PACP - Member Biographies - Nov 24, 2020

PC

• Kelly Block, Chair
• Luc Berthold
• Philip Lawrence
• Len Webber

BQ

Maxime Blanchette-Joncas

NDP

Matthew Green

LPC

• Lloyd Longfield, Vice-Chair
• Kody Blois
• Greg Fergus
• Francesco Sorbara
• Jean Yip

Kelly Block, Carlton Trail – Eagle Creek, PACP Chair

Biography

Background

• Born and raised in Saskatchewan
• She is married and has four children.

Parliament

• 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session:
  • Chair of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts
  • Chair of the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts
  • Member of the Liaison Committee
  • Member of the Subcommittee on Committee Budgets of the Liaison Committee
• 43rd Parliament, 1st Session:
  • Member of the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates
  • Member of the Special Committee on the COVID-19 Pandemic
• 42nd Parliament, 1st Session:
  • Vice-Chair for the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities
  • Member of the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure of the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities
• Elected as the MP for the newly created riding of Carlton Trail-Eagle Creek in 2015

Education and career

• Served on the town council of Waldheim, Saskatchewan for three terms, serving two of those terms as Mayor.
• Was a member of the Saskatoon Regional Health Authority and the Director of Administration at Forest Grove Community Church.
• Was first elected to the House of Commons representing the riding of Saskatoon-Rosetown-Biggar on October 14, 2008 and was re-elected on May 2, 2011.

Immigration topics of interest

• N/A

Interventions in parliament

• N/A

Social media and press conferences

• N/A

Lloyd Longfield, Guelph, Ontario, PACP Vice-Chair

Biography

Background

• A native of Winnipeg, he moved to Guelph in 1992.
• He is married and has three daughters.

Parliament

• 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session:
  • Vice-Chair of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts
  • Member of the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts
  • Member of the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development
• 43rd Parliament, 1st Session:
  • Vice-Chair of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts
  • Member of the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development
  • Member of the Special Committee on the COVID-19 Pandemic
• 42nd Parliament, 1st Session:
  • Member of the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure of the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology
  • Member of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food
  • Member of the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food
  • Member of the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology
• Elected to Parliament as the Liberal Party of Canada candidate for Guelph, Ontario in 2015.

Education and Career

• BA in English and Mathematics from the University of Manitoba; and a
• Diploma in Mechanical Engineering from Red River College.
• He led the Guelph Chamber of Commerce for 7 years.
• Had a successful career in hydraulic and pneumatic automation that ranged from business startup to working with distributors across Canada as Managing Director of European multinationals.

Immigration Topics of Interest

• N/A

Interventions in Parliament

• N/A

Social media and press conferences

• N/A

Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Rimouski-Neigette Témiscouata – Les Basques, Quebec, PACP Vice-Chair

Biography

Background

• Born and raised in Rimouski

Parliament

• 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session:
  • Vice-Chair of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts
  • Member of the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts
• 43rd Parliament, 1st Session:
  • Vice-Chair of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts
  • Member of the Special Committee on the COVID-19 Pandemic
• Elected as the MP for Rimouski-Neigette Témiscouata—Les Basques, Quebec in October 2019.

Education and Career

• Has a degree in Business Administration.
• He is the former Deputy Director of the Municipality of L’Isle-Verte.

Immigration topics of interest

• N/A

Interventions in parliament

• N/A

Social media and press conferences

Twitter

• March 2, 2020 - International student: "Comment expliquer que le Québec peine à recruter des forces vives francophones de l’étranger? Le Québec doit reprendre plein contrôle de son immigration, au profit de régions comme la nôtre!" Radio-Canada
• March 6, 2020 - Immigration resources: Maxime Blanchette-Joncas indicates that his riding office in Rimouski welcomes at least one immigration case every day, the delays of which are getting longer. “One should normally be the solution of last resort. Currently, we are more like an immigration office.”

Luc Berthold, Mégantic – L’Érable, Quebec

Biography

Background

• He was born in Sherbrooke.
• Father of three children
• Has been living in the riding of Mégantic-L’Érable for the past twenty-nine years

Parliament

• 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session:
  • Member of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts
  • Member of the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts
• 43rd Parliament, 1st Session:
  • Member of the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities
  • Member of the Special Committee on the COVID-19 Pandemic
• 42nd Parliament, 1st Session:
  • Vice-Chair for the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities
  • Vice-Chair for the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food
  • Member of the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food
  • Member of the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure of the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities
• Elected as the MP for Mégantic—L'Érable, Quebec in October 2015.

