44th Parl. 1st Sess.
November 30, 2022 02:00PM
- Nov/30/22 2:44:47 p.m.
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Let us continue, Mr. Speaker. We are not talking about the integrity of institutions. We are talking about the integrity of the Liberal Party of Canada.
I would like to remind the House that this Prime Minister refused to denounce China's genocide of the Uighurs and he refused to impose sanctions on China in the Uighur file.
Can the Prime Minister tell us whether any of our institutions have looked into the Chinese funding in the Liberal riding of Papineau in 2016?
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- Nov/30/22 3:02:04 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, when questioned a little more closely, the Prime Minister talks about everything, but not once did he mention the riding of Papineau.
He is responsible for protecting our democracy, but he seems to care more about funding by Chinese interests and the British Crown than about democracy. I will try again.
Does the Prime Minister recognize that in 2016, in 48 hours, his riding received $70,000 in funding from Chinese nationals?
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- Nov/30/22 3:03:19 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, assuming I will not get a more specific answer than that, let me be perfectly clear. I am taking that as a “yes”.
In 2016, the riding of Papineau received $70,000 from Chinese interests in 48 hours. Basically, I have two questions.
Was the Prime Minister briefed on funding in his riding? Here is the second thing I am curious about. Was there an investigation into funding in his riding? Was he the recipient of Chinese funding, or the target of Chinese influence or interference in Papineau in 2016?
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- Nov/30/22 3:09:15 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Châteauguay—Lacolle for her question and her hard work.
Our ecosystems are precious and fragile, and we must protect them. On Monday, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change announced more than $8.7 million in funding over the next three years through the habitat stewardship program for species at risk. This funding will support 67 conservation projects led by people across Canada who are taking action to recover species at risk in their communities. It is the right thing to do, and we are doing it.
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- Nov/30/22 3:17:22 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by thanking the member for her long-standing advocacy.
We are excited about stepping up to welcome the world for COP15, focused on nature and biodiversity, because we know how much it matters. In Montreal, we will be pushing countries for results on funding, protected areas and more. At home this week, we announced money for 67 projects to protect species across the country. We have gone from protecting less than 1% of our coastal areas before 2015 to protecting over 14%. I am looking forward to sharing more next week in Montreal.
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Mr. Speaker, I asked him to consult with the Nuu-chah-nulth in my riding to measure how they are doing. I invite the members, really with an olive branch, to come and meet with the Nuu-chah-nulth people.
Now, there are some good things happening. Just two weeks ago, the B.C. government, working with the Huu-ay-aht First Nations, announced the creation of the Oomiiqsu mother's centre. It is creating a safe and culturally appropriate home. It is an indigenous-led model of care for women who are trying to keep their families together, who are leaving abuse, facing mental health and addiction disorders, or who are living in poverty and trauma. However, there is still no federal money. I hope that the government will live up to the council's recommendations and deliver funding.
Will the government work with the Province of British Columbia and ensure that we are delivering on that first call to action and make it a priority?
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- Nov/30/22 6:53:54 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, as the member knows, Canada has faced a number of events that let to IRCC having a large volume of files that are being treated in timelines outside of processing standards.
The global pandemic led to the closure of borders and offices around the world. As Canada is among the top destinations in the world for immigrants and refugees seeking a new life, demand continued to grow during this time. When travel restrictions were lifted, there was a massive number of applications to come to Canada. While tackling the growing demand, the government also faced a back-to-back humanitarian crises in Afghanistan and Ukraine. Thankfully, our government was able to step up quickly and offer much-needed support to those who were the most vulnerable.
Our government also responded well to each challenge as they came up because we know that immigration is critically important for our country's economy. That is why we have been investing to make sure that our immigration system works well. The fall 2021 economic and fiscal update announced $85 million in funding for IRCC and federal partner organizations to reduce the inventories and support a return to service standards. In the fall 2022 economic and fiscal update, an additional $50 million was committed to continue to address the application backlog and speed up processing times. These investments are already yielding significant results.
As of October 31, the department has hired over 1,000 new employees and is expected to add up to 400 more by the end of March 31, 2023. Over 850 of those employees have already been trained and are fully operational. Further, we have implemented technology-based solutions and streamlined processes; improved policy; re-examined our risk tolerance; and leveraged provincial, territorial and other partners to ensure we are able to respond quickly and effectively to client concerns.
Here are some very telling statistics for 2022 compared to 2021: IRCC has processed over 135% more PR applications, nearly three times more work permits, nearly one-third more study permits and nearly five times more temporary resident visas.
We have been taking concrete steps to reduce the number of applications in the system that have been in the inventory for longer than service standards. Our government knows that the wait is too long for those hoping to come to Canada to start their new lives, reunite with loved ones or further their education, and for business owners seeking valued foreign workers.
We are working hard to address the challenges and return to the service standards that our clients expect, and that is what Canada's future students, workers, permanent residents and citizens expect. I am proud to stand on behalf of our government and reassert our commitment to improve processing, reduce backlogs and ensure that our immigration system works for everyone.
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