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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 57

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
April 25, 2022 11:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 57 - Apr/25/22
Ms. Jenny Kwan (Vancouver East, NDP)
  • Apr/25/22 2:49:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the minister said he would not implement visa-free travel for people fleeing Putin's war because it would take 14 to 16 weeks, even though Ireland managed to do it within a few days. To no one's surprise, there is now a backlog of over 100,000 Ukrainians waiting for visa approval. They are mostly women, children and seniors. When they arrive, they will need supports immediately. That means getting landed status. The government needs to stop hiding behind layers of bureaucracy. When will the minister implement visa-free travel and provide Ukrainians with status within 90 days of arrival?
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Context: House Hansard - 57 - Apr/25/22
Hon. Sean Fraser (Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Lib.)
  • Apr/25/22 2:50:17 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our mission at the outset of this effort was to create the fastest possible pathway for Ukrainians to get to Canada where they could benefit from the safe haven our country could offer. I am pleased to share that, as of last week, more than 56,000 Ukrainians have already been approved to come to Canada in the first few weeks we were making approvals. This is something Canadians can be proud of. We are going to continue to do whatever we can, not only to get Ukrainians here, but also to support them once they arrive. It is the right thing to do, and I am so pleased to have the support of Canadians in every community right across this country.
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Context: House Hansard - 57 - Apr/25/22
Hon. Sean Fraser (Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Lib.)
  • Apr/25/22 3:00:07 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, while the hon. member is busy collecting Subway coupons and writing jokes at the table, we are busy bringing Ukrainians to Canada. There are 16,000 Ukrainians who made it to Canada already this year. In the first few weeks, since we introduced a new program, almost 60,000 more have been approved. We are starting to see flights come. We have set up reception at the airports in Toronto, Edmonton, Vancouver, Quebec and Montreal. We are working with settlement agencies, more than 550 organizations right across Canada. Every step of the way, we advance new measures to get people here. This latest measure, which the member is poking fun at, will see at least 10,000 people get here cost-free. That is the right thing to do and he should be proud of it.
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