Education and career

• His professional experience began as a journalist and radio host for CKLD radio, and in 1996, he became Chief Editor of the ‘’Courrier Frontenac’’.

Immigration topics of interest

• Immigration processing times

Interventions in parliament

Oct. 5, 2020 Speech from the Throne (Resumption of Debate) -

• “The throne speech did not address the extremely long waiting periods for citizens dealing with immigration issues.”

Social media and press conferences

• N/A

Philip Lawrence, Northumberland – Peterborough South, Ontario

Biography

Background

• He is married and has two children.

Parliament

• 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session:
  • Member of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts
• 43rd Parliament, 1st Session:
  • Member of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights
  • Member of the Special Committee on the COVID-19 Pandemic
• Elected as the MP for Northumberland—Peterborough South, Ontario in October 2019.

Education and career

• He has a BA in Political Science at Brock University.
• He went on to attend Osgoode Hall Law School and the Schulich School of Business to obtain his law degree and MBA.
• He started his practice in law with a focus on taxation and corporations.

Immigration topics of interest

• Immigration processing times

Interventions in parliament

Oct. 5, 2020 Speech from the Throne (Resumption of Debate) -

• “The throne speech did not address the extremely long waiting periods for citizens dealing with immigration issues.”

Social media and press conferences

• N/A

Len Webber, Calgary Confederation, Albert

Biography

Background

• Len, with his late wife Heather, have three daughters.

Parliament

• 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session:
  • Member of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts
• 43rd Parliament, 1st Session:
  • Member of the Standing Committee on Health
  • Member of the Special Committee on the COVID-19 Pandemic
• 42nd Parliament, 1st Session:
  • Vice-Chair for the Standing Committee on Health
  • Member of the Subcommittee on Sports-Related Concussions in Canada of the Standing Committee on Health
  • Member of the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure of the Standing Committee on Health
• Elected as the MP for Calgary Confederation, Albert in October 2015.

Education and career

• He was vice-president and director of Webber Academy, a non-denominational university preparatory private school in Calgary. 

Immigration topics of interest

• N/A

Interventions in parliament

• N/A

Social media and press conferences

• N/A

Matthew Green, Hamilton Centre, Ontario

Biography

Parliament

• 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session:
  • Member of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts
  • Member of the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts
  • Member of the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates
  • Member of the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure of the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates
• 43rd Parliament, 1st Session:
  • Member of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts
  • Member of the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates
  • Member of the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure of the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates
  • Member of the Special Committee on the COVID-19 Pandemic
• Elected as the MP for Hamilton Centre, Ontario in October 2019.

Education and career

• He served as a city councillor for the Hamilton, Ontario City Council from 2014 to 2018, representing Ward 3.

Immigration topics of interest

• N/A

Interventions in parliament

• N/A

Social media and press conferences

• N/A

Kody Blois, Kings – Hants Nova Scotia

Biography

Background

• Born and raised in Kings—Hants, Nova Scotia.

Parliament

• 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session:
  • Member of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts
  • Member of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food
  • Member of the Standing Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food
• 43rd Parliament, 1st Session:
  • Member of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts
  • Member of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food
  • Member of the Special Committee on the COVID-19 Pandemic
• Elected as the MP for Kings—Hants, Nova Scotia in October 2019.

Education and career

• Has a degrees in Commerce, Law and Public Administration
• He helped launch the East Hants Sport Heritage Society and the Come Home East Hants Association.

Immigration topics of interest

• N/A

Interventions in parliament

• N/A

Social media and press conferences

• N/A

Greg Fergus, Hull – Aylmer, Quebec

Biography

Background

• He has a wife and three kids

Parliament

• 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session:
  • Member of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts
  • Member of the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics
• 43rd Parliament, 1st Session:
  • Member of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts
  • Member of the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics
  • Member of the Special Committee on the COVID-19 Pandemic
• 42nd Parliament, 1st Session:
  • Member of the Standing Committee on Finance
  • Parliamentary Secretary — Non-Voting Member of the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates
  • Parliamentary Secretary — Non-Voting Member of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts
• Elected as the MP Hull—Aylmer, Quebec in October 2015.

