CIMM – Parliamentary Context – October 30, 2025
About the Committee
Committee Mandate
CIMM studies and reports on all matters relating to the mandate, management, and operation of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB).
Motion for this Study
That the committee undertake a study on the subject matter of Bill C-12, and, for the purpose of this study:
- Schedule no fewer than four meetings to hear witness testimony;
- Invite the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship to appear for no less than two hours;
- Invite officials from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada;
- Invite officials from the Department of Justice responsible for giving Legal advice to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship;
- Invite officials from the Immigration and Refugee Board; and
- Invite members of the committee to submit witness lists to the clerk of the committee, provided that they are submitted no later than Monday, October 27, 2025, at 5:00 PM; and, at the conclusion of this study, create a list of recommendations to be deposited with the clerk of the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security for its consideration along with all evidence received by the committee including witness testimony and written briefs.
About The Appearance
Environmental Scan
The Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) has spoken critically on Bill C-12 at Second Reading. The Party has frequently levied criticism at the asylum system, arguing it functions as a backdoor economic immigration stream that invites dubious claims and fails to protect genuine refugees. They contend Bill C-12 will fail to fix the problems with the current asylum system and instead deflect responsibility to the courts, where the Party believes the Bill will face Charter challenges and further delays. The CPC overall contend Bill C-12 is a superficial, constitutionally flawed measure that would fail to restore integrity, and allow the asylum system’s dysfunction to worsen.
The Bloc Québécois (BQ) have generally been in favour of Bill C-12’s immigration related measures. They have suggested the Bill is a step in the right direction toward fixing the asylum system and help close STCA loopholes. BQ interventions have tended to focus on the disproportionate impact the Party says Quebec has suffered under the current asylum system. BQ members speaking at Second Reading have called for a more equal distribution of asylum seekers between the provinces, and proposed the Bill should include a mechanism to ensure this comes to fruition.
Liberal Party of Canada (LPC) MPs have spoken in support of Bill C-12, arguing it will improve the fairness and efficacy of the asylum system.
Appearance Details
It is anticipated that the Minister will be invited to deliver an opening statement, followed by rounds of questioning from committee members. We recommend the following officials to accompany the Minister:
- Jean-Marc Gionet, ADM, Protection and Family Programs
- Jason Hollman, Director General, Asylum
- Tara Lang, Director General, Integrity Policy and Programs
- Mory Afshar, a/Executive Director & Senior General Counsel
- Anna Lillicrap, Senior Counsel, Legal Services
IRB officials have been invited to appear on a separate meeting.
Membership
Conservative Party of Canada
The Hon. Michelle Rempel Garner
Calgary Nose Hill, AB
Vice-Chair of CIMM
- Shadow Minister for Citizenship and Immigration
- First elected in 2011.
- Served as Shadow Minister for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship from November 2015– September 2019, and was the Vice-Chair of CIMM during that time. She was also a member of CIMM from October 2022–September 2023.
- Has regularly expressed concerns about immigration policy across various platforms, with particular focus on temporary immigration and asylum.
Michael Ma
Markham—Unionville, ON
Member
- First elected in 2025.
- This is MP Ma’s first time as a member of a committee.
- MP Ma highlights his background as an immigrant. He came to Canada from Hong Kong.
Costas Menegakis
Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON
Member
- First elected in 2011, defeated in 2015. Returned to Parliament in 2025.
- Served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration from 2013–2015.
Brad Redekopp
Saskatoon West, SK
Member of CIMM
Associate Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship
- First elected in 2019.
- Served as a Vice-Chair of CIMM from 2022 to 2025 and has been a member of CIMM since 2021.
Bloc Québécois
Alexis-Brunelle-Duceppe
Lac Saint-Jean, QC
Vice-Chair of CIMM
Critic for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
- First elected in 2019.
- MP Brunelle-Duceppe is also the Vice-Chair of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development (FAAE).
- Historically most interested in Quebec autonomy over immigration, alleged discrimination against francophone international students, and IRCC’s responses to international crises.
New Democratic Party
Jenny Kwan
Vancouver East, BC
Critic for Immigration, Refugees, and Housing
*Not currently a member of CIMM*
- First elected in 2015.
- Longstanding Critic for immigration and Vice-Chair of CIMM.
- Historically very active on immigration files. With an emphasis on refugees, asylum claimants, undocumented foreign workers, and social justice broadly.
Liberal Party Of Canada
Julie Dzerowicz
Davenport, ON
Chair of CIMM
- First elected in 2015.
- MP Dzerowicz previously served as a Member of CIMM from 2016–2017.
- This is her first time serving as Chair of a committee.
Peter Fragiskatos
London Centre, ON
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
Member
- First elected in 2015.
