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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 13

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
December 8, 2021 02:00PM
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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Hon. Mona Fortier
  • Dec/8/21 10:47:13 p.m.
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Madam Chair, again, we are committed to bringing the Afghan refugees and different communities here to Canada. We will continue to work hard to bring the refugees to Canada.
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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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Hon. Mona Fortier
  • Dec/8/21 10:47:57 p.m.
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Madam Chair, in August 2021, the Taliban took control of Afghanistan. Canada is extremely concerned about the deterioration of the humanitarian and security situation in Afghanistan. We will continue to evacuate the 40,000 Afghans we want to bring to the country. So far—
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The Assistant Deputy Chair
  • Dec/8/21 10:48:21 p.m.
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The hon. member for Vancouver East.
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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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Hon. Mona Fortier
  • Dec/8/21 10:48:41 p.m.
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Madam Chair, since the beginning of this crisis, our government has been working very hard to coordinate efforts to ensure that the 40,000 Afghans we promised to bring to Canada will be able to come here safely. So far, more than 3,800 members of the Afghan community have arrived in Canada, and we will continue—
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The Assistant Deputy Chair
  • Dec/8/21 10:49:02 p.m.
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The hon. member for Vancouver East.
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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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Hon. Mona Fortier
  • Dec/8/21 10:49:17 p.m.
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Madam Chair, once again, we are working very hard to meet our objective. As the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship announced yesterday, two planes transporting more than 500 Afghans arrived in Canada today.
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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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Hon. Mona Fortier
  • Dec/8/21 10:49:45 p.m.
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Madam Chair, our objectives are very clear, and we will continue to do what is necessary to meet them.
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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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Hon. Mona Fortier
  • Dec/8/21 10:50:15 p.m.
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Madam Chair, as I already said, we have an objective. We have been able to bring in more than 3,800 Afghans, 500 of whom arrived in the past 24 hours. We are concerned about people's health and safety and are working with our partners and allies to continue these efforts—
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The Assistant Deputy Chair
  • Dec/8/21 10:50:39 p.m.
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The hon. member for Vancouver East.
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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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Hon. Mona Fortier
  • Dec/8/21 10:51:08 p.m.
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Madam Chair, we must thank those Canadians who are helping with the effort to bring Afghans to Canada. As I mentioned, we will continue to do our best to ensure we get them to Canada as quickly as possible.
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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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Hon. Mona Fortier
  • Dec/8/21 10:51:36 p.m.
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Madam Chair, we continue to look for different ways to bring the 40,000 Afghans to Canada as we promised in our election campaign, and we confirmed it again during—
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The Assistant Deputy Chair
  • Dec/8/21 10:51:49 p.m.
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The hon. member for Vancouver East.
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