Moved second reading of Bill S-215, An Act respecting National Immigration Month.

She said: Honourable senators, I am speaking from the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe nation. This land acknowledgement is particularly important in the context of Bill S-215, an act respecting national immigration month. Indeed, we must remind ourselves repeatedly that Indigenous Peoples have been present in what is now Canada since time immemorial.

I am therefore deeply moved to rise before you again today to resume the process that began in the previous Parliament with Bill S-286, which died on the Order Paper.

This initiative honours the journey that many of us here in this chamber undertook, as did millions of our compatriots who came from all over the world to enrich our country with their experience and contribute to our history.

I’d like to start with an anecdote that will help you understand why this act is so important. This is one of those interactions that those of you who aren’t Caucasian likely experience on a daily basis.

A few years ago, my husband was chatting with a guest during a networking cocktail before a fundraising gala in Montreal. Apparently surprised to hear my husband speak excellent French, the lady asked him where he was from.

Mischievously, my husband pretended not to understand the meaning of the question. He replied, “I’m from Laval.” “No, I mean, where are you actually from,” she said. “Yes, I’m from Vimont in Laval,” he said.

He could see that she was perplexed and found his answer inadequate, so he finally revealed that he is originally from Cameroon. He then asked her the same question. She was very confused and asked him what he meant. That’s when my husband gently reminded her that, as far as he knew, with the exception of Indigenous peoples, we all come from somewhere else. He also suggested that she ask her parents and grandparents about her own ancestors’ origins.

As you see, colleagues, this matter is still relevant today. This anecdote and this interrogation happen all too often and are highly revealing. Interrogations like these were what prompted me to come up with a way to remember our shared status as people “from somewhere else” and enshrine it in a bill. The three clauses that make up this bill are quite simple, and so is its purpose, which is to designate a specific month of the year to commemorate the vital role that immigration has played in building our nation.

Immigration has shaped Canada. The hard work, courage and resilience of women and men from distant places have helped build the prosperous, inclusive nation we know today, a country that commands admiration far beyond its borders. In every area, from economics and science to culture, sport and community involvement, immigrants have played a vital role in major achievements that have become the pride of our nation.

One need only look at the diversity of backgrounds represented in this chamber to see the richness of this contribution, or pay attention to what’s happening in each of your regions to measure, on a daily basis, the positive and lasting footprint of immigrant communities. These contributions deserve to be fully recognized, celebrated and honoured. It is time to do justice to those who, through their commitment, continue to make Canada grow.

Before going into detail about why I want Canada to have a national immigration month, I’d like to set the record straight about something. It will not have escaped your attention that there has been a lot of debate in the news about our immigration policy on an almost daily basis. Some of the arguments in this debate are useful, even necessary. Others come dangerously close to a philosophy of rejection and exclusion that has no place in our country.

As a proud Quebecer and Canadian from an immigrant background, I can’t hide the fact that this feels personal and that I’m very concerned about the extremist and populist rhetoric I hear that appears to reject all types of immigration. The hard-liners who embrace that rhetoric insinuate that immigrants are largely responsible for our country’s economic and social problems, but they are wrong.

It is important to remember that our country was built by successive waves of immigration. The only difference is when people arrived. Whether we arrived centuries ago, a month ago or a year ago, we — or our ancestors — all came from somewhere else.

Even today, immigration remains essential for Canada to meet the demographic and economic challenges that lie ahead. The aging population and persistent labour shortages, particularly in several key sectors, mean we need newcomers more than ever. Just bringing them in is not enough, though. We also need to help them integrate. That’s important. That’s why immigration must be carefully thought out, planned and supported.

Successful integration doesn’t rely solely on the efforts of immigrants themselves. The entire host society must step up. It’s up to us to create the conditions that enable newcomers to flourish. We must facilitate immigrants’ access to services, language training and employment, and provide them with a framework to understand the values and codes of their new home, while respecting their identity and culture of origin. Integration is a process that takes time, but when it is well supported and done properly, it becomes a powerful lever for social cohesion, shared prosperity and the loyalty of future generations.

