Response to Parliamentary Committees and External Audits

Response to parliamentary committees

Apply Without Fear: Special Immigration Measures for Nationals of Haiti and Zimbabwe

On February 23, 2016, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration agreed to study the situation of Zimbabwean and Haitian nationals in Canada, including an examination of the temporary suspension of removals order. Subsequent to this study, the Committee tabled its report on May 16, 2016, which contained seven recommendations addressing the special immigration measures, namely publicity, the application process, collaboration with community organizations, cost, and the administrative burden faced by people living under a temporary suspension of removals.

The Government Response to the Committee’s report was tabled on August 17, 2016.

Distress Call: How Canada’s Immigration Program Can Respond to Reach the Displaced and Most Vulnerable

On June 16, 2016, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration agreed to study options on how Canada can best support vulnerable groups in inaccessible regions. The Committee examined immigration measures to support vulnerable groups in inaccessible regions, including accelerated resettlement and other humanitarian measures. The Committee’s subsequent report, which was tabled on October 5, 2016, contained five recommendations concerning improving the settlement program, expanding eligibility for resettlement to include people residing in their country of origin, and making use of humanitarian and compassionate provisions.

The Government Response to the Committee’s report was tabled on February 2, 2017.

Report 2, Detecting and Preventing Fraud in the Citizenship Program, of the Spring 2016 Reports of the Auditor General of Canada

In spring 2016, the Office of the Auditor General of Canada (OAG) released a performance audit that examined whether IRCC detected and prevented fraud in adult citizenship applications to ensure that only applicants who met selected eligibility requirements were granted Canadian citizenship. The OAG also examined whether the Citizenship Program obtained accurate, complete and timely information from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to inform its decisions to grant citizenship. On June 2, 2016, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Accounts held a hearing on this audit and the OAG’s findings. In the context of applying controls for preventing and detecting fraud, the Committee’s subsequent report (tabled on October 5, 2016) centred around problem addresses, identifying fraudulent and altered documents, obtaining information from the RCMP on criminal behaviour, and obtaining information from the CBSA on potential immigration fraud. The report contained eight recommendations directed toward IRCC, CBSA and the RCMP in line with the aforementioned themes.

The Government Response to the Committee’s report was tabled on February 2, 2017.

After the Warm Welcome: Ensuring that Syrian Refugees Succeed

On March 8, 2016, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration agreed to study the Government of Canada’s initiative to resettle Syrian refugees to Canada, with a particular focus on integration challenges, in order to assess the adequacy of government support and to identify any lessons learned for future refugee arrivals. The Committee’s subsequent report centred around the Government’s resettlement initiative, lessons learned from the #WelcomeRefugees Initiative, integration, specialized settlement programming, the contributions of private sponsors, funding, and the future of Canada’s resettlement programs. The report contained 14 recommendations focused primarily on aspects of integration, while also addressing the issue of opportunities for family reunification and private sponsorship in the immediate future.

The Government Response to the Committee’s report was tabled on March 6, 2017.

Response to audits conducted by the Auditor General (including to the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development)

The 2016 Spring Report of the Auditor General of Canada included the Audit of Detecting and Preventing Fraud in the Citizenship Program. The audit examined whether IRCC detected and prevented fraud in the Citizenship Program to ensure only eligible adult applicants are granted citizenship. The report contains seven recommendations for improvements directed toward IRCC and its partners, the CBSA and the RCMP. All three departments agreed with the OAG’s recommendations and the report contains the departments’ responses to the recommendations.

The 2016 Fall Report of the Auditor General of Canada included the Audit of the Beyond the Border Action Plan. The OAG audited eight of the departments and agencies that were responsible for the implementation of the Action Plan initiatives, including IRCC. No recommendations were directed toward IRCC.

Response to audits conducted by the Public Service Commission of Canada or the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages

Office of the Privacy Commissioner – Review of the Security of Canada Information Sharing Act Implementation

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada conducted a review of information handling practices during the first six months of the Security of Canada Information Sharing Act, which came into force as part of Bill C-51 on August 1, 2015. The report was published on September 27, 2016 as part of the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada’s 2015–2016 Annual Report to Parliament on the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act and the Privacy Act, as a section concerning Bill C-51. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada concluded that its concerns in terms of oversight were partially addressed, but it identified other concerns including the thresholds allowing information sharing under the Security of Canada Information Sharing Act. There was no direct reference to IRCC other than the acknowledgment of it being an institution having collected or disclosed information pursuant to the Act and no recommendations were received.