- MP Fragiskatos held a variety of parliamentary secretary roles prior to his current appointment.
- This is his first time sitting on CIMM.
- Worked in academia before politics.
Amandeep Sodhi
Brampton Centre, ON
Member
- First elected in 2025.
- This is MP Sodhi’s first time sitting on a committee.
- MP Sodhi is one of the first Members of Parliament born in the 21st century.
Salma Zahid
Scarborough Centre—Don Valley East, ON
Member
- First elected in 2015.
- Former Chair of CIMM and longtime member.
- Record of interest in immigration and advocacy for marginalized populations globally.
Sameer Zuberi
Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC
Member
- First elected in 2019.
- Previously served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities.
- First time Member of CIMM.
Conservative Party Of Canada
Top Party Issues
Since the conclusion of the 2025 federal election, the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) has been vocal on immigration. The Party has regularly linked immigration to housing shortages, healthcare wait times, and unemployment.
The CPC have recently focused on their proposals to eliminate the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and to abolish birthright citizenship for children of temporary residents.
The Party’s Shadow Minister for Immigration, Michelle Rempel-Garner, has indicated more immigration-related policy proposals are coming from the CPC soon. Below are some key policy proposals the CPC put forth during the last campaign:
Processing Times and Client Service
- Committed to process refugee claims faster on a last-in, first-out basis.
Border / Asylum Issues
- Drew a distinction between “fake” and “real” asylum seekers and committed to deporting the former.
Levels
- Proposed capping immigration levels and tying them to housing, labour market, and healthcare capacity.
French Immigration
- Released a “Quebec platform,” in which they committed to respecting the spirit of the Canada-Quebec Accord vis-à-vis Quebec’s powers over immigration and opposing the century initiative.
Settlement and Integration
- The CPC leader remarked newcomers should leave problems abroad at home.
Recent Party Activity
*CPC Immigration Shadow Minister Michelle Rempel-Garner posts about IRCC matters numerous times a day on her X account
October 22 – Debates: Noted Bill C-12 does not fix issues with the TFWP, alleged asylum claims are now at 296 000 compared to 10 000 in 2015 (Berthold).
October 22 – Debates: Argued Bill C-12 would only “pretend” to address issues including temporary residents making up 7% of Canada’s population, 500 000 undocumented persons, and 300 000 asylum claims (Ho).
October 22 – Debates: Emphasized the CPC would carefully scrutinize Bill C-12 at committee stage with the intent of protecting personal liberties and privacy (Falk).
October 22 – Debates: Said the priority for the government should be “reducing the number of ineligible or bad faith immigration applications so we can better fill vacant health care roles in urban, rural, and indigenous communities with qualified health professionals” (Morin).
October 22 – Debates: Remarked Bill C-12 is comprised of “the parts of Bill C-2 that had to be salvaged from the flaming dumpster fire of that original piece of legislation,” framed the Bill as “authoritarian” generally (Strauss).
October 20 – Debates: Alleged Bill C-12’s introduction resulted from CPC pressure preventing the passage of Bill C-2 (Kaputo).
October 20 – Debates: Contended Bill C-12 is likely unconstitutional and therefore will have no impact on the asylum claim backlog, alleged the government is punting the issue to the courts (Rempel-Garner).
October 20 – Debates: Spoke at length on Bill C-12, expressing concerns on constitutionality, asylum processing backlogs, the interim federal health program, and the immigration system generally (Rempel-Garner).
October 20 – Debates: Emphasized the government should be blamed for any negative impacts of immigration rather than newcomers. Characterized the refugee system as overburdened and broken, alleged consultants, colleges, and employers have taken advantage of the system (Redekopp).
October 10 – X: Posted the CPC would end “birth tourism” and restore the integrity of Canadian citizenship (Poilievre).
October 9 – Oral Questions: Asked the government to align with other jurisdictions in requiring one parent to be a citizen or permanent resident for a child to be granted citizenship by birthright (Rempel-Garner).
Bloc Québécois
Top Party Issues
The Bloc Québécois (BQ) is frequently vocal on immigration. The BQ advocate for Quebec to have greater control over immigration. Most recently, the Party has raised concerns about the number of asylum claimants housed in Quebec, which they believe is suffering under a disproportionately large burden. They have also argued government measures on international students and temporary foreign workers impact Quebec negatively.
During the 2025 election campaign, the Party made the following commitments:
Temporary Foreign Workers
- Open sectoral and regional permits for temporary foreign workers.
Border / Asylum Issues
- Creating a Minister of the Border and implementing stronger border security measures. The BQ intend to introduce a PMB aimed at improving processing times for asylum claims.
French Immigration and Quebec
- The BQ is opposed to the Century Initiative and want full autonomy over immigration for Quebec.
