan
  • Dec/8/21 10:46:27 p.m.
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Madam Chair, will the minister waive the refugee determination requirements for Afghan refugees as the government has done for the Syrian refugee initiative?
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Context: House Hansard - 13 - Dec/8/21
Ms. Jenny Kwan
  • Dec/8/21 10:46:56 p.m.
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Madam Chair, that was not the question. It was about refugee determination. I know that the minister did not answer the question. Either she does not know the answer or she is refusing to answer it. My next question is this. If they are not able to obtain a refugee determination from the UNHCR, they will not be able to seek refugee status from Canada. How can they then get to safety?
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Context: House Hansard - 13 - Dec/8/21
Ms. Jenny Kwan
  • Dec/8/21 10:47:29 p.m.
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Madam Chair, again, the minister did not answer the question. Many Afghan interpreters and their families, human rights activists, women and girls are in a dire situation as they are not able to secure visas, or renew passports or other travel documents. Will the Canadian government provide temporary travel documents to these individuals including a TRP?
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Context: House Hansard - 13 - Dec/8/21
Ms. Jenny Kwan
  • Dec/8/21 10:48:24 p.m.
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Madam Chair, the minister is refusing to answer or even touch on any of the issues that I am asking of her. Has the cabinet approved the 40,000 Afghan refugee target announced by the Prime Minister?
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Context: House Hansard - 13 - Dec/8/21
Ms. Jenny Kwan
  • Dec/8/21 10:49:04 p.m.
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Madam Chair, that is not even one-tenth of what the government said it would bring in. Have the cabinet approved the 40,000 target that has been announced?
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Context: House Hansard - 13 - Dec/8/21
Ms. Jenny Kwan
  • Dec/8/21 10:49:40 p.m.
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Madam Chair, have any of the caps on refugee admissions been met this year?
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Context: House Hansard - 13 - Dec/8/21
Ms. Jenny Kwan
  • Dec/8/21 10:49:56 p.m.
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Madam Chair, these are fairly straight-up questions for the minister. I do not know why she is avoiding answering any of them. Can the minister tell us if the current immigration levels can accommodate the 40,000 Afghan refugee target?
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Context: House Hansard - 13 - Dec/8/21
Ms. Jenny Kwan
  • Dec/8/21 10:50:43 p.m.
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Madam Chair, the minister is not answering any of my questions. She keeps on reciting the message box, but not answering any of the questions. Canadians are extremely generous even during these difficult times. Many want to privately sponsor refugees to Canada, so will the government increase the number of sponsorship agreement holders?
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Context: House Hansard - 13 - Dec/8/21
Ms. Jenny Kwan
  • Dec/8/21 10:51:30 p.m.
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Madam Chair, will the government increase the number of sponsorship agreement holders?
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Context: House Hansard - 13 - Dec/8/21
Ms. Jenny Kwan
  • Dec/8/21 10:51:52 p.m.
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Madam Chair, November is usually when the new immigration levels plan is released. This year, no immigration levels plan has been made public. When will the immigration levels plan be made available?
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Context: House Hansard - 13 - Dec/8/21
Ms. Jenny Kwan
  • Dec/8/21 10:52:24 p.m.
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Madam Chair, as the minister knows, normally a new immigration level plan is tabled every November and there is not one this year. There is a huge backlog in the immigration system with every stream. When does the minister anticipate we will get back to pre-pandemic levels?
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Context: House Hansard - 13 - Dec/8/21
Ms. Jenny Kwan
  • Dec/8/21 10:53:05 p.m.
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Madam Chair, families are waiting two to three years for their application to be processed. At the rate in which things are going, it is going to take three years to process and get us back to pre-pandemic levels to clear the backlog. A number of caregivers have passed Canadian nursing exams and have met all licensing requirements to practise, but are unable to do so because of employer-specific work permits. This is a waste of talent, especially at a time when we have a nursing shortage. Will the minister expedite their PR applications or provide them with a bridging open work permit so they are able to work in the health care system?
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