CIMM – Committee & Appearance Overview – May 12, 2022
About the 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.
Studies
The committee has moved to undertake three studies this session, including Recruitment and Acceptance Rates of Foreign Students, Differential Outcomes and Application Backlogs and Processing Times.
Reports
The committee has presented the following reports this session:
- Report 1 – Safe Haven in Canada: Special Immigration and Refugee Measures are Urgently Needed for the People of Hong Kong (re-tabled from previous session) (GR requested)
- Report 2 – Immigration in the Time of Covid-19: Issues and Challenges (re-tabled from previous session) (GR requested)
- Report 3 – Situation at the Russia-Ukraine Border
- Report 4 – Supplementary Estimates (C)
- Report 5 - Support for Russians opposing Russia's attack on Ukraine
- Report 6 - Supporting Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims to find safety in Canada (GR requested).
About the Appearance
Background
The Minister will appear before CIMM to provide testimony for the upcoming committee study on Application Backlogs and Processing Times, as well as to consider the 2022-2023 Main Estimates. Due to the committee’s preferences, study timelines and Main Estimates deadlines, along with the high volume of appearances at CIMM and other committees this session, the appearance on Main Estimates will take place on May 12, and Application Backlogs and Processing Times on May 17.
For the Main Estimates appearance, it is expected that the following officials appear on behalf of IRCC:
- Caroline Xavier, Acting Deputy Minister
- Hughes St-Pierre, CFO, Assistant Deputy Minister, Finance, Security and Administration
- Marian Campbell Jarvis, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic and Program Policy
- Daniel Mills, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Operations
- Nicole Giles, Assistant Deputy Minister, Operations
- Catherine Scott, Assistant Deputy Minister, Settlement and Integration
For the appearance on Application Backlogs and Processing Times, the following officials are expected to participate:
- Daniel Mills, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Operations
- Glen Linder, Director General, International and Intergovernmental Relations
Environmental Scan
In relation to Application Backlogs and Processing Times, the Minister gave a technical briefing at CIMM on February 15, 2022 on this topic. This subject matter has also been a key point of discussion in the recent CIMM appearance on Supplementary Estimates (C) and LANG appearance on Francophone Immigration to Canada and Quebec.
Questioning for the Main Estimates is anticipated to be broad, as members are equally empowered to consider and report on expenditure plans and priorities for future fiscal years.
Committee Membership
- Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe (Lac-Saint-Jean)
- Critic for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship and Human Rights; Second Vice-Chair of CIMM; Vice-Chair of AFGH
- Jenny Kwan(Vancouver East, BC)
- Long-standing Critic for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship; Critic for Housing; Vice-Chair of AFGH
- Jasraj Singh Hallan (Calgary Forest Lawn, AB)
- Shadow Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship; Member of AFGH
- Garnett Genuis (Sherwood Park–Fort Saskachewan, AB)
- Bob Benzen (Calgary Heritage, AB)
- Brad Redekopp (Saskatoon West, SK)
- Deputy Shadow Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
- Salma Zahid (Scarborough Centre, ON)
- Re-elected Chair of CIMM; Member of AFGH
- Marie-France Lalonde (Orléans, ON)
- Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
- Sukh Daliwal (Surrey–Newton, BC)
- Chair of AFGH
- Shafqat Ali (Brampton Centre, ON)
- Fayçal El-Khoury (Laval—Les Îles, QC)
- Member for AFGH
- Arielle Kayabaga (London West, ON)
Conservative Party of Canada
Top Party Issues
The CPC has focused considerable attention on the situation in Ukraine, and frequently draws unfavourable parallels between Afghanistan and Ukraine in their messaging.
The party has increased its focus on issues of racism and discrimination at IRCC, with questions often centering around accountability and action being taken in response to the Pollara Report.
Processing delays and backlogs have been at the forefront of questioning, and have often been linked to Canada’s skilled labour shortage.
The integrity of the immigration system, particularly as it relates to data breaches, safety and security, have been highly discussed, including alleged breaches of Afghan refugee data and issues of foreign interference.
On family reunification, the party mainly focuses on processing times.
The party has advocated for changes to border and asylum, including closing the Safe Third Country Agreement loophole and expediting Immigration and Refugee Board asylum hearings.
Recent Party Activity
- May 3 – Debates: Demanded visa-free travel to Canada for Ukrainian refugees (Genuis).
- May 2 – Oral Questions: Requested action on wait times for passport renewals (Lehoux).
- Apr 29 – Oral Questions: Asked that the government speed up its processing of caregiver cases (Hallan).
