(Ottawa) A parliamentary inquiry will be held into the use of public funds to erect facilities near Roxham Road.
Posted yesterday at 3:43 p.m.
The Bloc Québécois, supported by Conservative and New Democrat MPs, succeeded in having a motion to this effect adopted Monday at the House of Commons Access to Information and Ethics Committee.
Roxham Road, located in Montérégie, is used by many migrants to enter Canada irregularly to seek asylum.
Radio-Canada recently revealed that, according to its compilation, Ottawa has disbursed more than half a billion in public funds to reimburse costs paid by Quebec or to pay suppliers. These sums notably allowed the rental of land and hotels, as well as the installation of trailers.
The public broadcaster noted that it was impossible for it to know the value of all the contracts awarded by Ottawa since the government hides behind confidentiality requirements. Among these, Radio-Canada mentioned seven leases contracted without a call for tenders from companies belonging to Pierre Guay, a Liberal donor.
“We are concerned about the impact these revelations may have on the public as well as on the trust the public is obliged to place in the government,” reads a letter sent to parliamentary committee chairman Pat Kelly. to call for the emergency meeting that took place on Monday afternoon.
The missive is co-signed by Bloc Québécois René Villemure, Conservatives James Bezan, Ryan Williams and Damien Kurek as well as New Democrat Matthew Green.
MPs demanded, in the motion approved Monday, that the access to information committee conduct its study of expenditures related to Roxham Road during at least six meetings of the parliamentary group.
The text of the motion calls for several witnesses to be invited, such as the Ministers of Immigration and Public Security, Sean Fraser and Marco Mendicino, as well as Pierre Guay.
When tabling his motion, Mr. Villemure affirmed that the Radio-Canada revelations raise many ethical questions. Earlier on Monday, he called on the government to be transparent and make all contracts related to Roxham Road public.
“If the government has nothing to hide, it should reveal these documents itself,” he said during Question Period in the Commons.
Supply Minister Helena Jaczek maintained that “disclosing confidential contract information would violate the [du fédéral] with the supplier.
As soon as the Bloc motion was tabled in committee, a Liberal elected member, Ya’ara Saks, suggested that the access to information committee was not the right forum for this kind of exercise, arguing that this case involves immigration matters.
His colleague Iqra Khalid added that the scope of the requested investigation was too broad. She asked that the motion be amended to withdraw Minister Fraser’s summons, a request which was defeated.
“The file is quite specific and clearly concerns ethics. […] That’s why I think this is where it should happen, ”retorted curator Pierre Paul-Hus.
The latter also pleaded that it was urgent to shed light on the revelations, mentioning that contracts have been renewed to last until 2027.
The Liberals then tried, in vain, to limit the duration of the requested inquiry so that it would only take place over two committee meetings. “I think six sessions is exaggerating! said one, Greg Fergus.
According to him, it is clear that the elected representatives of the opposition will try to invite “everyone and his brother” to testify, which will undermine the effectiveness of the committee’s work.
New Democrat Matthew Green, for his part, argued that if the Liberals wanted to talk about efficiency, they should start by stopping blocking the launch of the inquiry.
The parliamentary study, which will finally take place, will begin “as soon as possible”, if we are to believe the text of the motion adopted on Monday.
The Bloc and New Democrats have long called for the suspension of the Safe Third Country Agreement, which is at the heart of irregular crossings through Roxham Road.
This agreement ensures that a potential refugee presenting himself at an official Canadian border crossing and having first set foot on American soil is turned away since he must continue his asylum application in the first “place of safety” where he arrives. .
Thus, people still wishing to seek asylum in Canada cross the Canada-US border through makeshift crossings, such as Roxham Road in Montérégie. Once they are in Canada, their refugee claim can be processed.
For their part, the Conservatives want the uniform application of the Safe Third Country Agreement all along the border, official entry point or not.