Colleagues, it is imperative that we guard against xenophobic and populist policies that seek to divide us. Canada must remain a model of tolerance and inclusion. My colleague, Julie, asked me a number of times to let this go, but I kept going because it’s important to understand the reason that led me to introduce this bill today. To succeed at this, we need to invest in improving the way we receive, retain and ensure the economic prosperity of our newcomers. We also need to invest in the immigrant selection process and hand out stiff punishments to people who traffic immigrants. Unfortunately, there are many of them.

Honourable senators, immigration isn’t a burden. It’s part of our history, our prosperity and our future. Bill S-215 doesn’t call for more or less immigration to Canada, and it doesn’t promote a particular aspect of our country’s immigration policy. Rather, the bill is meant to educate successive generations of our nation’s immigrants, the people who shaped Canada into a multicultural society that mirrors a multicultural world. These generations are present here, in this chamber, from all over the world, and they deserve to be celebrated.

Although I’m no historian, I’d like to briefly review the major waves of migration that have shaped Canada. This is only an overview, as I already addressed this aspect in greater detail at second reading of Bill S-286, the predecessor to this bill that unfortunately died on the Order Paper in the previous Parliament.

I invite you to read that speech if you would like to review that detailed historical analysis. It is important to remember that the territory we now call Canada was inhabited long before the arrival of Europeans. Indigenous Peoples had been living here for thousands of years, and Vikings are believed to have reached the coast of Newfoundland as early as 1021.

Canada’s migration history is part of a long process that began when the first Europeans settled here, notably with the founding of Quebec City in 1608. After the Royal Proclamation of 1763, the country welcomed American Loyalists, followed by waves of immigrants from Europe, particularly Ireland.

At the time of Confederation in 1867, Canada had a population of approximately 3.6 million and immigration was considered essential to its development, particularly in terms of settling the West. However, its immigration policies remained selective, discriminatory even, for a long time, favouring Europeans and systematically excluding Asians, Black people and other populations.

This intensive settlement created tensions with Indigenous Peoples, leading to conflicts such as the Northwest Rebellion in 1885. After World War II, Canada became a more welcoming country, ending its discriminatory laws and welcoming refugees and people displaced by war. For example, the private sponsorship program allowed thousands of refugees from Southeast Asia to come to Canada.

By the 1960s, one-third of Canadians had origins that were neither British nor French. These waves of immigration contributed to shaping a multicultural society, making Canada the G7 country with the highest proportion of immigrants.

According to Statistics Canada, in 2021, more than 8.3 million people, almost one-quarter of the population, were or had been landed immigrants or permanent residents in Canada.

Given that Canada’s population is gradually aging and that its birth rate remains below the replacement rate, immigration is now the country’s main driver of population growth. According to Statistics Canada projections, immigrants could represent between 29.1% and 34% of Canada’s population by 2041. These numbers underscore the critical importance of having a well-thought-out, inclusive and forward-looking immigration policy.

Colleagues, through this brief look back at the history of the Canadian people, I wanted to remind you of a fundamental truth. As I said at the beginning, all of us, apart from Indigenous people, come from somewhere else. Centuries, decades, months or even days ago, we all came from somewhere else to build and populate this country, Canada.

However, we must never forget that the process of settling the land and occupying the territory has often led to the loss of Indigenous cultures, languages, traditions and lands.

Our country is therefore a product of the hopes and dreams of millions of immigrants arriving from the four corners of the planet to build a better life. Unfortunately, for Indigenous Peoples, it has meant a tragic erasure of their rights and their tangible and intangible assets.

These two realities are two sides of the same coin. They make up our history, and we must never deny that. They create a demand for justice, reparation and compensation, as well as a duty to remember that we must pass on to future generations.

Another reason I introduced Bill S-215 is the proliferation of motions and laws in this chamber and the other place celebrating the heritage of this or that community living in Canada. Colleagues, there’s no doubt that the aim of these various initiatives is legitimate and stems from the same observation I made: the need to highlight immigrants’ invaluable contributions to our country.