- Apr 27 – Twitter: Highlighted an exchange at CIMM on Bangladesh being included in the Student Direct Stream (Redekopp).
- Apr 22 – Twitter: Shared a Youtube clip of immigration lawyer Steven Meurrens appearing on his podcast “all that Jas”; alleged Canada’s system is systemically racist (Hallan).
- Apr 7 – Debates: Alleged the government is mishandling immigration, voiced opposition to the MPs’ limit of five immigration inquiries per day (Viersen).
- Apr 6 – Twitter: Highlighted a conversation with a Bangladeshi Youtube personality on Bangladesh immigration and its Student Direct Stream eligibility (Redekopp).
- Apr 5 – Oral Questions: Called on the Minister to apologize for implying former Afghan interpreters were security threats and for the processing rate of Afghan interpreters’ families (Hallan).
- Apr 5 – Oral Questions: Referenced a letter sent to the Minister on behalf of Afghan former interpreters’ families, called on the Minister to take action for interpreters (Thomas).
- Apr 4 – Oral Questions: Alleged that new Canadians were not interested in coming to Canada due to a poor economy (Gray) (Vien).
- Apr 3 – Twitter: Accused the government of incompetence over its managing of immigration inventories (Hallan).
- Apr 1 – Oral Questions: Called on the government to issue a Citizenship Certificate for the child of a Canadian mother stuck in Poland (Généreux).
- Apr 1 – Oral Questions: Demanded that IRCC reduce processing delays to help address labour shortages in Quebec (Lehoux).
- Apr 1 – Debates: Suggested that complaints against IRCC were “skyrocketing” (Godin).
- Mar 31 – Oral Questions: Asked that the government speed biometric testing, pointing to delays (Hallan).
- Mar 31 – Twitter: Alleged the government is allowing vulnerable and terminally ill women to be deported (Redekopp).
CIMM Members
- Jasraj Singh Hallan (Calgary Forest Lawn, AB)
- Shadow Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship; former Shadow Minister of Multiculturalism; Vice-Chair of AFGH
- Topics of Interest
- Processing times and backlogs
- Access to information and data breaches
- Canada’s response to Afghanistan, focus on interpreters, evacuations, refugee measures, and protecting persecuted religious and other minorities
- Racism and discrimination
- Immigration pathways for all skill levels, temporary foreign workers and international students
- Public safety and security
- Parents and Grandparents processing times
- Garnett Genuis (Sherwood Park–Fort Saskachewan, AB)
- Bob Benzen (Calgary Heritage, AB)
- Brad Redekopp (Saskatoon West, SK)
- Deputy Shadow Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
Other Active Members
- Raquel Dancho (Kildonan—St. Paul, MB)
- Shadow Minister for Public Safety; former Shadow Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
- Matt Jeneroux (Edmonton Riverbend, AB)
- Shadow Minister for Housing and Diversity and Inclusion
- Garnett Genuis (Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB)
- Active on immigration and security issues pertaining to Hong Kong
- Pierre Paul-Hus (Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC)
- Shadow Minister for Public Services and Procurement
- Michael D. Chong (Wellington—Halton Hills)
- Vice-Chair of AFGH
New Democratic Party
Top Party Issues
The NDP calls for the appointment of an immigration Ombudsperson to provide independent oversight over IRCC in response to reports of security breaches and alleged racism within the department.
On Afghanistan, the party has criticised the government for inaction and called for a need to do more in response to the humanitarian crisis, particularly for those at most risk who are inside their source country. They also seek to relax requirements for Afghan refugees to come to Canada.
Ukraine has recently become a focus for the party, with the NDP calling for the government to lift visa requirements for Ukrainians seeking a safe haven in Canada. NDP members have frequently compared the situation in Ukraine to Afghanistan.
On economic immigration, the party often advocates for aligning immigration levels with labour force needs. They call on the government to bring back an economic program for all skill levels.
Providing permanent residence upon arrival is a key recommendation put forth by the party as a means to reduce the precarious status of migrant workers.
The party often intervenes on issues of migrant worker rights and safety, has called for expanding healthcare, and for terminating both the Live-In Caregiver Program and Temporary Foreign Worker Program. They also advocate for removing language requirements in permanent residence applications.
On family reunification, the elimination of the lottery system and of caps to sponsoring parents and grandparents is a top issue, as is the reduction of backlogs in this line of business. The party has advocated for broadening the definition of family to include extended family.
With regard to refugees, a permanent resettlement program for LGBTI refugees is a frequent request by the party.