Education and career

• Bachelor’s degrees in Social Science and in International Relations from the University of Ottawa and Carleton University.
• He worked for Liberal Cabinet Ministers Pierre Pettigrew and Jim Peterson. In 2007, Mr. Fergus was named National Director of the Liberal Party.
• He served as Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Treasury Board and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Digital Government as well.
• He was previously Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development.

Immigration topics of interest

• N/A

Interventions in parliament

• N/A

Social media and press conferences

• N/A

Francesco Sorbara, Vaughan – Woodbridge, Ontario

Biography

Background

• He is a first-generation Canadian whose parents emigrated from southern Italy 50 years ago.

Parliament

• 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session:
  • Member of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts
  • Member of the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics
• 43rd Parliament, 1st Session:
  • Member of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts
  • Member of the Special Committee on the COVID-19 Pandemic
• 42nd Parliament, 1st Session:
  • Member of the Standing Committee on Finance
  • Member of the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure of the Standing Committee on Finance
• Elected as the MP of Vaughan—Woodbridge in October 2015.

Education and career

• Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Finance from Simon Fraser University; and a
• Master of Arts in Economics from the University of Toronto.
• He worked in the global financial markets in both Canada and the United States for approximately 20 years for JPMorgan Chase, DBRS, and the Bank of Nova Scotia.

Immigration topics of interest

• N/A

Interventions in parliament

• N/A

Social media and press conferences

• N/A

Jean Yip, Scarborough – Agincourt, Ontario

Biography

Background

• She is a Chinese Canadian born and raised in Scarborough, Ontario.

Parliament

• 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session:
  • Member of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts
  • Member of the Special Committee on Canada-China Relations
• 43rd Parliament, 1st Session:
  • Member of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts
  • Member of the Special Committee on Canada-China Relations
  • Member of the Special Committee on the COVID-19 Pandemic
• 42nd Parliament, 1st Session:
  • Member of the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates
  • Member of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts
• Elected as the MP of Scarborough—Agincourt, Ontario in December 2017.

Education and career

• Bachelor’s degree from the University of Toronto
• Ms. Yip pursued a career in insurance.

Immigration topics of interest

• N/A

Interventions in parliament

• N/A

Social media and press conferences

• N/A

Immigration Critics Biographies

Raquel Dancho, Kildonan – St. Paul (Manitoba), Vice-Chair of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration

Biography

Background

• Born in Beausejour, MB to four generations of Canadian farmers and small business owners.

Parliament

• 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session: Vice-Chair of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration.
• 43rd Parliament, 1st Session: Opposition Critic for Diversity, Inclusion and Youth; member of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women.
• Elected as the MP for Kildonan—St. Paul in 2019.

Education and career

• Bachelor of Arts in Political Science at McGill
• Runs a consulting business that provides policy research and web development services to the private sector.
• Worked in Manitoba Government as the Executive Assistant to the Minister of Sustainable Development and as the Special Assistant to the Minister of Sport, Culture and Heritage.

Immigration topics of interest

• Family Reunification
• Employment opportunities for students
• Preparation for the second wave of COVID-19
• Anti-racism action plan
• Amendment of Citizenship Oath

Interventions in parliament

Raquel Dancho is the Vice-Chair and Shadow Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship. MP Dancho is critical of the governments’ immigration policy particularly how it has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. MP Dancho takes interest in the barriers affecting family reunification such as the backlogs and processing times for temporary resident visas and how these delays affect families and international students.

Recently, MP Dancho has shown their support for amending the citizenship oath.

Social media and press conferences

YouTube

• On September 8, 2020, Raquel shared a YouTube video highlighting key topics she will address as the opposition critic:
  • Focus on family reunification, for compassionate reasons and for economic prosperity
  • Recession will impact women disproportionally because lack of child care, family reunification can support people going back to work
• She also posts a weekly debrief of her week in Parliament on her channel.