I see national immigration month as a useful wake-up call, at a time when some people have no hesitation in blaming immigrants for certain complex and difficult social situations. It could act as a showcase, an opportunity for all our immigrant groups to highlight their contributions and their communities. By bringing the new celebrations together, this national month, far from diluting them, would act as a forum for them.

It will be a forum to bring together all of these communities and celebrate them, because they deserve to be celebrated, no matter how big or small they are. It will also be a shared space to highlight the bountiful contributions, great and small, of all immigrants, no matter the size of their community.

Colleagues, I’ve had the opportunity to present this bill to many groups, and I’ve seen how much support there is for establishing a national immigration month. On May 15, 2024, my team and I held a virtual round table to hear first-hand from groups representing immigrants’ interests. We brought together about 30 organizations to get their feedback on the initiative I am sponsoring.

During that very productive session, we got input from stakeholders across the country representing Canada’s largest immigrant communities. The message we received was clear. All the stakeholders confirmed their support for a bill to establish a national immigration month.

Of course, the consultation wasn’t exhaustive, but it was a meaningful way to find out whether organizations affected by this bill would welcome such a month.

We also continued our consultations all last summer, this time by phone. I asked what month would be best for the initiative. Something of a consensus emerged around November, which seems appropriate for a number of reasons. First of all, National Francophone Immigration Week takes place in November. Second, the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, which sets out the fundamental principles governing in this area, received Royal Assent on November 1, 2001. I want to emphasize how important this act is, given that it governs Canada’s modern-day immigration policy. Allow me to give you a brief historical overview of the key steps that led to the passage of this legislation, to show why it’s so important to us.

For a long time, Canada’s immigration policy favoured White immigration. Overtly racist laws excluded many applicants. You may recall the head tax imposed on Chinese migrants as far back as 1885, the almost total prohibition on Black immigration in 1911, the restrictions on Japanese and Indian immigrants, and the refusal to take in Jewish refugees aboard the MS St. Louis in 1939. The situation changed after 1947 with the removal of certain prohibitions, and again in 1967 with the creation of a points system based on skills, education and family ties, rather than ethnic origin.

The 1976 Immigration Act modernized the system. It affirmed the principles of diversity and non-discrimination and recognized refugees as a protected category. As a result, more than 327,000 refugees came to Canada as part of the private sponsorship program launched in 1979. Since 1980, Canada has had five major immigration pathways: independent immigration, humanitarian immigration, family reunification, assisted immigration and economic immigration. Finally, on November 1, 2001, the 1976 Immigration Act was replaced by the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. The new law maintained many of the principles and policies set out in the previous law, particularly the different categories of immigrants. It also expanded the family class to include same-sex couples and common-law relationships. This law is the cornerstone of Canada’s current immigration policy.

The choice of November to celebrate national immigration month is based on a powerful milestone: the passage of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, which came into force on November 1, 2001. This law is one of the modern pillars of our immigration policy, and associating it with this month reinforces the historical and civic scope of the initiative. It is a pillar of immigration policy, which is why it must be linked to Bill S-215, since that act is still in force today.

In addition, November is a unique time in Parliament. It’s a good time to organize parliamentary activities. It usually coincides with an active period in the House of Commons and the Senate, which will facilitate political and institutional engagement around this commemoration. Aside from Remembrance Day, there’s not much on the calendar in November, so there’s space to give a national celebration of immigration all the visibility it deserves.

Colleagues, this bill is an acknowledgement of the generations of people who developed our country. The goal is to remind ourselves that nearly all of us are from somewhere else. By bringing together all of the activities related to celebrations, this month will strengthen support for all the motions in Parliament to celebrate our diverse communities and showcase who we are as Canadians from all over the world.

