CIMM – Committee & Appearance Overview – March 3, 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. The first and current study is on Recruitment and Acceptance Rates of Foreign Students, which included a ministerial appearance. This is expected to be followed by studies on Differential Outcomes and Application Backlogs and Processing Times.
Reports
The committee has not presented any reports this session. The following reports from the previous Parliament have been re-tabled in the House of Commons, requesting government responses.
- Report 7 - Safe Haven in Canada: Special Immigration and Refugee Measures are Urgently Needed for the People of Hong Kong
- Report 5 - Immigration in the Time of Covid-19: Issues and Challenges
About the Appearance
Background
The Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship has been invited to appear before the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration (CIMM) on Supplementary Estimates (C). The Minister was prepared to appear on both Supplementary Estimates (C) and Main Estimates in a combined meeting, but the committee has now elected to study the Main Estimates at a later date.
The President of Treasury Board tabled the 2021–2022 Supplementary Estimates (C) on February 19.
The IRCC and IRB portion of these estimates was automatically deemed referred to CIMM for consideration. During the appearance, it is anticipated that the Minister will be invited to deliver a 5-minute opening statement, followed by rounds of questioning as follows:
- First round (6 minutes for CPC, LPC, BQ and NDP respectively),
- Second and subsequent rounds (CPC 5 minutes, LPC 5 minutes, BQ 2.5 minutes, NDP 2.5 minutes, CPC 5 minutes, LPC 5 minutes).
Environmental Scan
The 2021–2022 Supplementary Estimates (C) include a total of $1.9M for the IRB for Immigration Levels, and a total of $451.6M for IRCC. The following three line items received the highest funding allocation within IRCC:
- Canada-Quebec Accord on Immigration ($324.1M)
- Temporary accommodations for unvaccinated asymptomatic asylum seekers ($87.8M)
- Processing temporary resident visas for workers, students and visitors ($17.6M)
Committee Membership
- Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe (Lac-Saint-Jean)
- Newly appointed 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; recently appointed as Critic for Housing; Vice-Chair of AFGH
- Jasraj Singh Hallan (Calgary Forest Lawn, AB)
- Vice-Chair of CIMM
- Returning 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 conflict in Ukraine has recently surged to the forefront of the party’s messaging. The CPC is calling on the government to lift Visa requirements for Ukrainians hoping to flee to Canada.
A key priority of the party is Afghanistan, having criticized the government for inaction in response to the crisis.
Processing delays and backlogs have been at the forefront of questioning. Their platform recommends implementing an express processing fee, moving immigration infrastructure online, and recording all officer-applicant interactions.
The CPC often raise the issue of Canada’s skilled labour shortage and the role of immigration and migrant workers in the economy.
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. Their platform recommends eliminating the lottery system, and combining FIFO and weighting principles.
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.
On refugees, the party believes that the Government Assisted Refugees stream should be terminated, that a human rights defenders stream should be implemented, and that the Residential Rehabilitation Assistance Program should be made permanent.
With respect to settlement and integration, the party has called for the launch of a Credential Recognition Task Force.
Recent Party Activity
- Mar 2 – Twitter: Called for Visa-free travel from Ukraine to Canada (Hallan).
- Mar 1 – Oral Questions: Asked when the government plans to end COVID-19 border measures (Lehoux).
- Mar 1 – Oral Questions: Proposed the government establish Visa free travel for fleeing Ukrainians (Bergen).
- Feb 28 – Twitter: Highlighted that it was the Conservative Party’s position that Visa requirements should be suspended for fleeing Ukrainians (Bergen).
- Feb 28 – Oral Questions: Asked what the government is doing to help displaced Ukrainians (Berthold).
- Feb 28 – Oral Questions: Called on the government to remove Visa requirements for Ukrainians fleeing their country (Bergen).
- Feb 20 – Twitter: Asked for a government plan to evacuate remaining Afghan interpreters (Hallan).
- Feb 18 – Twitter: Shared a Globe and Mail article in which he is quoted calling on the government to support Ukrainians wishing to come in Canada (Hallan).
- Feb 17 – Oral Questions: Called on the Prime Minister to appoint one lead minister to oversee the situation in Afghanistan (Ruff).
- Feb 17 – Oral Questions: Alleged that the government had ignored appeals relating to the Afghanistan evacuation, and asked why a federal election was called during the crisis (Hallan).
- Feb 16 – Q-348: Refusal of applications submitted to IRCC (Hallan).
- Feb 16 – Q-349: Applications for the resettlement of refugees from Afghanistan (Hallan).
- Feb 16 – Q-350: Information on the Chinook Tool (Hallan).
- Feb 16 – Oral Questions: Asked when the government intended to lift COVID-19 health measures with a specific nod to vaccine passports (Martel).
- Feb 15 – Oral Questions: Described an issue his constituents are having waiting for PR cards and asked what the government was doing to address wait times (Généreux).
- Feb 15 – Oral Questions: Alleged that current public health measures will trap temporary workers in Canada after February 28th (Epp).
Cimm Members
- Jasraj Singh Hallan (Calgary Forest Lawn, AB)
- Vice-Chair of CIMM
- Returning 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 Saskatchewan, 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
- 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
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.
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.
The NDP calls for the appointment of an immigration Ombuds person to provide independent oversight over IRCC in response to reports of a 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.
