Liberal minister dodges questions on illegal immigrant numbers
By Clayton DeMaine
Liberal Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab would not reveal the number of illegal immigrants in Canada. When asked whether they should be deported, she said the Liberals “expect” them to leave.
Liberal Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab would not reveal the number of illegal immigrants in Canada. When asked whether they should be deported, she said the Liberals just “expect” them to leave.
The new immigration minister dodged several questions from Conservative MPs during a debate in the House of Commons.
Diab was asked how many students are in the country on fraudulent visas, how many people are in the country with expired visas, and how many of those have been deported. She evaded each question, failing to answer.
Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner grilled Diab, asking how many of the estimated half a million undocumented foreigners who were in Canada as of December have been deported. Diab responded that the number of people ordered to go is “taken way out of context.”
Rather than answer questions on illegal immigration, Diab deferred answering, saying the question should be directed at the public safety minister and the Canada Border Services Agency.
Rempel Garner noted that it is the immigration minister’s job to know how many people are in the country, legally and illegally, for her to accurately and responsibly set immigration targets.
Diab offered no plan to remove illegal immigrants, instead simply saying the Liberals “expect” them to leave.
“We have rules in this country, and we expect people to follow those rules,” Diab said.
Her approach echoed comments made by former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s immigration minister last November, who said that nearly five million immigrants whose visas were set to expire were expected to leave voluntarily.
Diab refused to answer how many of the nearly 1.3 million non-permanent residents who were expected to leave Canada or become permanent residents have left. Conservatives questioned how the minister could set immigration targets if she’s ignorant of the number of immigrants still in the country.