I would like to tell you all a little bit about myself. I came to Canada in 1986 with my husband. We chose to immigrate to this country to pursue our studies. My husband had received funding from the now-defunct Canadian International Development Agency, CIDA, to complete his doctorate in communications. We were supposed to return to Cameroon after his studies. However, we decided to stay in Canada to provide a better life for our four children, three of whom were born here.

Today, thanks to the various initiatives of my family members, all of whom are entrepreneurs like me, I can say that all of us have contributed to this country’s prosperity. We have done it by creating jobs and taking in immigrants as foreign workers. I have been doing it here alongside you for the past four years. However, we still get asked the same old question that I mentioned at the start of my speech: Where are you from? My children were born here, in Montreal North, in Laval, in Saint‑Lambert and in Lorraine, but they get asked the same question. My grandchildren were born here, but they get asked the same question. The purpose of this bill is to bring about change, to promote acceptance of the fact that we all come from somewhere else, and to convince people to stop asking this question. It may be a legitimate question, and people will not stop asking it. However, people need to be taught, told and reminded that, apart from Indigenous people, all Canadians are immigrants or descended from immigrants.

Colleagues, as you have seen, Canada is fundamentally a land of immigration. Immigration has shaped the country we love today.

Recognizing a month dedicated to immigration would send a powerful message to all Canadians and to the international community. Therefore, I urge you, honourable senators, to stand with me and support this bill.

Immigrants are not strangers. They are part of our nation. Immigrants are the past, the present and the future of Canada.

That is why I urge you, honourable senators, to refer Bill S-215, an act respecting national immigration month, to committee as soon as possible, so it can be studied and become law in Canada.

It is difficult to speak after the speech given by my colleague Senator Gerba. It was a passionate speech that came from the heart.

Of course, I too have heard the infamous question: “Where are you from?” It would be better not to ask. Sometimes someone asks out of curiosity or because they see some sort of resemblance. Quebec and Canada are multicultural now and home to many diverse communities, yet people still make missteps.

My remarks will be brief, Senator Gerba, because I cannot match your eloquence on this issue. I have no experience with immigration. I was born here, in Quebec City, into very ordinary circumstances. I support Bill S-215 because I want this celebration to also be a time to reflect on the crucial issues raised by immigration.

This is not just a war of numbers. In the past, we did not talk about climate refugees, narco-states or the systemic violence against women in many countries.

Here, immigration often happened in waves, as you mentioned earlier: a British wave, a Chinese or Japanese wave, an Italian wave. However, these waves often came with high or low tides. At high tide, a lot of Chinese migrants would be admitted because we needed labour. Even though there seemed to be too many of them, they were still forced to pay astronomical head taxes. Chinese immigrants were shamefully discriminated against. Conversely, the Vietnamese boat people went through hell to get here, but we welcomed them with open arms. In the past two years, Canada has also taken in thousands of Ukrainians.

Since the dawn of Confederation, some people have felt there were too many immigrants, and others, too few. Things were a little different in Quebec. Between 1840 and 1930, a million francophones, mostly from Quebec, emigrated to the United States, to New England in particular. The first to leave were farmers who were no longer able to eke out a living. By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, however, Americans were coming here to recruit workers for their textile industry. They needed labour.

That didn’t stop the Ku Klux Klan from objecting to the influx of French-speaking Catholic immigrants. Thousands of hooded, torch-bearing Klansmen converged on Washington to protest against what they called the “Chinese of the Eastern States.”

Let’s come back to the present day. The current Quebec government feels that there are too many immigrants, asylum seekers and international students. In short, there are too many foreigners on its territory. These newcomers have unfortunately become the scapegoats for everything going wrong in Quebec. The ceaseless, aggressive rhetoric of the Quebec government and the Parti Québécois about the evils of immigration troubles me deeply.

Could this reduce Quebecers’ openness to newcomers? Are immigrants really responsible for the housing crisis and the overburdened social and health services, as is so often repeated? They are undoubtedly one factor, but surely not the only one.

