CIMM – Committee & Appearance Overview – February 7, 2024

Committee Mandate

The Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration (CIMM) studies matters related to immigration, citizenship and federal multiculturalism policy.

The committee has oversight of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and the Immigration and Refugee Board.

Appearance Background

On November 30, CIMM adopted the following motion to invite the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship to appear at the committee:

It was agreed, — That the committee invite the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship and the Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs to appear as soon as possible, for one hour each, to answer the committee’s questions concerning migrant trafficking and smuggling and the measures the government intends to implement to put an end to these illegal activities that exploit vulnerable people and compromise their safety.

The Minister has been invited to deliver a five-minute opening statement, followed by rounds of questioning from committee members. The following officials will accompany the Minister :

• Scott Harris, Associate Deputy Minister
• Michèle Kingsley, Assistant Deputy Minister

From the Public Safety Portfolio :

• Mark Flynn, Deputy Commissioner, Federal Policing, RCMP
• Richard Burchill, Chief Superintendent, Acting Assistant Commissioner Federal Policing Criminal Operations, RCMP
• Dan Anson, Director General, Intelligence and Investigations, CBSA

Recent Committee Business

Studies

A list of studies the committee has moved to undertake in the 44th Parliament can be found here.

Reports

A list of reports the committee has presented in the 44th Parliament can be found here.

In May 2023, CIMM tabled a report titled: Asylum-Seekers at Canada’s Border. This report discusses human trafficking at the Canada-U.S. border.

Environmental Scan

The 2019-2024 National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking, published by Public Safety, outlines Canada’s response to human trafficking. The strategy includes activities of relevance to IRCC including assessing existing immigration processes to ensure that sufficient protection is in place for victims in contact with border officials. The strategy identifies migrants and new immigrants as people at higher risk of being victims of human trafficking.

The Standing Committee on the Status of Women (FEWO) is undergoing a study on Human Trafficking of Women, Girls and Gender Diverse People. The human trafficking of temporary and permanent residents has been a key topic in this study.

The issues below are presently top of mind for CIMM members:

• Human trafficking in Mexican cartels at the Canadian border
• Trafficking of international students
• Increased risk of exploitation due to closed work permits

Committee Membership

Sukh Dhaliwal (Surrey-Newton, BC)
Chair of CIMM

Brad Redekopp (Saskatoon West, SK)
Vice-Chair of CIMM; Associate Shadow Minister for Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship

Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe (Lac-Saint-Jean, QC)
Second Vice-Chair of CIMM; Vice-Chair of SDIR; Critic for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship and Human Rights

Shafqat Ali (Brampton Centre, ON)

Salma Zahid (Scarborough Centre, ON)

Fayçal El-Khoury (Laval—Les Îles, QC)
Member of the panel of chairs for the legislative committees

Arielle Kayabaga (London West, ON)
Member of LANG

Tom Kmiec (Calgary Shepard, AB)
Shadow Minister for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship; Member of CACN

Jenny Kwan (Vancouver East, BC)
Caucus Chair; Long-standing Critic for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship; Critic for Housing

Paul Chiang (Markham-Unionville, ON)
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

Larry Maguire (Brandon-Souris, MB)

Greg McLean (Calgary Centre, AB)

Conservative Party Of Canada

CIMM Members

Tom Kmiec
(Calgary Shepard, AB)
Shadow Minister for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

Brad Redekopp
(Saskatoon West, SK)
Deputy Shadow Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

Greg McLean
(Calgary Centre, AB)

Larry Maguire
(Brandon-Souris, MB)

Topics of Interest

• Fiscal matters and the economy
• Equalization
• Foreign affairs and international development
• Rare diseases

Other Active Members

Pierre-Paul-Hus
(Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC)
Québec Lieutenant; Former Shadow Cabinet Minister for Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness

Top Party Issues

The Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) outlines their commitments to a non-partisan, welcoming and well-managed immigration system in their Policy Declaration (PDF, 612 KB).

Members of the CPC have expressed concerns in cases of foreign students being exploited and made victims of human trafficking while in Canada.

Recent Party Activity

• September 21 – Debates: Accused the federal government of having international students sold into prostitution and human trafficking (Poilievre).
• September 19 – Debates: Shared concerns of foreign students being exploited and trafficked in Canada (Vis).
• June 13 – Debates: Criticized the government response to human smuggling at the border (Redekopp).
• March 30 – FEWO: Asked if supportive housing for immigrants who are victims of human trafficking would be beneficial (Ferreri).
• November 25, 2022 – CIMM: Asked about smuggling at Roxham Road (Redekopp).

