Lena Metlege Diab
Halifax West, Nova Scotia · Liberal · Canada
“Mr. Speaker, I do want to wish the colleague a very happy July and August, wherever she is with her family. Perhaps in the fall she will come back with a bit of a better spirit. We have continuously said that no one can commit a crime with impunity. Serious crimes deserve serious consequences.”
“Mr. Speaker, we all know that anyone who commits a crime in this country, regardless of their immigration status, be it Canadian or not, is treated according to the law, to the fullest extent of the law. Judges make decisions. There is absolutely nothing in the immigration law that allows for sentences to be discounted.”
“Mr. Speaker, that colleague has asked that question a number of times, and it has been answered. Let me tell him what Canadians do want to know. Canadians know that the government is focused on building a stronger economy to responsibly manage migration.”
“Mr. Speaker, I have good news. Here is what Canadians need to know. Our plan for responsible, sustainable immigration is working. The non-permanent resident population has declined. We are focused on attracting skilled talent, like health care workers, construction workers, researchers and engineers. The numbers do not lie.”
“Mr. Speaker, I have been clear. Just because someone has a Canadian ancestor, this does not mean they are automatically eligible for citizenship. They must definitively prove their link to Canada at each and every generation. Genealogy websites are not enough.”
“Mr. Speaker, let us get the facts straight. I answered four hours of questions in committee of the whole for all Canadians to hear. I was very clear in my response that IRGC officials are inadmissible to Canada and have no place in our country. Some hon. members: Oh, oh! Hon.”
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“Mr. Chair, as I said, the department is monitoring that. Bill C-3 does not create unlimited access to Canadian citizenship by descent. People have to provide proof of ancestry for every generation in the application.”
“Mr. Chair, again, I am delighted that everybody wants to come to Canada, but just because they want to come and are expressing their delight in coming, it does not mean they are going to be able to come. There are clear rules in place, and we are monitoring the impact.”
“Again, Mr. Chair, there is high interest, in the media and everywhere else, by people who are interested, but high interest and even applications do not necessarily mean people are getting citizenship.”
“students and their families, if they have young kids or families; and to exempt certain master's and doctoral degree students from the provincial or territorial attestation letter requirements. We have launched new web resources. It is all available online to help prospective graduate students decide whether or not Canada is the right choice for them. I invite them to take a look and make those decisions. I know how difficult it is when people are making the decision to leave one country and come to another, particularly to pursue higher education, a Ph.D. or research work. I would advise them to please do the homework, as they say, pre-arrival and take a look at that. What we want to do is attract the best and the brightest talent to our country, and we are working extremely hard to do that.”
“Because I know Halifax very well, I know the member represents a number of post-secondary educational institutions. We know Canada has world-class educational institutions, and our diverse, welcoming society makes Canada a destination of choice. I would like to spend a little time here making sure people understand what we are doing for Ph.D. students and graduate students through these estimates, that is, attracting leading international researchers to Canada as part of our talent attraction strategy to welcome over 1,000 researchers across all career stages to Canada. What we have also done in 2026 is introduce new measures to attract talent at the master's level as well as the Ph.D. level; to expedite the processing for eligible Ph.D.”
“Mr. Chair, first, let me commend the member for Halifax and let her know how much I enjoy working alongside her in her constituency and also right here in Ottawa. She is a passionate leader who has already done a tremendous amount of work for the municipality of Halifax prior to entering federal politics, or any politics for that matter, and who understands the value that newcomers bring to our province. The member spoke very eloquently, and she understands that newcomers support our businesses and public services, but we need to be targeted in economic immigration to meet Canada's needs as well. That is exactly why the 2026-27 estimates continue to support an immigration system that is more strategic, more targeted and more aligned with Canada's economic priorities.”
“Canadians expect us to attract the best and the brightest to build a strong, competitive economy. That is exactly what we are doing, and we will continue to do that. These initiatives add to Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada's $1.7-billion Canada global impact+ research talent initiative to recruit, as I said, over 1,000 world-leading researchers. Let me end by saying that we have a plan. The plan is working. The facts are there. I am very excited for this country for the next months and years to come. There is a lot of work that is happening, and I encourage all young people and all Canadians to partake in it.”
“In addition, we have allocated to provinces and territories an unprecedented number of up to 5,000 additional nomination spaces to support practice-ready physicians through the provincial nominee programs. We are also developing an accelerated pathway for H-1B visa holders, removing the attestation letter requirement for graduate students, launching a targeted pilot for high-value immigrant entrepreneurs, fast-tracking processing for Ph.D. students and creating pathways for researchers. With our new talent attraction strategy, we are going to recruit more than 1,000 highly qualified researchers and give them the resources they need to drive innovation here at home and build the Canadian economy of tomorrow. This work is already under way, and I work very closely with other departments.”
“Mr. Chair, I thank the member for London Centre for his tremendous work and for being a super parliamentary secretary. He works extremely hard for his constituents and for Canadians on this file. Let me talk a bit about talent attraction, about what exactly we are doing and why these estimates are so important. We are prioritizing top international talent through new ways for doctors with work experience here to apply for permanent residency. We have, through my work on the file, which is something I did at the Nova Scotia level back in 2018, dedicated an express entry stream for surgeons, physicians and clinical specialists with 12 months of Canadian work experience. The first round happened in February, a couple of months ago. We have already issued 391 invitations to apply.”
“Mr. Chair, as I said, protecting the French language and protecting all of our provinces, including Quebec, are very important to me, to the Liberal Party and to all members here. I hope the same is true for all members of the House of Commons.”
“Mr. Chair, I have already answered this question several times in English, but I can also answer it in French. Quebec has received over $1.1 billion to cover these costs. Furthermore, the number of refugee claims has fallen by 71%.”
“Mr. Chair, we recognize the role played by Quebec. We also recognize that Quebec plays an important role in immigration. When it comes to people who have not yet immigrated, it is up to Quebec to decide, and it is also up to the individuals themselves to decide where they want to live. I am very proud that we are working with the Province of Quebec. It is also a really nice place to visit.”
“Mr. Chair, we are working closely with the Province of Quebec and with the minister responsible for francization, but I think that the member knows that Quebec sets its own economic immigration threshold.”
“Mr. Chair, the French language is fundamental to Canada. I agree with that. We are going to work harder with all the respective parties and come up with policies to ensure that the French language is very important.”
“Mr. Chair, I do not know what the issue is with the member, except to say that these funding decisions are based on need, on expected results and on value for money. Would he like the municipalities to entertain people on the streets? The federal government is helping municipalities with the asylum claimants. The number of asylum claimants is reduced. We brought in Bill C-12 . There are lots of measures that—”
“Again, Mr. Chair, the federal government is no longer in the hotel business. We provide funding to municipalities in order to reduce pressure on them. They call them reception centres or transitional housing.”
“Mr. Chair, provinces, territories and municipalities manage shelters. The IHAP funding that the federal government provides is based on local needs and priorities, including, yes, reception centres and transitional housing.”
“Mr. Chair, as I said, as of October 2025, the federal government is no longer in the hotel business. We do provide funding to municipalities to have reception centres so they can help the people on the ground.”
“Mr. Chair, for the benefit of my colleague, perhaps he does not know that we have established a dedicated express entry category for surgeons, physicians and clinical specialists. The good news is that we have issued 391 invitations to apply already.”
“Mr. Chair, the estimates that we have here are really what we are here to talk about: $4.4 billion, a 15% reduction from last year. Some of that reduction is due to the fact that our asylum claims have gone down.”
“Mr. Chair, again, I am going to repeat, for the member's benefit, what we have done over the last year. We have now reduced the asylum claims by 60% in the early months of 2026, compared to 2024. I know that members keep talking about what it was a couple of years ago, but we are living in today's world.”
“Mr. Chair, I really appreciate these questions and, in fact, question period this week. There have been quite a few questions posed on that. I am happy to respond to all of my colleagues' questions tonight.”
“We plan, this year, to invest $935.7 million in settlement services, with over 530 service providers across the country. I very much appreciate the member and the organizations that are in her community. I also had a chance to visit many parts of this beautiful country, and I have visited many settlement organizations. I want to thank them here tonight for all the work they are doing on behalf of the most vulnerable and also on behalf of Canadians.”