Settlement and Integration
- The BQ have committed to a policy for integrating immigrants into Quebec society. The Party would also remove all references to the British Monarchy in citizenship ceremonies.
Recent Party Activity
October 22 – Debates: Remarked the BQ agree Bill C-12 is a “step in the right direction” to improving the asylum system but criticized the government allowing present backlogs to develop (Barsalou-Duval).
October 21 – Debates: Argued the BQ has long raised concerns about asylum and international student issues, framed these concerns as sensible policy proposals while the government pursued an ideological agenda (Simard).
October 21 – Debates: Emphasized the BQ is committed to “improving [Bill C-12] at committee. Noted “Quebec welcomed 55% of the 180 000 asylum seekers in Canada in 2023 […] this has had an impact on public services, which are already saturated and overloaded, particularly schools, health care, and community services” (Larouche).
October 21 – Debates: Held that IRCC has been asking universities to act “like the police” and investigate those using the international student program as a path to claiming asylum. Also claimed IRCC refuses to share data with the universities (Blanchette-Joncas).
October 21 – Debates: Contended 40% of the total number of asylum seekers in Canada are in Quebec, which makes up roughly 20% of the Canadian population. Demanded more equal distribution of claimants (Barsalou-Duval).
October 21 – Debates: Proposed Bill C-12 should include a mechanism to ensure equal distribution of asylum claimants between the provinces (Simard).
October 21 – Debates: Said “we have seen that the asylum process increasingly became a completely separate immigration stream used to get around the regular immigration process. This was tolerated by the government and suited its purposes” (Barsalou-Duval).
October 20 – Debates: Pointed to the BQ’s longstanding calls for action on asylum claimants, expressed support for C-12’s greater privacy protections compared to Bill C-2 (Beaulieu).
October 20 – Debates: Signaled support for Bill C-12 but shared the BQ’s intent to consider whether sections pertaining to refugees should be amended at committee stage (DeBellefeuille).
October 9 – Debates: Argued changes to the international student program did not take into account Quebec’s education system and its differences, alleged IRCC officials were unfamiliar with CEGEP (Brunelle-Duceppe).
October 6 – X: Shared an article in La Presse about an increase in trucking related fatalities in Quebec. The article suggests banning temporary residents from trucking, and associates immigrants with a number of issues in the industry (Brunelle-Duceppe).
Liberal Party Of Canada
Top Party Issues
The Liberal Party of Canada (LPC) made the following commitments during the 2025 election campaign:
Refugees
- Supporting legal aid for asylum seekers and refugees and expanding the Rainbow Refugee Assistance Partnership.
Border / Asylum Issues
- Plan to strengthen border integrity by increasing resources for security screenings, tightening visa requirements, and enhancing enforcement against fraud.
Temporary Foreign Workers
- Capping the total number of temporary workers and international students to less than 5% of Canada’s population by the end of 2027.
Processing Times and Client Service
- Stated they would enhance cooperation between governments, agencies, and organizations for real-time information sharing to improve efficiency and service delivery.
Digitization
- Leverage digital tools to reduce processing times and eliminate backlogs.
French Immigration
- Committed to increasing French immigration outside Quebec to 12% by 2029.
- The LPC leader said it is important to improve the distribution of immigration between provinces.
Levels
- Stated they would stabilize permanent resident admissions at less than 1% of Canada’s population annually beyond 2027 and to cap immigration until it can be returned to a sustainable trend.
Recent party activity
October 22 – Debates: Contended the legislative amendments proposed in Bill C-12 would continue to uphold Canada’s humanitarian tradition and due process while focusing resources on those who need them and improving confidence in the asylum system (McKinnon).
October 22 – Debates: Argued Bill C-12 meets contemporary challenges with respect to immigration, including a global surge in asylum seekers (Rana).
October 9 – Oral Questions: Contended Bill C-12 would protect the integrity of Canada’s immigration system (Malette).
October 2 – Debates: Pointed favorably to Bill C-2’s expected impact on Canadian immigration (Deschênes-Thériault).
September 16 – Debates: Remarked positively on a measure preventing international students from claiming asylum if they have been in Canada for over a year (Dhaliwal).
September 10 – X: Shared a graphic on the TFWP and said the Program ”has grown far beyond its original intent. Our government is rebalancing it—with stricter limits & new caps to protect Canadian workers and ensure a stronger economy & fair labour market” (Derkson).
July 29 – X: Highlighted an award received from the Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project and remarked that Canada is a haven for those fleeing oppression (Zahid).
July 16 – X: Wrote the government remains committed to reuniting families and highlighted “IRCC will invite up to 10 000 sponsors under the Parents and Grandparents Program from the 2020 pool” (Dhaliwal).
June 20 – Oral Questions: Claimed that if members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard are in Canada, they are here illegally and will be removed (Gasparro).