CIMM – Minister’s Opening Statement – December 05, 2023

Thank you, Chair.

I want to start by acknowledging that we are meeting today on the traditional and unceded territories of the Algonquin Anishinaabe People.

I am here today with my officials to discuss the work we’re doing to strengthen our immigration system and reduce backlogs, manage the increased interest in Canada, and the need for skilled labour across the country.

In November, I tabled the Annual Immigration Levels Plan for 2024-2026, which stabilizes immigration levels in 2026 to ensure a sustainable and responsible path for immigration.

This plan will help businesses find the workers they need, keep Canada on a path of long-term economic success, and stay true to our humanitarian traditions.

At the same time, we’re taking steps to ensure that our immigration levels are aligned with pressures in housing and infrastructure.

We continue to work with all levels of government in this regard, and are taking immediate action to address urgent housing challenges for asylum claimants. Through the Interim Housing Assistance Program (IHAP), Canada is providing $212 million to reimburse provinces and municipalities to provide safe shelters for asylum seekers, and relieve housing pressures for municipalities. This includes $97 million for the City of Toronto, relieving pressures on the Greater Toronto Area as a whole.

More recently, we announced $7 million in funding towards opening a new reception centre in Peel to provide temporary shelter for asylum seekers and divert them from the shelter system, helping to relieve pressures on Peel and the surrounding area. Not only will this provide asylum seekers with warm shelters ahead of the winter months, but the Peel Reception Centre will also connect them to essential services and supports.

We’re also taking steps to improve processing times so that we can welcome skilled newcomers to Canada more quickly.

Through changes to our permanent resident immigration programs, we are bringing in the workers needed to address skills and labour shortages across the country.

This past month, I met with my provincial and territorial counterparts to discuss the need to attract skilled workers to address critical labour shortages.

For instance, construction companies are looking to hire thousands of workers to help build new homes and infrastructure.

As such, funding will also contribute to capacity building and overall system and processing improvements that support the immigration levels for 2023, 2024 and 2025. It will also improve the efficiency of temporary resident processing by streamlining immigration processes to help employers in vital sectors like agriculture, healthcare, construction and technology to bring in skilled foreign workers more efficiently.

These investments are critical, as we have been facing unprecedented demand to come to Canada across many categories of newcomers.

With new digital solutions, automating certain administrative tasks, and streamlining processes, my department is reducing wait times and application inventories to bring in workers, students and visitors here more efficiently. Funding for improving our temporary resident processing will help us speed up visitor visa, work and study permit application decisions.

While our focus remains on economic immigration that supports employers and communities, we are continuing to meet our commitments to reunite families and address humanitarian crises.

That is why we have extended support for those affected by the Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, providing temporary refuge for more than 198,000 Ukrainian nationals and their family members.

Funding reflects the extension of the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Transport (CUAET) from March to July of this year, and the extension of support measures needed after these vulnerable newcomers arrive. These support measures have been extended until March of 2024.

Le gouvernement du Canada a alloué 53 millions de dollars en dans le cadre de L’Autorisation de voyage d’urgence Canada-Ukraine (AVUCU) pour soutenir les ressortissants ukrainiens au Québec en 2022-2023 et 2023-2024.

Overall, these measures align with our plan to stabilize immigration, while helping businesses find the workers they need, quickly and efficiently.

We continue to harness our immigration system to chart Canada out on a path of long-term economic success, all while staying true to our humanitarian traditions as a country.

Thank you. I am happy to take your questions.