Councillor

Denzil Minnan-Wong speaks to council on February 21, 2013 after moving a motion to support the Canadian governments effort to facilitate the legal admission of immigrants and the removal of illegal immigrants. Madam chair, undocumented workers are illegal workers, illegal immigrants. They come to this country, many of them, with no intention of leaving. They remain illegally. In fact, many flout our laws and laugh at us. I know some illegal immigrants arrive at Pearson Airport from Europe. Their first stop is the welfare office. They already know the address because theyve been told back home where to go. They have been told in their home country this is true where the welfare office is. They want to go to the office where they say they can get the free money. Undocumented workers [Speaker Frances Nunziata interrupts to silence councillors who are shouting Shame!] Madam chair, undocumented workers, illegal immigrants, are subject to removal orders and deportation orders. They should be removed, we should not encourage them, we should not help them, we should not facilitate them. They are an insult to every immigrant who played by the rules to get into this country. They are an insult every immigrant who is waiting to enter this country legally. It sends a message to the world that it is ok to break the law to come to Canada, and it says that the City of Toronto is an accomplice to this law breaking.