44th Parl. 1st Sess.
February 10, 2023 10:00AM
- Feb/10/23 10:41:52 a.m.
- Watch
- Re: Bill S-8
Madam Speaker, I wanted to give the member the actual count, but I can assure him that Stephen Harper had dozens of pieces of legislation that came from the Senate into the House. It could be as high as 45. He might want to reflect on his last comment.
Yes, we would like to see the legislation pass. The member mentions what he will refer to months from now. We only need to look at this week. It is Friday. There was a Tuesday opposition day and a Thursday opposition day; Wednesday is a short day. Monday was a government day, but the Conservatives brought in another opposition day by bringing in a concurrence motion; therefore, we were not allowed to debate government bills. They cannot have it both ways. They cannot play political games in the chamber and then say the government is not calling legislation. We would like to see this legislation pass.
What are his thoughts on that?
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- Feb/10/23 10:42:51 a.m.
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- Re: Bill S-8
Madam Speaker, the member for Winnipeg North likes to bring up what happened over eight years ago. That is over a decade ago. I do not think Netflix existed back then. What does what happened eight years ago have to do with Bill S-8 and the current legislation we are debating?
The government passed a motion so it can do evening sittings, but it has chosen not to exercise it many times. This is a choice made by the government House leader. The choices the government makes indicate where its priorities are or maybe that it simply does not have a plan for what government legislation is absolutely critical. On this particular one, I am pleased with the contents of the legislation, but I am worried about enforcement. I am worried about whether Iranian nationals who came to Canada years ago, post-2015, would be able to stay here because there would be no enforcement of the provisions in Bill S-8.
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- Feb/10/23 10:43:52 a.m.
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- Re: Bill S-8
Madam Speaker, can my colleague expand on why the enforcement piece is so important in a bill like this and how this bill is lacking that? In his speech, he also outlined many instances where the government has enforcement tools at its disposal right now but seems to be very reluctant to use them, particularly when it comes to sanctions.
What could the government be doing within its existing purview to ensure that those Canada has placed sanctions on, even some of the weak ones that we already have, are actually subject to some of the punishments that would be associated with the same?
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- Feb/10/23 10:44:34 a.m.
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- Re: Bill S-8
Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the member for the question. She has the theme right, which is the enforcement of the provisions. The government could be directing the Canada Border Services Agency to focus on the deportation of dangerous foreign nationals, or specifically, nationals from the Islamic Republic of Iran who are known affiliate members of the regime. It could focus on individuals who have been found or are strongly suspected to be associated with human rights violations in places like the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
There are individuals in this country who are either violent criminals or associated with regimes that are inherently violent. That is a political direction the government could give directly to the CBSA. As I mentioned before, I have a response from the government saying it has only followed through on half its deportation orders.
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- Feb/10/23 10:45:32 a.m.
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- Re: Bill S-8
Madam Speaker, can the member expand on what the government's delays in taking action mean to our trading partners? What signal does this send to our partners in fighting these type of regimes?
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- Feb/10/23 10:45:49 a.m.
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- Re: Bill S-8
Madam Speaker, the signal it sends to other countries is that we are slow to act. That was the case when the protest in Iran happened, for example. It took the government six to eight weeks before it actually reacted as a government. There were statements made in the House by different government caucus members for sure, and members on our side of the House mentioned it as well. However, there was delayed action in putting people and organizations on the regimes list. Moreover, we have not done the final thing, which I think is what this House has actually called for since 2018.
We passed a Conservative motion to list the IRGC as a terrorist organization. With that, we can then go to court, where our partners and allies will see that Canada takes its role seriously in the world as a defender of human rights. Right now, we do not have it, so listing the IRGC, in the case of Iran, would actually show that we are serious about pursuing human rights violators in our country.
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- Feb/10/23 10:46:47 a.m.
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- Re: Bill S-8
Madam Speaker, for my constituents, I will say that we are debating a bill that proposes to establish a legal framework for persons to be declared inadmissible or deported from Canada under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act due to their person, country of origin or organization being subject to sanctions.