Recent Party Activity
- May 4 – Letter: Wrote an open letter to the Minister on passport service issues and processing delays (Kwan).
- May 3 – Debates: Argued that the separation of families is often a by-product of “Canada's deeply broken immigration system” (Desjarlais).
- Apr 29 – Twitter: Criticized IRCC for not having all files digitalized in a Radio-Canada news article (Boulerice).
- Apr 26 – Oral Questions: Asked that biometrics be taken for Afghan refugees once they have arrived in Canada (Kwan).
- Apr 26 – Debates: Proposed that temporary workers should instead be granted permanent residency to solve labour shortages (Kwan).
- Apr 25 – Oral Questions: Demanded that IRCC implement visa-free travel and provide Ukrainians with status within 90 days of arrival (Kwan).
- Apr 7 – Debates: Raised concerns about the government limiting the number of immigration inquiries MPs can make per day (Masse).
- Apr 6 – Debates: Suggested that the target for francophone immigration outside Quebec should be increased beyond 4.4% (McPherson).
- Mar 29 – Oral Questions: Called for federal support for Ukrainian refugee resettlement (Kwan).
- Mar 10 – Twitter: Retweeted a CBC News article about racism amongst IRCC staff (Kwan).
- Mar 7 – NDP.ca: The NDP is asking the government to offer expedited access to Canada to refugees in Ukraine who are especially vulnerable due to systemic discrimination (Singh).
- Mar 4 – Oral Questions: Claimed that Afghan refugees fleeing the situation in Ukraine were being subjected to racial discrimination (Kwan).
- Feb 17 – CIMM: Pointed to differences between the Student Direct Stream and the Nigerian Express Program in the context of racism and discrimination at IRCC (Kwan).
- Feb 15 – Oral Questions: Asked for further government action on the evacuation of interpreters and refugees from Afghanistan (Kwan).
- Feb 15 – News Release: The NDP issued a news release calling on the government to take immediate action to help Afghan refugees (Kwan) (McPherson).
CIMM Member
- Jenny Kwan (Vancouver East, BC)
- Long-standing Critic for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship; Critic for Housing; Vice-Chair of AFGH
- Topics of Interest
- Creating an Immigration Ombudsman
- Measures for Afghanistan and Hong Kong
- Adequate housing availability and affordability
- Processing capacity and backlogs
- Permanent residence on arrival for migrant workers
- Rights, safety and precariousness of Caregivers and other migrant workers
- Extending the definition of family for reunification
- Withdrawal from the Safe Third Country Agreement and Roxham Road
- Privacy concerns and transparency
- Parents and Grandparents lottery system
- Humanitarian and compassionate refusals
Other Active Members
- Blake Desjarlais (Edmonton Griesbach, AB)
- Deputy Critic Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship; Critic Diversity and inclusion; Deputy Critic 2SLGBTQI+ rights
- Alastair MacGregor (Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC)
- Critic Public Safety; Critic Agriculture and Food
- Heather McPherson (Edmonton Strathcona, AB)
- Deputy Whip; Critic Foreign Affairs and International Development
Bloc Québécois
Top Party Issues
Quebec’s interests and the protection of the French language are at the forefront of party interventions. Francophone immigration is a top interest, and the party has proposed settlement incentives for Quebec (e.g. tax credits). The BQ has recently focused on acceptance rates of international students from francophone African countries.
On Ukraine, the party has called for government action to help refugees, with specific demands that an air lift be implemented.
The party has proposed changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program including a transfer of the program to Quebec, a halt in annual LMIAs, and an increase on work permit and visa duration. They call for improvements to processing times in the agriculture sector and stress the crucial role of migrant workers in food security.
On economic immigration, the party advocates for digitizing and expediting the processing of Quebec permanent resident applications. They previously called on the government to exempt Confirmation of Permanent Residence holders from travel restrictions.
With regard to borders and asylum, the party calls for increasing Quebec border management powers, and ending the Safe Third Country Agreement as a means to stop irregular migration.
On family reunification, the party calls for a transfer of the program to Quebec.
Recent Party Activity
- May 3 – Oral Questions: Alleged that IRCC is the worst department in Canada, demanded more immigration powers be granted to Quebec (Therrien).
- May 3 – Oral Questions: Characterized Canada as being in an immigration crisis due to backlogs (Brunelle-Duceppe).
- May 2 – Oral Questions: Raised the issue of backlogged applications, demanded Quebec manage its own immigration system (Brunelle-Duceppe).
- Apr 26 – Oral Questions: Called on the government to airlift Ukrainian refugees to Canada (Blanchet).
