Human Resources Committee on May 30th, 2016

[Dan Ruimy, Liberal, Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC]

Thank you very much.

Mr. Judge, you've been very quiet, so I'll throw something at you.

Reforms were introduced in 2014 to restrict long-term needs met by TFWs. The previous government said the measure “emphasizes to both workers and employers that employment under the TFWP is intended to be temporary in nature, and encourages the use of appropriate programs and pathways to permanent residence where available.”

Can you please describe the relationship between the TFW program and the pathway to citizenship?

[The Chair, Liberal, Bryan May]

In about one minute, please.

[Dan Ruimy, Liberal, Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC]

It will have to be a good one.

[Robert Judge, Director, Temporary Resident Policy and Program Division, Immigration Branch, Strategic and Program Policy, Department of Citizenship and Immigration]

On the temporary foreign worker program and pathways to citizenship, most of our permanent residency pathways, as I think folks have noted, are at the NOC O, A, and B levels. These are the folks who are going to have the best chance of succeeding economically as permanent residents and successfully settling and integrating in Canada in an immigration program where there is a limited number of spots available and there's competition for those spots.

There aren't many pathways for NOC C and D skill levels, so to the degree to which the temporary foreign worker program fills positions at the NOC C and D levels, there are fewer pathways to permanent residency for that program.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bryan May]

Excellent. Thank you very much.

Monsieur Deltell, we have time for a few questions.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Thank you so much, mesdames et messieurs. It's a pleasure for me to meet you. It's the first time that I have a chance to speak with high-ranked civil servants of your department, and I appreciate it.

I have some questions that may not be specific to your department, but I do have some specific questions. I don't know if you were here, but an hour ago we had the very sensitive comments and testimony of Madam Pinky Paglingayen. She's a Filipino. She's worked for more than 10 years in a home as a nanny, in that kind of job. Her testimony was very emotional, because she talked about abuse. She talked about betrayal. She talked about the fact that it's the worst thing.

As a Canadian citizen, and especially as a Canadian member of Parliament, I can't believe that I'm seeing that kind of testimony in 2016. That's unbelievable and unacceptable. As a Canadian citizen, I can't accept that kind of testimony, but I have to deal with that today. What can you do as public civil servants to address those difficult, tough, but so important issues?

[Paul Thompson]

I can start, and maybe Janet can jump in. I didn't hear the testimony, but I will certainly undertake to follow up and learn more about that case.

In the low-wage stream of the program, which this would fall under now, likely, as.... It could be—

[Janet Goulding, Director General, Temporary Foreign Worker Program, Skills and Employment Branch, Department of Employment and Social Development]

It could go under either.

[Paul Thompson]

Yes. We have to know in what stream it's being processed. There are more worker protections in the low-wage stream of the program. That's where there is a requirement for transportation, health insurance, and workers' compensation. A number of worker protection measures come with the low-wage stream of the program. There are even more, as I've mentioned, that come under the seasonal agricultural worker program, where the country of origin provides additional supports.

I mentioned the tip line, which gets some promotion. Whether or not this individual was aware of the tip line, I can't say, or whether or not there's a violation in this case, in which case the employer is subject to penalties and, potentially, if the violation is serious, a lifetime ban on using the program in the future. We take non-compliance quite seriously, but we have to look at the specific circumstances in this case.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Don't mistake me. I don't want to trap you. I just want to explain the situation. As you are a high-ranked civil servant in the department, it's a great opportunity for us to address it.

Do you have any information about that tip line? Do you have any figures or any statistics on how many people ask about your tip line or about abuse and betrayal?

[Paul Thompson]

As I mentioned, there have been about 3,800 tips that have been received to date. These have resulted in about 640 inspections that our staff have done as a result of these tips, of which 220 where it was considered a pretty serious matter have been referred to other law enforcement agencies. Those are some of the examples of how the tip line works.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Well, I don't have a degree from MIT, but the fact is that I can say that only one in six has received an inspection. Is that right?

[Paul Thompson]

Three hundred have led to inspections. The others were examined. We examined the tips—

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Okay. All of them were examined?

[Paul Thompson]

They would all be looked at, yes—

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Okay.

[Paul Thompson]

—but whether or not the number I gave you resulted in a formal inspection....

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Okay. I thought it was only one in six.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bryan May]

You have time for about one more question.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Are we the first to raise this question with you?

[Paul Thompson]

On the inspections?

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Not on the inspections, but about the fact that people who dream to live in Canada are betrayed and abused here on our soil.

[Paul Thompson]

There is certainly awareness of the risks in the program, which I would say is the whole rationale for this pretty significant compliance effort and the tip lines that we have. We're constantly looking at ways to improve the enforcement, and we will look at this incident as well as others.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Thank you so much, mesdames et messieurs.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bryan May]

Thank you.

We've run slightly past our goal of 6:10 and we do have to move very quickly to get back to the House for a series of votes this evening, but I do want to take a brief moment to thank all of you for coming back and allowing us to do our due diligence on this study. Thank you very much

The meeting is adjourned.