QUESTION PERIOD — Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
Family Reunification Program--Out-of-Court Settlement
June 6, 2019
Honourable senators, my question is for the Leader of the Government in the Senate and concerns the Family Reunification Program.
Earlier this year, lawsuits were filed on behalf of families who were not able to access a spot during the online application process when it was closed after reaching capacity in just a matter of minutes. It was recently revealed that the federal government settled these lawsuits in secret by providing at least 70 spots for these families to sponsor their loved ones into Canada.
Senator Harder, why does your government believe it is appropriate to offer residency spots in our immigration system as part of a legal settlement? Will your government commit to not granting residency spaces as part of future court settlements?
I thank the honourable senator for his question. Obviously, no government — this one included — would want to put itself in the position of not agreeing to court-imposed settlements. We are a country of the rule of law, and it would be peculiar for a government to say it wouldn’t pay attention to court direction.
Senator Harder, could you please also make inquiries and let us know exactly how many spots in this program have been provided by the federal government as part of an out-of-court settlement?
I will make inquiries and be happy to report. It should be acknowledged by all senators that in the course of the last four years we’ve had significant growth in our immigration system and a shortening of wait times for all classes involved, which ought to be congratulated — and, in particular, the public servants around the world who work feverishly to ensure the immigration system is as efficient and structured as possible in safeguarding Canada’s interests.
