Finance Committee on April 28th, 2008

[Diane Finley, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

It's $109 million. We're doing that, as I said, to address the 60% who are in the skilled worker class. Sixty percent of the applications--round numbers--are skilled workers. Of that group, 80% are their families; only about 20% are workers themselves. So over 80%, close to 90%, of people who are in the backlog are not the targeted skilled workers.

We've already made progress on reuniting families. We've improved processing times over your government by up to 40%, because we are making families a priority as a government. We've done that in a number of fields. I was the minister who brought in the universal child care benefit, as an example. We do have a priority on family reunification. And yes, you're right, if at a future point in time we decide that is the priority, they could be fast-tracked, just like any of the worker categories.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

Thank you very much.

Mr. Laforest.

[Jean-Yves Laforest, Bloc, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Good afternoon, Minister. Before asking you a question, I would like to say that I am disappointed and the Bloc Québécois is disappointed. We feel that the Conservative government has acted in an underhanded way, a little bit like the American right, by introducing measures to accelerate the immigration process in a budget implementation bill. It appears to us that you could have done things differently. You have said that this provision is directly related to the Canadian economy, but you certainly could have amended the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and presented the budget provisions separately. This causes us to question your government's transparency in this regard.

Will the amendments proposed in this bill affect the existing accord between the Government of Quebec and the Government of Canada?

[Diane Finley, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

No, not at all. I have spoken to the Quebec minister, and my officials have spoken with their Quebec counterparts. We all recognize that these amendments will have no effect on the Canada-Quebec Accord. That is very clear. The Government of Quebec understands that fully and is in agreement.

[Jean-Yves Laforest, Bloc, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

So there will be no changes.

[Diane Finley, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

No, it will have no effect.

[Jean-Yves Laforest, Bloc, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

The reason for including these amendments in the budget implementation legislation is basically to accelerate the employability of immigrants. You are giving yourself the discretionary power to act in response to Canada's needs, in particular, since you have just said that the changes will not apply to Quebec.

There are currently some 50 positions open on the Immigration and Refugee Board. This high vacancy rate has a huge impact on efforts to try to bring immigrants in faster and assess them.

Why have you appointed only 27 board members since February 2006? Have you created a problem by not speeding up that process? Everyone agrees that it is a problem. There is a tremendous backlog, but you did not take appropriate action upstream to prevent the problem.

[Diane Finley, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

Those are two separate issues. The process to apply for refugee status is completely separate from the immigration process. The IRB is responsible for refugees and not Quebec.

When we came to power, the process for appointing IRB commissioners did not meet the standards we expected it to. Therefore, we changed the process for appointing commissioners to the IRB. We now require all candidates successfully pass an exam, which was not the case in the past. We want commissioners who have proven their competency. We have already appointed more than 100 people to the IRB, and we are in the process of appointing many more.

[Jean-Yves Laforest, Bloc, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

Thank you, Madam Minister. I would like a little more information on this topic and I would like you to tell us how many immigrants enter the country each year. Among them, how many go to Quebec?

[Diane Finley, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

Each year, 241,000 immigrants enter Canada. I do not have the numbers for Quebec.

[Jean-Yves Laforest, Bloc, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

At present, 241,000 immigrants are entering Canada.

[Diane Finley, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

There are approximately 240,000 new permanent residents. According to our forecasts, temporary workers and foreign students will qualify and will obtain permanent residence status. Therefore, they must be included.

[Jean-Yves Laforest, Bloc, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

I want to go back to the IRB. In response to my question, you said that the two issues were separate. I was telling you that one third of the 556 positions remain unfilled. I will ask you again: why are these people not being nominated more quickly? The former Chairman of the IRB, Mr. Fleury, left his position in March 2007. There was a list of 80 candidates who could have been appointed. How is it that with 80 candidates, 50 positions remain unfilled?

[Diane Finley, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

In the past, it was very easy or much easier to be hired by the IRB. Now, with the exams, the success rate is between 30% and 40%. It has become very difficult, because we want people who are qualified and competent. Our exam determines that. With the success rate between 30% and 40%, it is difficult to find the people we need.

[Jean-Yves Laforest, Bloc, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

Thank you, Madam Minister.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Merrifield]

Thank you.

Ms. Chow.

[Olivia Chow, NDP, Trinity—Spadina, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Our former GG Adrienne Clarkson's father came from Hong Kong, the same place my father came from. Under Bill C-50, his application probably would not be processed. It would be returned every year. He could apply, but his application probably wouldn't even be considered, because you now have the right to pick winners and losers. Losers include people like Tommy Douglas, who was voted the best Canadian.

In your definition, what are losers? Why are these people losers? You're going to have winners and you're going to have losers, and sometimes losers are people like Tommy Douglas and Adrienne Clarkson.

[Diane Finley, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

First of all, we won't be able to pick individuals. I thought I had made that clear.

[Olivia Chow, NDP, Trinity—Spadina, ON]

I mean the category of people.

[Diane Finley, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

We have a finite capacity to accept people now. The difference is they get invited here based on where they are in line and how much patience they have.

[Olivia Chow, NDP, Trinity—Spadina, ON]

In your categories, who are the losers? You're going to fast-track some and leave some behind. Who are you going to leave behind, the ones who in your mind are not “skilled”?

[Diane Finley, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

Right.

[Olivia Chow, NDP, Trinity—Spadina, ON]

The ones who are not skilled won't fit under this criteria. They will be left behind.

[Diane Finley, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

The ones who are getting left behind right now are waiting six years, and they may have to wait 10 years if we don't do something. They are getting left way behind. It takes so long to get accepted into Canada—six years versus six months for some other countries.

[Olivia Chow, NDP, Trinity—Spadina, ON]

I agree.