New Democratic Party

CIMM Member

Jenny Kwan
(Vancouver East, BC)
Caucus Chair; Long-standing Critic for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship; Critic for Housing

Topics of Interest

• Rights, safety and precariousness of Caregivers and other migrant workers
• Processing capacity and backlogs
• Extending the definition of family for reunification
• International Students impacted by Fraud

Other Active Members

Alexandre Boulerice
(Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie, QB)
Deputy Leader; Critic for Labour; Deputy Critic for Climate Change, Official Languages

Randall Garrison
(Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke, BC)
Critic for Justice, 2SLGBTQI+ Rights; Deputy Critic for National Defence

Top Party Issues

The New Democratic Party (NDP) believes that immigrants strengthen our country and more needs to be done to ensure the immigration system is rooted in fairness, respect and dignity.

NDP members have expressed concerns with human trafficking of temporary foreign workers due to closed work permits, the expansion of the Safe-Third Country Agreement, and due to fears of losing their status due to the criminalization of sex work.

Recent Party Activity

• November 9 – CIMM: Mentioned a case of human trafficking of foreign workers, and how closed work permits limited the workers abilities to avoid this type of exploitation (Kwan).
• June 16 – Twitter: Stated that the recent expansion of the Safe-Third Country Agreement could increase the risks of human trafficking and sexual violence (Kwan).
• April 4 – Twitter: Shared that the expansion of the Safe-Third Country Agreement would lead to “more dangerous border crossings, an increase in human trafficking, and more suffering and death of asylum seekers” (Gazan).
• March 30 – FEWO: Asked about the connection between employer-specific work permits and higher risk for exploitation of workers (Gazan).
• March 23 – FEWO: Recommended de-criminalizing sex work for migrant workers because they are less likely to report crimes if they are worried about their immigration status (Gazan).

Bloc Québécois

CIMM Member

Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe
(Lac-Saint-Jean)
Second Vice-Chair of CIMM; Critic for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Human Rights;

Topics of Interest

• Francophone immigration, including international students from French-speaking countries in Africa
• Immigration measures for Afghanistan
• Taking a stand against China in relation to the Uyghur genocide
• Quebec interests and protection of the French language
• Human rights conflicts
• Processing delays
• Family reunification

Other Active Members

Christine Normandin
(Saint-Jean, QC)
Former Critic Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship; BQ Deputy House Leader

Yves-François Blanchet
(Beloil-Chambly, QC)
BQ Party Leader

Top Party Issues

The Bloc Québécois (BQ) prioritizes Francophone immigration to Quebec and ensuring immigration does not contribute to the decline of French in Canada.

The party has recently made several interventions relating to the presence of Mexican drug cartels engaging in human trafficking at the Canadian border.

Recent Party Activity

• November 21 – Debates: Shared that the government cannot allow Mexican drug cartels to continue to engage in human trafficking at the border (Fortin).
• November 20 – Debates: Raised concerns about a human trafficking network being run by Mexican cartels at the Canadian border (Debellefeuille).
• May 1 – FEWO: Spoke on the need to better identify the number of victims of human trafficking and to coordinate between government departments (Larouche).
• April 20 – FEWO: Stated that migrant children are very vulnerable to human trafficking or other types of exploitation (Chabot).
• November 25, 2022 – CIMM: Questioned how human trafficking has been able to continue at Roxham Road when officials are aware it is happening (Brunelle-Duceppe).
• November 18, 2022 – CIMM: Asked the Minister if an investigation would take place on trafficking rings who take advantage of migrants and asylum claimants (Brunelle-Duceppe).
• November 15, 2022 – CIMM: Brought up the issue of vans being used by criminal smuggling rings to bring people to Roxham Road (Brunelle-Duceppe).

Liberal Party of Canada

Party Position

The Liberal Party of Canada (LPC) outlines their immigration commitments in their 2021 Platform.

Recent Party Activity

• May 4 – FEWO: Asked how many women and girls who are trafficked are newcomers to Canada (Vandenbeld).
• May 1 – FEWO: Requested information on what factors may contribute to an elevated risk of trafficking for undocumented and other refugee and migrant groups (Idlout).

CIMM Members

Sukh Dhaliwal
(Surrey-Newton, BC)
Chair of CIMM

Topics of Interest

• International Students
• Parents and Grandparents Sponsorship
• Family Reunification
• Settlement and Integration

Shafqat Ali
(Brampton Centre, ON)

Salma Zahid
(Scarborough Centre, ON)

Fayçal El-Khoury
(Laval—Les Îles, QC)
Member of the panel of chairs for the legislative committees

Arielle Kayabaga
(London West, ON)
Member of LANG

Paul Chiang
(Markham-Unionville, ON)
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship