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
  • 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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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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Hon. Mona Fortier
  • Dec/8/21 10:52:05 p.m.
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Madam Chair, the 2021-23 immigration levels plan was tabled in October 2020. We will continue to follow this plan that we established. The immigration minister will obviously revise—
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The Assistant Deputy Chair
  • Dec/8/21 10:52:21 p.m.
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The hon. member for Vancouver East.
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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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Hon. Mona Fortier
  • Dec/8/21 10:52:43 p.m.
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Madam Chair, we know that the pandemic has put a lot of pressure on us to continue our efforts to receive immigrants and refugees in Canada. The minister responsible has told the House that we will propose targets—
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The Assistant Deputy Chair
  • Dec/8/21 10:53:05 p.m.
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The hon. member for Vancouver East.
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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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Hon. Mona Fortier
  • Dec/8/21 10:53:49 p.m.
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Madam Chair, once again, I am very pleased to answer my hon. colleague's questions. It is important and one of our government's priorities to welcome skilled immigrants to help us with the labour shortage in several areas, including health care.
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Ms. Lori Idlout (Nunavut, NDP)
  • Dec/8/21 10:54:18 p.m.
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Iksivauta, I have appreciated the ministers' responses and their willingness to work together. I will be asking my questions for the Indigenous Services Minister. I understand and acknowledge that they have been willing to work together. In my line of questioning, I will ask responses to be provided with timelines and amounts. My first question is regarding housing in Nunavut. Could the minister please advise how the federal government is investing in new housing for Nunavut in this fiscal year?
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Hon. Marc Miller (Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, Lib.)
  • Dec/8/21 10:54:57 p.m.
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Madam Chair, there are two timelines that are important to bear in mind for people. One, the $500 million in infrastructure that we committed has gone through the Treasury Board. That is intended for shovel-ready projects in Inuit Nunangat over the next three to five years, conscious of the construction season as well. We announced, during our campaign, a commitment to a specific Inuit amount in housing of $300 million. We want to get that out as quickly as possible. Obviously we will work with partners, including ITK and the territorial government.
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