- Apr 4 – Debates: Argued that immigration processing was not keeping pace with the needs of businesses (Sinclair-Desgagné).
- Apr 1 – Twitter: Praised the Minister for introducing open work permits to foreign nationals selected for permanent residence by Quebec (Brunelle-Duceppe).
- Mar 31 – Oral Questions: Called on the government to implement an air lift for Ukrainian refugees (Blanchet) (Brunelle-Duceppe).
- Mar 30 – Oral Questions: Demanded an airlift for Ukrainian Refugees (Brunelle-Duceppe).
- Mar 29 – Oral Questions: Characterized the Ukrainian situation as a failure, demanded an airlift for refugees (Therrien).
- Mar 29 – Oral Questions: Asked that paperwork for Ukrainian refugees be processed once they arrive in Canada (Brunelle-Duceppe).
- Mar 21 – Twitter: Commented on Afghan study permits being refused by IRCC because the students are unlikely to return to Afghanistan (Brunelle-Duceppe).
- Feb 28 – LANG: Claimed to have experienced racism through IRCC Montreal offices hiring unilingual English positions, suggested there may be “francophobia” at IRCC (Beaulieu).
- Feb 23 – Qub.ca: Suggested francophones were discriminated against through Canadian immigration practices (Brunelle-Duceppe).
- Feb 17 – Twitter: Shared a Radio-Canada article about SADM Campbell Jarvis’s remarks at CIMM committee regarding the risk of discrimination in AI (Brunelle-Duceppe).
- Feb 11 – Twitter: Accused IRCC of neglecting the French language (Bloc Québécois).
CIMM Member
- Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe (Lac-Saint-Jean)
- Critic for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship and Human Rights; Second Vice-Chair of CIMM; Vice-Chair of AFGH
- 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
- Suspending the Safe Third Country Agreement and irregular migration at Roxham Road
- 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
Liberal Party of Canada
Top Party Issues
Party efforts are focused on achieving the Immigration Levels and they have committed to resettling 40,000 eligible Afghan refugees.
Transformation and digitization in various lines of business is actively highlighted by the party and pointed to as a solution for modernizing the immigration system.
The government committed to improving processing times, collecting evidence to improve various policies and programs. They frequently highlight the importance of immigration in Canada’s present and future.
Recent Party Activity
- May 3 – Twitter: Highlighted francophone immigration efforts in Paris, France (Minister Fraser).
- Apr 26 – Twitter: Highlighted an exchange with the Minister at AFGH regarding Afghan refugees in Pakistan (Zahid).
- Apr 8 – Twitter: Posted a discussion at CIMM regarding spousal sponsorship, said the system needs reform (Zahid).
- Apr 7 – Debates: Pointed to francophone immigration as a means through which to preserve the French language (Blois).
- Apr 5 – Debates: Argued the immigration process should be made easier (Housefather).
- Mar 3 – Statements by Members: Raised concerns about anti-Black racism and about the plight of refugees fleeing Ukraine and subject to racial discrimination (Atwin).
- Feb 17 – CIMM: Asked the Minister if racism was at play in the rejection rates of francophone African students (Kayabaga).
- Feb 8 – Canada.ca: Announced new online case status tracker for family class permanent residence applications (Fraser).
- Feb 8 – CIMM: Inquired about allegations of racism and discrimination at IRCC (Dhaliwal) and fraud (El-Khoury).
- Feb 3 – CIMM: Commented on dual intent (Ali), inquired about protecting international students (Dhaliwal), and inquired about the Chinook Tool (Ali).
- Jan 31 – CBC Politics: Announced that the $85 million will be used to plow through the backlogged applications by hiring new staff and announced that IRCC will be back on track by the end of this year (Fraser).
- Jan 28 – Radio-Canada: Defended IRCC stating that case agents are highly qualified and evaluate cases based on the same criteria
- Jan 17 – News Conference: Spoke about the investment of $85 million that was attributed to address backlogs and processing delays and the long term investment of digitizing the immigration system (Fraser).
- Dec 13 – Hill Times: Liberal MPs speak candidly about their disappointment with processing delays.
CIMM MEMBERS
- Salma Zahid (Scarborough Centre, ON)
- Re-elected Chair of CIMM; Member of AFGH
- Marie-France Lalonde (Orléans, ON)
- Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
- Sukh Dhaliwal (Surrey–Newton, BC)
- Chair of AFGH
- Shafqat Ali (Brampton Centre, ON)
- Fayçal El-Khoury (Laval—Les Îles, QC)
- Member of AFGH
- Arielle Kayabaga (London West, ON)
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