Twitter

• Oct. 30:
  • “Liberals have failed to effectively manage the immigration system during the pandemic. Today, they failed to announce a plan of how they will safely bring immigrants to Canada & failed to address the unemployment & economic realities of thousands of Canadians.”
  • “The Liberals have failed to layout a plan to bring in newcomers to Canada safely. No widespread access to rapid tests and the 14 day quarantine is not a financial option for many people.”
  • “They have no plan to better resource immigration department to fulfil the levels promised. Liberals are simply adding to their massive, years-long immigration backlogs that fail to provide potential newcomers with certainty, dignity or respect.”
  • “The ministers announcement did not acknowledge the economic devastation caused by COVID-19 or the hundreds of thousands of Canadians facing unemployment since the pandemic hit and how these new ambitious immigration numbers will impact them.”
• Oct. 29: “The minister promised to process extended family reunification applicants within 14 days. It's been 7 months and families don't know how much longer they'll have to wait. No more excuses, get it done.”
• Oct. 18 retweet: “Pregnant Canadian woman Samantha is due to give birth in Nov. Her USA partner applied for the exemption Oct 8th and hasn’t heard back yet. We need these approvals ASAP so that a father can be there for his daughter’s birth. #LoveIsNotTourism”
• Oct. 14: “The Trudeau Liberals said no to studying the impact of COVID-19 on:
  • Broken Spousal Sponsorship Program
  • The unfair parent and grandparent Liberal lottery
  • Separation of adopted children from parents
  • Expired CoPR confirmation system leaving families stranded

Christine Normandin, Saint-Jean, QC, Deputy House Leader of the Block Québécois, Critics for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

Biography

Background

• A proud Johannaise, Christine Normandin grew up in the region.
• Obtained a Bachelors of Science in Biomedical Sciences in 2006

Parliament

• Elected as the MP for Saint-Jean in October 2019.
• Member of multiple Parliamentary Associations and Interparliamentary Groups
• 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session:
  • Member of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration.
  • Member of multiple Parliamentary Associations and Interparliamentary Groups
• 43rd Parliament, 1st Session:
• Shadow Minister for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

Education and career

• Bachelor degree in biomedical sciences; research internship on melanoma in India
• Appointed lawyer in 2015, began as a general practitioner in solo practice before joining a firm specializing in international family law and child abduction.
• Involved in her community. Sat on the board of directors of the École secondaire Marcellin-Champagnat and was president of the Bloc Québécois Political Commission.
• Named Volunteer of the Year 2018 by the Young Bar Association of Montreal for the hours she has devoted to helping citizens prepare for their court hearings.

Immigration topics of interest

• Family reunification
• Refugees working in essential and frontline jobs
• Temporary foreign workers and seasonal workers
• International students
• Amendment of Citizenship Oath

Interventions in parliament

MP Normandin is the Deputy House Leader of the Bloc Quebecois and a critic for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship. She has criticized the immigration request process and its impacts on those working frontline jobs, international students, as well as family reunification. MP Normandin states that “the Bloc Québécois has been criticizing the delays in processing immigration applications for a long time now. What was already an issue is now taking a major human toll, especially in the context of the current crisis.” They have stressed the importance of frontline workers during this pandemic and called for changes that would reduce the processing time for frontline workers.

Recently, MP Normandin has stated their support for amending the citizenship oath and has heavily criticized the government on how they’ve implemented the calls to action thus far stating: “I do not think the government is in much of a rush to implement the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. The consultations with first nations, Métis and Inuit peoples began in 2016, so it is a little surprising that the government did not introduce the first version of this bill for first reading until May 2019 and that it chose to do so at the end of the Parliament.”

Social media and press conferences

Twitter

• October 24 – Retweeted Spousal Sponsorship Advocates : “Ça a été un plaisir d’être avec vous! Merci pour cette rencontre absolument riche!”
• October 24 – Retweeted Bloc Quebecois : “Parmi les anges-gardiens qui ont risqué leurs vies pour les aînés du Québec, on compte des centaines de demandeurs d'asile. Le #BlocQc presse Ottawa d'activer le programme de demande de résidence permanente pour les services exceptionnels rendus. @ChristineNorm #polqc #polcan”
• September 14 – “J’ai écrit au ministre de l’immigration il y a deux semaines. Au Bloc, nous sommes en mode proposition pour aider rapidement les familles à être réunies. On s’en reparle à la marche de #prioritizefamilysponsorship samedi?”

Jenny Kwan, Vancouver East, BC, Critic for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

Biography

Background

• Born in Hong Kong, immigrated to Canada at the age of nine.

Parliament

• 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session: Member of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration.
• 43rd Parliament, 1st Session: Critic for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship; Critic for Multiculturalism; Vice-Chair of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration
• Elected as the MP for East Vancouver in 2015.

Education and career

• Graduated from Simon Fraser University.
• Worked as a community legal advocate in the Downtown Eastside and became the youngest city councillor elected in Vancouver’s history in 1993.

In 1996, elected MLA for Vancouver-Mount Pleasant, becoming one of the first Chinese-Canadians to sit in the Legislative Assembly. Served as Minister of Municipal Affairs, Minister of Women’s Equality and Minister of Community Development, Cooperatives & Volunteers. Led the development of the Vancouver Agreement. Re-elected as an MLA in 2001, 2005, 2009 and 2013.

Immigration topics of interest

• Permanent residence pathways
• Temporary foreign workers and work permits
• Emergency assistance and immigration eligibility
• Caregivers and Parents and Grandparents
• Asylum seekers
• Hong Kong asylum seekers
• One-year window of opportunity
• International students
• Processing delays
• Safe Third Country Agreement
• Dual intent directive

Interventions in parliament

Nov. 16, 2020 – Question Passed as Order for Return

• With regard to asylum seekers: (a) broken down by year, how many people have been turned away due to the Safe Third Country Agreement since (i) 2016, (ii) January 1, 2020, broken by month, (iii) since July 22, 2020; (b) how many asylum claims have been found ineligible under paragraph 101(1)(c.1) of the Immigration, Refugee and Protection Act since (i) January 1st 2020, broken by month, (ii) July 22, 2020; and (c) what are the details of any briefing notes or correspondence since January 1, 2020, on the Safe Third Country Agreement?
• With regard to immigration, refugee and citizenship processing levels: (a) how many applications have been received since 2016, broken down by year and stream (e.g. outland spousal sponsorship, home childcare provider, open work permit, privately sponsored refugee, etc.); (b) how many applications have been fully approved since 2015, broken down by year and stream; (c) how many applications have been received since (i) March 15, 2020, (ii) September 21, 2020; (d) how many applications have been approved since (i) March 15, 2020, (ii) September 21, 2020; (e) how many applications are in backlog since January 2020, broken down by month and stream; (f) what is the number of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) visa officers and other IRCC employees, in whole or in part (i.e. FTEs), who have been processing applications since January 1, 2020, broken down by month, immigration office and application stream being processed; (g) since March 15, 2020, how many employees referred to in (f) have been placed on paid leave broken down by month, immigration office and application stream being processed; and (h) what are the details of any briefing notes or correspondence since January 2020 related to (i) staffing levels, (ii) IRCC office closures, (iii) the operation levels of IRCC mail rooms, (iv) plans to return to increased operation?

Oct 27, 2020 - CIMM

• Just to build on bringing things into the 21st century, it's very confusing to me how we cannot have an online system for representatives or for the applicant to go online to check the status of the application instead of having to phone into IRCC and then often getting inconsistent information and contradictory information. What are your thoughts on that?

Oct. 20, 2020 – CIMM

• “We're studying three substantive topics. One is the family reunification stream, particularly the impact of issues such as denials of temporary residence visas because of paragraph 179(b) and the closures of visa application centres and so on. That's a substantive study, because the family reunification stream, particularly for spousal sponsorship, has been greatly impacted. This is a piece that I've been wanting the committee to study, in fact, and I'm glad that it's before us in this motion in this format. That's one aspect. The second piece is the examination of the lottery system. It was very mystifying to me when the minister came out and announced the lottery system after 10 months of putting it on ice, only to go back to the failed lottery system. I'm very interested in understanding what the decision was behind that and then, of course, in comparing that system to other iterations of the parents and grandparents reunification stream. The last component is to study the delays for international students, which is a significant component as well. […] I'm quite worried that two to four meetings are not going to give us sufficient time to deal with all these substantive issues. ”
• “As outlined, because we're in unprecedented times with the pandemic, I think it is really important to have the minister and officials come here to tell us what is going on with IRCC. While they have taken some measures with some of the programming, there are still a lot of gaps in terms of problems that are existing, so it would be really good for committee members to understand the situation. Then we can determine how best to go forward in providing studies that have impacts on the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship portfolio. This is not meant to replace the minister's coming before the committee on immigration levels numbers, for example, or on the budget, but rather, because of the pandemic, I think it's important for the committee to get an update and to get the lay of the land from the minister and officials on where things are at.”

Oct. 14, 2020 – CIMM

• “Once we have a response on that, at the appropriate time I would like to move an amendment to the motion, if I may, in reference to item number 5, which speaks about the “refugee resettlement program, meeting the Government of Canada's international commitments to settle convention refugees in Canada, work of Canadian civil society groups to bring privately sponsored [groups of] refugees to Canada”. I'd like to add another component to it, and that is to extend a lifeboat to the people of Hong Kong who are facing persecution under the new national security law. I'd like to move this amendment to the large motion because I think this is an important piece that we should study under the refugee aspect. I'm aware that the—”
• “Speaking again on my amendment, I'm aware that the Canada-China committee has also resumed its work. However, with respect to this amendment that I'm proposing, I only want to focus on the immigration aspects related to the people of Hong Kong. As we know, there is an urgent situation happening in Hong Kong. I think it would be appropriate for our committee to study this aspect within the larger context of the refugee resettlement programming so that we can put a clear immigration focus to—”

September 29, 2020 – Question Period

• “The Liberals left seniors behind. They left people with disabilities behind. They left students behind. They left self-employed individuals behind. They left so many people behind, part-time workers, migrant workers, and on and on the list went.”

June 22, 2020 – HUMA – COVID-19

• “Could you comment on whether the Canadian government should be changing our immigration system to incorporate the full range of skills, such as high-, medium- and low skilled workers, as part of the permanent residence immigration stream?”
• “Since the issue has surfaced with respect to the deaths of migrant workers, has nobody from government reached out to your organization to talk to you about how it could work together with you to address these concerns?”

June 17, 2020 – CIMM – Spending Authorities

• “This is an ongoing question I've been asking about exempting emergency benefits for people with immigration processes in place so that they would not be penalized for financial inadmissibility because of the support they're getting through the emergency benefits, aside from CERB. The Minister indicated that people would not be penalized for receiving CERB. I have not been able to get a response from the government or the Minister to ensure that if individuals receive other emergency benefits, they would also be exempt from penalty as a result of COVID-19.”
• “Working with the international community, would the minister consider bringing forward a special immigration measure for the people of Hong Kong, including possibly working with the U.K. government to accept asylum seekers from Hong Kong?”
• “Until the minister tables the immigration levels numbers in the fall, can the officials provide this committee with the information they have on the different immigration and refugee streams, including how many people came in during this fiscal year.”
• “My question was about the one-year window of opportunity for refugee claimants. They submitted their application and it has been in process for more than a year now. With the December deadline coming up, they're very worried that the application will be rejected because it has not yet been processed. I just want assurance that their application would not be rejected because of the deadline.”

June 12, 2020 – HUMA – COVID-19

• “I'd like to turn quickly to the issue of international students. […] Could I get a quick comment from each of you on that? Do you think international students should also get emergency support from the government in this pandemic?”

June 2, 2020 – COVI - Questions to Ministers

• “The first migrant worker died yesterday due to COVID-19. Migrant workers are warehoused in a space with no barriers between each sleeping cot. Others are housed in crowded communal bunkhouses. What action will the minister take to address this alarming situation?”
• “No one should have to endure such inhumane housing conditions and risk their lives to support their families. We rely on them to put food on the table for our families. They don't have access to health care and they don't have a pathway to permanent residence. Will the minister do the right thing and grant migrant workers health care coverage and ensure the government follows up on the principle that “if you're good enough to work, you're good enough to stay”?”

Social media and press conferences

Twitter

• Nov. 2:
  • “Loved ones going through the long process sponsoring their family member are still being denied TRVs while they wait for a decision. “Strong ties" to Canada put them at a disadvantage for refusals under s. 179(b) #prioritizefamilysponsorship”
  • “The Liberals also specifically claimed to support TRV applicants affected by the Beirut explosion. It's shameful to see that, despite this, many spouses in Beirut are still being denied under 179(b) for the purpose of visit (reunification) and the economic situation in Lebanon.”
  • “Immediate exemptions to s. 179(b) need to be made for family reunification. The government must then work to create a special TRV for sponsorship applicants that have been approved in principle as part of the sponsorship process.”
• Oct. 25: “Canada needed to consider measures to provide “a lifeboat” for Hongkongers, via both the refugee framework and other means, such as broadening criteria for family reunification, student work visas & new pathways to citizenship #Save12HKYouth”
• March 28, 2020 - Retweet: Migrant workers and caregivers must be protected in COVID-19 pandemic.