I want to pick up on my colleague's theme of the enforcement of sanctions. I think what the government is trying to do with this bill is make sure that no cases slip through the cracks, even though there are already a lot of mechanisms that exist in Canadian law to ensure that such persons would not have access to Canada. To pick up on the theme of enforcement, and my colleague from Calgary Shepard just outlined some of the issues with the enforcement of sanctions, the government deputy House leader also said that there may be people in Canada who are subject to sanctions the government has not yet moved to act on, which is troubling. The government has had eight years to deal with these sorts of instances, and it has not. However, the theme of slipping through the cracks is much broader than just this bill when it comes to the immigration system.
To give an example of how I do not feel this bill adequately addresses enforcement mechanisms, I would like to draw my colleague's attention to an article that was published just moments ago in the Globe and Mail, which states that a member of the other place issued 640 documents to Afghan nationals, and I have seen one instance of these, which apparently said that individuals had been granted a visa to enter Canada. This was done through questioning over the last several days. The current Minister of Immigration said this was done without the authorization of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. What the IRCC said was that this senator did not have the authority, as no one does in this place, to issue visas.
Yesterday, at the immigration committee, I outlined an instance of the family of one of my constituents receiving this letter, which frankly fooled me for nearly a year. They thought they had received a visa or permission to enter Canada, but even after a year of trying to deal with virtually every department in the Government of Canada, we could never get confirmation as to what documentation the government was or was not using. As the story is unfolding today, we are now seeing, in an affidavit put forward yesterday in a related court case by the affected person from the other place, as well a consultant named Laura Robinson, that there were apparently 640 instances of these letters being issued.
What is worse is I know that the IRCC, GAC and other agencies were aware of at least the case I was dealing with, and as far as we can tell there was no action taken during this time. However, today, the affidavit that person put forward with respect to the case also states that this was done at the behest of the chief of staff of the defence minister at the time, whose name I believe is George Young, so that person actually sent these documents to the person from the other place and said to go ahead and use them. These documents say that they have been granted a visa and, at least in the instance I saw, bear a very authentic-looking Government of Canada seal. This is not just an email, but a document with a government seal that purports to grant somebody entry into Canada.
The Globe and Mail article states that, in her affidavit, the senator said she regularly e-mailed the former minister of foreign affairs, the former minister of defence and the former immigration minister, who is now the Minister of Public Safety, as well as their senior staff. The names they gave were Mike Jones and Olga Radchenko.
The issue I have with this is not that we should not be bringing Afghan nationals to Canada, particularly ones such as those in the family of my constituent, who Canada had a duty and obligation to protect. We should have been doing a lot more. The issue I have is that the government called a federal election and, according to this affidavit, allowed a workaround process, which none of us in this place had access to, but it appears it was essentially said that people who were not duly authorized by IRCC had the ability to issue these letters.
There is a reason our immigration process is arm's length and separate from political mechanisms. It is so that we can ensure that the equity of the process is unimpeachable, and that when we are making hard decisions on who comes into this country, particularly in times of crisis, we can assure our constituents that this was done under just and legal circumstances, because that is how we ensure that the public has trust and faith in the institution of the government.
This has enormous implications, and not just for the sanctity of the government's process on immigration. Again, the government is introducing legislation, I think, because it failed to use existing enforcement mechanisms. However, the case we are seeing today also put lives at risk.
The family of my constituent believed that the letters they received, which they thought were coming from a government official, would allow them access to Canada. They came out of hiding and exposed themselves to try to get to the airport. Then, because they were in possession of these letters, my office tried to help them for nearly a year. We understood that they had been approved, so why could they not come to Canada? They were not able to apply for another program, and because they applied late, the government said, “Sorry, there's no room here.”
Now I have to wonder about any other programs that the government put forward to bring Afghan nationals here. Now that there is a civil suit and all sorts of stuff happening, I wonder how they were selecting those persons. Are those persons going to be part of the lawsuit, which it is trying to make go away?
It brings me no joy to raise these matters in the House, but the bottom line is that the government has exposed itself to this type of questioning, because it refused, apparently over the course of a year, and I do not know what happened here, to use basic enforcement mechanisms to see if the documentation that was being presented was authentic. If the government did not have a process to evacuate persons in Afghanistan, it should not have called a federal election. That is just the reality.
