Federal election candidates debate immigration in Calgary

In the second of threeCalgary Eyeopenerdebates with federal candidates in local ridings, the focus was on immigration and foreign policy.

• Federal election candidates in Calgary debate energy, environment
• Jason Kenney: There should be no conditions on negotiating peace in Syria
• Alberta group to sponsor Syrian refugees, despite fears from some residents

In the hotseatwasLiberal candidate Kerry Cundal, the NDP'sAbdou Sourayaand theminister of citizenship and immigration prior to the election, Jason Kenney who is a Conservative candidate in the new riding of Calgary Midnapore.

Here are some of the most memorable quotes from the debate.

Calgary Eyeopener10:23Federal candidates discuss immigration issues

Conservative candidate Jason Kenney, Liberal candidate Kerry Cundal and NDP candidate Abdou Souraya join us in studio to discuss immigration and foreign policy issues.

Kerry Cundal,Liberal candidate,Calgary Signal Hill

• "It's a little late in the game during the election to be responding. I've very glad to see a shift now... but it should have happened sooner."
• "Munich and Germany are not falling apart.They are taking hundreds of thousands. Now to be fair, I'm not advocating for hundreds of thousands of refugees to be resettled in Canada but it certainly gives us pause for reflection that we could do more and we must do more."

Jason Kenney, Conservativecandidate,Calgary Midnapore

• "The number of immigrants coming to Canada through family reunification has increased by 10 per cent on average per year under our government66,000 per year versus 61,000 under the previous Liberal government so we've actually increased family reunification."
• "When I opened the first dedicated program for Syrian refugees, it was for gays, lesbians and women who were victims of sexual violence. You can't take 15million people, so I think we should take the most vulnerable."

Abdou Souraya,NDP candidate, Calgary Forest Lawn

• "My parents did immigrate from Lebanon and some of my relatives who still reside there say they've [the country] taken on so many refugees over the past year or so and it's a pain on the infrastructure. As Canadians, I think we should set the bar a little higher to help out."
• "In regard to the values and prices that's put on the sponsorship families, we need to give them a break."
• "Definitely wewant to make the process easier for them. Less red tape and have them expeditedinto our communities."