Providing permanent residence upon arrival is a key recommendation put forth by the party as a means to reduce precariousness of migrant workers.
The party often intervenes on issues of the migrant worker rights and safety, and has called for expanding on 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
- Mar 1 – Oral Questions: Proposed the government establish a Visa-free and barrier-free process for Ukrainians wishing to flee to Canada (Singh).
- Mar 1 – Debates: Pointed to immigration as a means to solve the labour shortage in Quebec (Boulerice).
- Feb 28 – Letter to Minister: Asked the Minister to intervene on a case involving a family fleeing Afghanistan (Kwan).
- Feb 28 – Twitter: Alleged that the government had a track record of failing refugees and demanded an end to Visa requirements for Ukrainians fleeing to Canada (Singh).
- Feb 28 – Oral Questions: Asked that the government suspend Visa requirements for Ukrainians fleeing to Canada (Boulerice, Kwan).
- Feb 26 – Twitter: Called for Visa-free entry to Canada for fleeing Ukrainians (Kwan).
- Feb 17 – Oral Questions: Called on the government to support Ukrainian citizens fleeing potential violence (McPherson).
- 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).
- Feb 15 – Twitter: Highlighted a meeting with the Ukrainian Canadian Congress in which support for Ukrainians was discussed (McPherson).
- Feb 11 – Letter to the Minister: Seeking assistance regarding a Permanent Resident application under the Privately Sponsored Refugee program (Kwan).
- Feb 8 – CIMM: Discussed racism at IRCC, AI and discrimination, and third party oversight at IRCC. Asked a witness to submit a copy their ATIP request regarding discrimination and foreign student acceptance rates to the committee so that the Chair may convey it to officials (Kwan).
- Feb 3 – CIMM: Inquired about the statistics related to applications assessed by the Chinook tool, as well as the risk words used to flag applications (Kwan).
- Feb 1 – CIMM: Inquired about statistics and the breakdown of the rejection rates as it relates to international and francophone students (Kwan).
Cimm Member
- Jenny Kwan (Vancouver East, BC)
- Long-standing Critic for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship; recently appointed as 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 African countries.
The situation in Ukraine has recently become an issue of significance for the BQ, with the party demanding action from the government on sanctions and displaced persons.
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 stressed 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.
In the 43rd Parliament, the party was a strong advocate for guardian angels.
Recent Party Activity
- Mar 2 – Twitter: Shared an article in La Presseon applicants waiting in IRCC inventories since 2018, characterized this as “appalling” (Brunelle-Duceppe).
- Mar 1 – Debates: Suggested the federal government was hindering immigration to Quebec through discrimination against French speaking international students (Champoux).
- Mar 1 – Debates: Argued that Quebec needed to maintain its demographic weight through francophone immigration (Therrien).
- Feb 28 – Oral Questions: Called on the government to help displaced Ukrainians (Therrien).
- 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).
- Feb 9 – Twitter: Shared a Journal of Montreal article about Francophone Immigration, criticized the Minister for not granting an interview (Brunelle-Duceppe).
- Feb 8 – CIMM: Suggested racism and discrimination was at play in acceptance rates of international students, voiced support for third party oversight of IRCC, focused on acceptance rates from Francophone countries (Brunelle-Duceppe).
- Feb 5 – Twitter: Shared a Journal of Montreal article regarding a Quebec doctor who has waited eight years for permanent residence; tagged the Minister (Brunelle-Duceppe).
- Feb 3 – CIMM: Inquired about the Chinook Tool and inequity (Brunelle-Duceppe).
- Feb 1 – Twitter: Shared and commented on a Journal of Montreal article on the Minister not making a recent announcement in French (Blanchet).
- Jan 31 – AFGH: Inquired about immigration from Afghanistan (Brunelle-Duceppe).
- Jan 28 – Twitter: Shared an article from Radio-Canada on the plight of French-speaking African students and suggested the government had taken no action on the issue (Normandin).
- Jan 28 – Radio-Canada: Stated that he believes that these students are subjected to discrimination and said he is looking forward to hearing the Minister’s opinion on the matter (Brunelle-Duceppe).
CIMM Member
- Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe (Lac-Saint-Jean)
- Newly appointed 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 has committed to resettle 40,000 eligible Afghan refugees.
On Ukraine, the LPC has pointed to government measures taken to address the situation and promised that more action will be taken.
Transformation and digitization in various lines of business is actively highlighted by the party and used a solution to modernizing the immigration system.
The government committed to improving processing times, collecting evidence to improve various policies and programs, and frequently highlights the importance of immigration in Canada’s present and future.
Recent Party Activity
- Mar 2 – Debates: Commented on the need for francophone immigration, and suggested it should be further encouraged (Fergus)
- Feb 18 – Twitter: Promoted the tabling of the 2022-2024 Immigration Levels Plan (Lalonde).
- Feb 14 – Oral Questions: Asked what measures the government was taking to promote immigration to rural and northern communities (Lapointe).
- 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.
- Nov 30 –Address in Reply: Our economy’s vitality will depend on our ability to welcome new Canadians. The government is committed to streamlining the immigration process (Ferrada).
- Nov 30 –Address in Reply: Shared support for the government’s commitment to immigration as highlighted in the Speech from the Throne (Aldag, Thompson).
- Nov 23 –Speech from the Throne: Commitment to increasing immigration levels and reducing wait times.
CIMM Member
- 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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