“Mr. Chair, first, let me begin by thanking the member for Spadina—Harbourfront for her real advocacy. She is a real champion for people who need humanitarian protection and for settlement organizations. I did visit with her, in her community, Centre francophone, and I saw the great work the settlement organization is doing. I very much appreciated her remarks, particularly when she referred to the estimates and the fact that we need to balance our compassion with responsible planning. That is exactly what we are doing. We are managing our migration system. The main estimates support the people, the partnerships and the operational tools needed to maintain that balance. Canada has a global leadership role in protecting and resettling the world's most vulnerable. The target for refugees and protected persons for this year is 49,300.”
“We are also continuing to invest in community projects that inform, attract and integrate francophone immigrants outside Quebec. We are making modifications to the settlement program and protecting it.”
“Thanks to our programs, we have met and even exceeded, as the member said, our target for francophone immigration outside Quebec for four consecutive years, which puts us on track to achieve 12% francophone immigration by 2029. This year, we are reserving an additional 5,000 spaces for the provinces and territories to welcome francophone immigrants. I would like to take this opportunity to say that New Brunswick is a leader in filling these spaces, and I hope that many provinces will follow suit. This is a new initiative I have launched as minister. We did so because we realize that we need to increase francophone immigration and strengthen our partnership with the provinces, territories, communities and organizations.”
“Mr. Chair, I would like to begin by thanking my colleague, the member for Madawaska—Restigouche , for his hard work over the past decade on behalf of his community in New Brunswick, as well as the Canadian francophone community and Acadians. I want to congratulate him once again on the research and the work he did before entering politics to support official language minority communities. It has been a pleasure to work with him and his constituents over the past year. They are very fortunate to have such a dedicated member of Parliament. For me, the French language is central to Canadian identity and culture. By protecting it, we are preserving part of what sets us apart as a country.”
“Mr. Chair, let me, for the record, say that the IRCC VAC network includes 164 locations in 109 countries. We have an extensive network around the globe. They work to ensure that our system remains integral.”
“Mr. Chair, the visa application centres are third party providers that support the application process. They collect biometrics. They provide administrative services. They do an important job to keep Canadians safe.”
“Mr. Chair, as I said, we have passed Bill C-12 to ensure that we protect our borders, that we have integrity in our system and that we reinforce our values. The plan that we have set is working. The numbers of asylum claimants, student visas and temporary workers are down considerably.”
“Mr. Chair, what Canadians need to know is what we have done over the last 12 months. Asylum claims are down, new student visas are down, and temporary foreign worker permits are down. In addition, we passed Bill C-12 to proactively manage the departure of migrants.”
“Mr. Chair, under a renewed effort to detect fraud, the total number of applications refused for misrepresentation has increased significantly over the last year, and we work with the CBSA to ensure that those who should be removed are removed.”
“Mr. Chair, as I have said, there are consequences for people who do not abide by the conditions and who do not leave. CBSA removed 23,000 inadmissible people last year, and we are launching the pilot to better manage, reduce and enforce overstays.”
“Mr. Chair, IRCC and CBSA continue to improve how the immigration and border systems work together. With respect to temporary residents, we are taking steps to help those with status be compliant with immigration law and respect the conditions of their stay.”
“Mr. Chair, CBSA officers can review, case by case, whether to track people, but in terms of a comprehensive exit tracking system, we have now initiated the foundation to ensure that we build that for all going forward.”
“Mr. Chair, again, if the question relates to the IRB, it is an independent body, as I said. It does report to Parliament. There are laws in the country that it has to adhere to, and we expect it to do that.”
“Mr. Chair, it is important to know that some people with ties to the regime had already been in Canada before these rules took place. Those people are all being investigated and could be removed from Canada.”
“Mr. Chair, when it comes to inadmissibility, some travellers are never issued permission to travel. Some travellers have their authority revoked before they travel. Other travellers are deported from airports. There are multiple—”
“Mr. Chair, I will repeat again that IRGC officials are inadmissible to Canada. There have been 17,800 applications reviewed for potential inadmissibility, and 239 visas have been cancelled by the IRCC.”