In my view, the use of identity-based arguments is even more harmful. Some claim that asylum seekers and temporary immigrants are a threat to the French language in Quebec. Are they really? No one can say that you pose a threat, Senator Gerba, considering your excellent French.

Are there any numbers to back up this claim? Does anyone really believe that the thousands of temporary workers on farms across Quebec who are picking crops as part of our agricultural workforce pose a threat to our language? Of all the obvious threats to young francophones, isn’t the number one threat the omnipresence of the internet, social media and the English-dominated virtual world?

Don’t get me wrong, I think our language needs to be constantly and positively promoted, but not at the expense of newcomers, who are already living in precarious conditions, far from home.

Quebec nationalism has not always taken a divisive stance on immigration. I still have a vivid memory of Parti Québécois MNA Gérald Godin reaching out to cultural communities in the 1970s. He sought them out. He was inclusive. He listened. He influenced the Parti Québécois vision at the time.

Let’s be realistic. It’s clear that both Quebec and Canada need immigrants and temporary workers. Many small towns in Quebec rely on these workers to keep businesses alive, launch new businesses themselves and give these towns a badly needed demographic boost.

This sensitive issue requires tact, moderation and kindness, all of which are sorely lacking.

I am among those who believe that Canada must remain a generous country. We must never forget that Iranians, Afghans, Sudanese and Colombians are, first and foremost, human beings who want to settle here to build a better life for themselves and their families. We have to ask ourselves this question: What would we do if we had a family and there was no future for them in our country because of poverty, desertification or other untenable conditions?

That question should be our pole star in this whole debate. Thank you once again, Senator Gerba. I just want to clarify that, when you said we had had a debate and had spoken often, it was not about immigration. We pretty much agree on that subject. What we discussed was whether tablets should be used while delivering speeches. That can be tricky sometimes.

Honourable senators, I rise today to support Bill S-215 to establish a national immigration month.

As you can imagine, as an immigrant myself, this topic really hits home for me. I thank Senator Gerba for introducing this bill that will help us remember our history and our origins and look to the future with hope.

I will spare you the anti-immigration rhetoric of today’s populists. Senator Gerba was quite eloquent on the matter and Senator Miville-Dechêne said everything else that needed to be said.

In Canada, waves of migration began in the year 1021, in a place now known as Newfoundland and Labrador, as Senator Gerba so aptly explained in her historical overview of immigration.

Closer to the present day, the wave of Haitian immigration took place in the 1960s and 1970s. Fleeing Haiti’s political and economic crises under the dictatorship of Duvalier, these men and women came here in search of a better future. They brought a rich culture and unique skills that francophone Canada needed at the time.

Many of their achievements are documented in a book entitled Ces Québécois venus d’Haïti, which was published in 2007. Of the notable achievements presented in this book, we find the story of Dr. Yvette Bonny, who performed the first bone marrow transplant in a child in 1980 and who was a pioneer in all matters relating to sickle cell disease in Quebec. In the education sector, there is Professor Patrick Paultre, who established the largest research program in Canada on the behaviour of high-performance concrete structural elements under seismic loading. In the field of sports, Bruny Surin participated in many prestigious international competitions, including the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, winning the gold medal in the 400 metres in 1996. He was also delegation head for the Canadian team at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. In the engineering sector, Maxime Dehoux won the award of merit from the Association of Consulting Engineers of Canada and Canadian Consulting Engineer magazine for his contribution to the construction of the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope.

This list, although not exhaustive, illustrates how much their exceptional contribution continues to enrich our socio-cultural fabric.

This book also documents my own journey. I arrived in Canada on November 26, 1976, and like many immigrant professionals, I had to deal with the non-recognition of my medical degree. Once I overcame this obstacle and obtained my licence from the Medical Council of Canada in 1981, I was able to innovate in continuing education activities by developing a program focusing on medical care in the home. I subsequently wrote a book on at-home medical care, founded a palliative care home for the Laval community, and became involved with medical associations.

For just under a year now, I have been pursuing my commitment to serving alongside you all in the Senate of Canada.