I was the vice-chair of the immigration committee for four years. I know my way around the immigration file. However, these documents that came through my office fooled me. Why did they fool me? It was because the government was completely opaque, completely non-transparent, on the process by which it was using to address this situation.
I get that it was chaotic, but part of the duty and onus of the government is to see these things coming, and many colleagues in the House were talking about it for months. We knew this was coming. The government knew that this was a risk, and instead of putting due process in place, it looks like it did a panic workaround, and I think it used a well-intentioned person. The Liberals knew about and should have shut this down to put something in place that was proper, or it should not have called an election. The result of this is a lack of compassion that undermines the integrity of our immigration system and puts people such as those in my constituent's family at risk.
The government needs to do everything possible to find out what happened here and hold persons who are are responsible for this to account. Otherwise, the bill that is in front of us today, or any other mechanism, is always going to have questions attached to it, such as this: Is having a fake visa issued by a member of Parliament or a senator the best way to get to Canada?
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- Feb/10/23 10:56:26 a.m.
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- Re: Bill S-8
Madam Speaker, I would like to pick up on the member's comments regarding the fraudulent documents.
Many years ago, I was also on the immigration standing committee, and I remember the representation on that, because it applies when we talk about individuals who attempt to get into Canada, quite possibly even if they have been sanctioned. However, when we took a look at some of the documentation that was being provided, we found out that we have a whole industry out there that is built on designing documents that look authentic. We need to work with other agencies, particularly other international governments, to deal with that particular industry, because those documents are very convincing.
I wonder if the member could provide further thoughts regarding the appearance of some of those fake documents.
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- Feb/10/23 10:57:30 a.m.
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- Re: Bill S-8
Madam Speaker, we are not talking about an industry in the case I raised. We are talking about a member of the other place, a sitting parliamentarian; a consultant who was paid for by tax dollars through that parliamentarian's office, as far as I can tell on her expense disclosures; and the former chief of staff to the defence minister. There is also a litany of associates of the government who were associated with the affidavit that was filed, so this is not about an industry.
The question I would pose back to my colleague is how anybody could have any confidence in the government, if we are talking about members of the government, parliamentarians, being allowed to issue inauthentic documentation without any sort of recourse or remedy, even though, apparently, they have known about this for a while.
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- Feb/10/23 10:58:23 a.m.
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- Re: Bill S-8
Madam Speaker, I wrote to the then minister of foreign affairs in February of 2021 to demand he take action so that we would not have been in a situation where people were not able to get out of Afghanistan when Kabul fell. Of course, nothing was done. An election was called instead.
However, I wonder if the member agrees we should have the current Minister of Public Safety, the current Minister of International Development and the previous minister of foreign affairs give some testimony in this place so we can be assured that no fraud took place.
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- Feb/10/23 10:59:02 a.m.
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- Re: Bill S-8
Madam Speaker, my colleague is right. Members in this place, including her, know that we had been raising this issue well before the 2021 election when Kabul fell. Members of this place will have the opportunity to talk to their caucuses about a motion in front of the citizenship and immigration committee that would summon these people so they can come to be questioned and held to account by Parliament, if the government will not do the same.
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- Feb/10/23 10:59:44 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I am rising today to bring to the government's attention the high level of concern being expressed by my constituents about their personal safety. There have been many incidents of violence and several have received widely covered attention, as they occurred in our community of Spadina—Fort York. For example, the tragic swarming and murder of Ken Lee, a 59-year-old man, by eight female youth assailants occurred right across the street from my constituency office. A woman was also stabbed on board the Spadina streetcar, the same transportation used by my constituents to go to school, to pick up groceries and to go to work.
My community and our city demand action. Placing a few extra police on subway platforms, while helpful, is not a definitive answer. That is why I have organized a town hall meeting in my riding on February 15 on the issue of community safety. Representatives from the Toronto Police Service will also be present. This meeting gives constituents an opportunity to voice their concerns and explore measures that could be put in place—
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- Feb/10/23 11:00:47 a.m.
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The hon. member for Winnipeg North.
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- Feb/10/23 11:00:51 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, no matter where one lives or what one earns, health care services throughout the country are something we all believe in. They are a core part of what it means to be a Canadian.