“Mr. Chair, I want to thank my colleague again. I also thank all members who are spending their time here this evening. Just looking at my watch, I see it is maybe 10 o'clock Nova Scotia time, so I thank anybody who is watching this for being up—”
“We will continue building an immigration system capable of upholding those commitments fairly, responsibly and sustainably into the future.”
“That matters because humanitarian responses cannot rely on improvising alone. They must be credible, they must be coordinated, and they must be built to endure. Canada's humanitarian tradition has always depended on partnerships. We rely on these groups, as I said earlier, and together with those partnerships, it allows Canada to remain a country that offers safety and stability to vulnerable people while maintaining confidence in the integrity of the system itself. The 2026-27 main estimates support that work. They support a refugee and humanitarian system that reflects Canadian values while recognizing the importance of responsible management, sustainability and long-term success. (2055) Canada will always continue to protect people in need.”
“Recent years have shown how quickly global crises can emerge and evolve. Canada has responded to a number of international displacement situations, each requiring a different set of tools and different operational responses. Those experiences have reinforced the importance of preparation and coordination. That is why IRCC has strengthened its crisis response framework, which helps guide how the department assesses emerging international crises and determines whether immigration measures may be part of Canada's response. It also helps ensure that decisions are thoughtful, consistent and sustainable. It considers humanitarian need alongside operational capacity, settlement supports, available space within the immigration levels plan and the ability of communities to support newcomers successfully.”
“They include support for protected persons already in Canada who are transitioning to permanent residence. These individuals have already been recognized as needing Canada's protection. The estimates also reflect an important principle: Humanitarian protection is not only about offering safety in a moment of crisis; it is about helping people build their lives for the long term. That requires more than immigration pathways alone. It requires coordination, as I said earlier, with provinces and territories, municipalities, settlement organizations and community partners to help newcomers integrate successfully. It requires a lot of work. That is why our government continues to focus on building a controlled and sustainable system, a system that allows Canada to continue to offer protection over time while maintaining public confidence.”
“Canadians also expect humanitarian commitments to be delivered through a system that is fair, sustainable and responsibly managed. That is exactly what the 2026-27 main estimates will help to do. I said earlier, and the fact is, that around the world, displacement is increasing. Humanitarian crises are becoming more frequent and more complex, and immigration systems globally are under growing pressure. Canada cannot respond to every crisis in the same way, but we can ensure that our response is principled, coordinated and aligned with our capacity to support people properly once they arrive. That means balancing compassion with responsible planning. The main estimates support the people, partnerships and operational tools needed to maintain that balance.”
“Mr. Chair, I actually have a lot to say to respond to this particular member, the member for Pierrefonds—Dollard, because he has been a tremendous advocate and has worked very hard for the people in his community but also for vulnerable communities throughout. He has been a real champion on humanitarian issues. What really struck me is that he brought his youth council into his office when they visited Ottawa, and they stopped in at my office. They were incredibly thoughtful and engaged young people. Through them, I got to see the real work this member is doing in his community, as well as what I have seen since being here, since 2021. Canada has long been recognized as a country that offers protection to people fleeing conflict, persecution and instability. This tradition remains an important part of who we are.”
“Mr. Chair, we have implemented strict requirements for all employers, which they have to adhere to. The temporary foreign worker program is meant to be exactly that: temporary. However, it is also to ensure that we fill those labour gaps that Canadians cannot fill.”
“Mr. Chair, employers bringing in people under the temporary foreign worker program have strict requirements they have to comply with. They have to show that they have taken considerable measures to find Canadian workers. The ministry of employment and workforce—”
“Mr. Chair, there is worker compliance protection in Canada. Temporary foreign workers have the same employment standards, but there are also rules they have to follow. Businesses also must adhere to strict conditions. These are managed not just by IRCC but also by the employment and workforce department. We work across government to ensure that we manage our immigration system accordingly, appropriately, responsibly and efficiently.”
“Mr. Chair, as I have indicated, we have a plan. The plan is working. There has been a considerable reduction in the number of temporary workers. We have tightened integrity measures. We will continue to look at those. There are members of Parliament from the opposition who are advocating—”