Is it necessary to dedicate a month to immigration? That’s the question we’re going to answer.

Before I explain, let me briefly remind you of some key immigration terms, such as migration, immigration, emigration, refugees and temporary workers.

These terms are often misunderstood and misinterpreted. Statistics Canada defines migration as “[g]eographic movements of persons of a given population, involving a change in usual place of residence.” Migration can be intraprovincial, interprovincial or international.

Immigration refers to the entry of people from another country. Every immigrant has first emigrated from another country.

Another term that deserves particular attention is “refugee.” Under international law, the 1951 Geneva Convention defines “refugee” as a person who leaves their country due to a well-founded fear of persecution. This person seeks refuge in another country. They can’t avail themselves of the protection of their own country.

Therefore, when a person starts an asylum claim, they can’t be described as an “illegal migrant,” which is a term that is often used incorrectly in debates about migrants entering via Roxham Road. The proper term is “irregular migrants.”

Finally, there are also “temporary foreign workers,” meaning people recruited by companies to alleviate labour shortages in various sectors in Canada.

During public meetings of the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology, which was studying the issue of temporary and migrant labour in Canada, a number of employers said they need these workers. The Nova Scotia Seafood Alliance, for example, explained in its brief that, without temporary workers, the main challenge would be finding enough people in the surrounding regions who are willing to accept seasonal employment. Other companies confirmed these statements.

To conclude the lexical portion of my speech, please keep these definitions clear in your minds, because they can help us understand the issues surrounding this bill.

Now let us consider the importance of immigrants in our country. Are they really indispensable to Canada?

On July 31, 2024, an article published in the magazine L’actualité entitled “Global population decline” examined the drop in birth rates worldwide.

The article said that the population replacement level is a birth rate of 2.1 children per woman. Currently, 54% of Western nations, including Canada, have birth rates below this threshold. According to the most recent Statistics Canada data, which are from 2022, Canada’s birth rate is 1.33 children per woman.

This drop in the birth rate directly affects the renewal of the workforce, that is, the number of employed individuals. The strength of the Canadian economy depends in part on the size of this working population, whose tax contributions are essential to financing our public services.

What’s more, the evolution of this workforce will be increasingly influenced by aging. By 2030, people aged 65 and over will account for 23%, nearly one-quarter, of Canada’s population, or more than 9.5 million people.

Given this reality, immigration is not merely a solution, but a critical necessity if our economy is to survive.

However, we must recognize that immigration should not be seen solely as a means of addressing labour shortages. It is also a strategic lever that introduces innovation, entrepreneurial spirit and cultural diversity, all of which are essential to our prosperity. Without immigration, our economy could stagnate and our international competitiveness could suffer.

This migratory movement is not unique to Canada; it is a global phenomenon. Many countries are facing similar demographic realities and are welcoming new populations to support their economies.

Honourable senators, in answer to the main question about whether we need a month dedicated to immigration, I would say that this month would be an opportunity for each of us to share our own story, our challenges, our personal and shared triumphs. It should include learning opportunities designed to convey cultural wealth in literature, music and even gastronomy. Future generations are sure to benefit.

Speaking of gastronomy, as I promised you last year, I’d be delighted to share with you a recipe for joumou soup, a quintessential Haitian dish inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Why November? There are some good reasons November was chosen for this recognition.

As Senator Gerba pointed out, it coincides with two significant immigration-related events: National Francophone Immigration Week and the date on which the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act received Royal Assent.

To move forward together, it is essential that we promote personal stories and celebrate the riches that each of us brings to our community.

After a brief discussion about this bill with Senator Gerba, I read about the immigration history of the Riley and McArthur families of Alberta in the Canadian Parliamentary Review.

It reminded me of some well-known stories. If you read the article, you’ll learn more about some everyday immigration success stories. I think it’s a good illustration of the essence of this bill, because it shows that we are all first-, second- or third-generation immigrants. I hope you will support Bill S-215 and send it to committee. Thank you.