There will be $198 billion in additional federal dollars to support health care over the next 10 years. That is a commitment to a national health care program, with access to family doctors or nurse practitioners, support for health care workers and a reduction in backlogs. Mental health is part of health care, and there must be support for data and science, transparency and fairness.
The Canada Health Act matters to all Canadians. I am proud to be part of a government that is so committed to providing one of our core values.
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- Feb/10/23 11:01:58 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, it is good to see you in the House. Welcome back.
It is just incredible that the Liberal government believes Canadians have never had it so good, but it is just plain wrong. The Prime Minister believes his tax-and-spend agreement is just too good to quit, even though over half the country's people think the Prime Minister is just incapable of doing his job.
Record-high inflation just increased by 9%, and it is just some half a trillion in spending that led to this crisis. However, CRA officials think the money is just not worth tracking down.
Canadians are just trying to get by, and that is why the Conservative team is going to make Canada the best place to live on earth again. The carbon tax will then be just a bad nightmare for farmers, and they will be happy that they finally got a break.
It is just the Prime Minister who got Canada into this mess, and Canadians want the Prime Minister to just get out of the way so the Conservatives can just clean it up.
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- Feb/10/23 11:03:03 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I rise today to extend my condolences on the passing of William Joseph Gorman. As an educator, speaker and volunteer, Bill gave of himself freely and touched the lives of many. He was a model of what all good teachers and all good people aspire to be.
My memories of Bill go back to September 1976. In those first few weeks of being back in Canada and going to English school for the first time, not only did I not know anyone but I also could not communicate in English. There was Mr. Gorman, then principal of St. Agnes Elementary and Junior High, who welcomed me with kindness and compassion. He offered support with a smile then, as well as decades later when I decided to run for public office and we reconnected.
To his wife Diane, children Bruce and Cindy, grandchildren and extended family, I offer my sincere condolences. Please know that he will be fondly remembered for his good deeds and actions.
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- Feb/10/23 11:04:12 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, February is Black History Month, and this year's theme is “Black Resistance: Remember, Recognize, and Educate”. After two years of virtual programming, I am thrilled that Black History Month events are being held in person again in Winnipeg.
I want to congratulate Black History Month Manitoba and its chairperson Nadia Thompson. For over 40 years, this organization has played a critical role in serving Black communities and educating the broader public about Black history, Black resistance and the enormous contributions the Black community has made in Manitoba.
I also want to acknowledge my provincial NDP colleague Jamie Moses, the MLA for St. Vital, whose bill to officially recognize February as Black History Month in Manitoba received royal assent on December 1, 2022. I am delighted that the bill passed in time for this February.
Black history is Manitoba history and Winnipeg history. I encourage folks to visit Black History Manitoba's website for a full calendar of events taking place—
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- Feb/10/23 11:05:18 a.m.
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The hon. member for Longueuil—Charles-LeMoyne.
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- Feb/10/23 11:06:27 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, energy affordability is a major concern under the NDP-Liberal costly coalition. While the NDP and the Liberals are clinging to their woke climate dogma, many Canadians are struggling with the decision to put food on their tables or to heat their homes, and it is only going to get worse.
According to the government’s own documents, there will be a nearly 25% increase in electricity demand by 2050, mainly due to these out-of-touch Liberal mandate policies. What is the plan to increase our electricity production? What energy sources will we use to fuel this increase? When will the Liberals begin to build grid capacity in our electrical system?
An upgrade like this is going to cost hundreds of billions of dollars and will take decades to build, but, as usual, the Liberals make the announcement, do the photo op and then do nothing, except this time their obsession with wokeism might literally leave Canadians in the dark, bankrupt or both.
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- Feb/10/23 11:07:27 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the International Day of Women and Girls in Science and the incredible women and girls who have discovered their love for and pursued careers in science and technology.
I am sending my love to all of these women, including the many who work in companies like Nokia, Ericsson and Ciena in my riding of Kanata—Carleton. These women continue to inspire new generations of young girls to explore STEM careers. They are careers in which people can literally change the world.
Despite countless barriers, the traditionally male-dominated fields of science and technology are becoming more and more enriched by the balance that gender equity brings. We must smash stereotypes and clear the hurdles that hold women and girls back. We must strive to expose girls to the fields of science and technology and support their ambitions.
I want to remind girls who love research—
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