Evidence of meeting #9 for Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities in the 43rd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was continue.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sean Casey
Thank you, Minister; and thank you, Ms. Kwan.
Minister, you offered us an hour. We took an hour and fifteen minutes. We're very grateful to you for the information you've provided and for being so patient with us as we work through the technical challenges. You're more than welcome to come back.
Thank you very much for your appearance here today. You're free to go. I understand your officials are going to stick around for the rest of the meeting.
Thanks again, Minister.
Liberal
Marco Mendicino Liberal Eglinton—Lawrence, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chair; and thanks to all the members of the committee for their questions and their work. Please stay healthy and safe.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sean Casey
Folks, we're going to suspend for two minutes while the minister gets unplugged, and then we'll be right back with officials.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sean Casey
We're back in session. We have with us the officials who were introduced at the outset. I don't think we need to do that again. We'll launch right into questions, beginning with Mr. Kent for six minutes, please.
Conservative
Peter Kent Conservative Thornhill, ON
Thank you again, Chair; and thank you, Deputy, and to the other officials who are joining us today.
First, what is the current processing backlog of asylum claimants? The last time we met with you and the minister at the immigration committee, that number was somewhere in the mid-80,000s, so I wonder what it might be today.
Catrina Tapley Deputy Minister, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
That number would continue to hold steady. We'll get the exact figures from the Immigration and Refugee Board for the honourable member.
Some processing has continued throughout this period and will continue to move forward. I'll get back to you with a very precise figure. It hasn't changed much.
Conservative
Peter Kent Conservative Thornhill, ON
We've seen in the recent months before the COVID crisis that in a number of provinces, regions and communities across the country there is a need for expedited recognition of credentials of immigrants with valuable medical experience and qualifications, such as nurses, general practitioners, midwives, and so forth, and I assume that those requests remain today.
I know that the current protocols are set by federal and provincial professional associations in most cases, but is the department working with the provinces to address the needs of these very often small and remote communities?
Deputy Minister, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
We have reached out to a number of professional associations. This is the responsibility of the provinces, and the provinces work with the professional associations to see if we can make lists of foreign-trained medical professionals available.
I'm going to turn it over to my colleagues at ESDC, who actually have more of the responsibilities.
Mr. Massé, perhaps you have a longer answer on that.
Philippe Massé Director General, Temporary Foreign Worker Program, Skills and Employment Branch, Department of Employment and Social Development
I wish I had a longer answer. These are the responsibilities of my colleagues. I don't have the latest status, although I know they were looking at opportunities to expedite some of the processes that are at play.
Mr. Kent, you correctly identified the important role of the provincial regulatory authorities in this case. I can certainly go back to my colleagues to clarify the next steps there.
Conservative
Peter Kent Conservative Thornhill, ON
On the half-dozen pilot programs that the department was planning to launch this year, the minister spoke to the fact that some changes have been imposed by the crisis. Are these pilot projects, particularly the one with regard to remote and northern communities for the intake of skilled permanent residents, still active?
Deputy Minister, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
Those programs are indeed still active, and we remain open for business, although it's certainly not in the same fashion that it was before this crisis. Any individuals whose permanent residence application had been approved before March 12 are still eligible to travel and eligible to come to Canada, if they can find a way here. That's provided by the two orders in council.
As for continuing to work with municipalities and provinces on the pilot projects we've established, that's ongoing. We continue to look at application intake, but as you can imagine, some of that work has slowed down.
Conservative
Peter Kent Conservative Thornhill, ON
The minister clarified there is a very small number, almost zero, of irregular refugee claimants coming into Canada. However, we're facing a new situation with regard to persecuted Hong Kong pro-democracy residents, who can come to Canada without a visa. We're told several hundred of them plan to make asylum claims when they are in Canada, if they are not already here.
I'm wondering how the department ensures that the Immigration and Refugee Board will guarantee a fair and impartial hearing for those claims at a time when there is political sensitivity with regard to federal government relations with China and some timidity in recognizing the crisis for those pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong.
Deputy Minister, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
We are sensitive to the nature of this situation.
At this time, they aren't allowed to come to Canada, with or without a visa, if they are in Hong Kong at the moment. There are a number of people in Canada who have made inland asylum claims, and that remains open at this time. My understanding is that a number of Hong Kong residents have done that. Those claims are now before the Immigration and Refugee Board and will be adjudicated as they come up.
Conservative
Peter Kent Conservative Thornhill, ON
You're saying that those who are in Canada now or who can make their way to Canada would have that 90-day residency period enabled and could make a claim during that time.
Deputy Minister, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
It would be difficult for them to make their way to Canada at this point, but for those in Canada who wish to claim asylum, we still have avenues open that allow people to make inland asylum claims.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sean Casey
Thank you, Mr. Kent. Thank you, Ms. Tapley.
Mr. Long is next, please, for six minutes.
Liberal
Wayne Long Liberal Saint John—Rothesay, NB
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Good afternoon to the departments and all of my colleagues.
My questions are for both departments, ESDC and IRCC. I just want to talk about a situation that's happening in my province of New Brunswick. I know Mr. Kent alluded to it earlier.
On April 28, the Government of New Brunswick announced that it would ban any new temporary foreign workers from entering our province as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The decision is having a significant impact on our province, in particular our agriculture, aquaculture and forestry sectors. Indeed, the New Brunswick farmers' union has stated that our province is making it difficult, if not impossible, for farms to ensure production, especially as the season begins amid uncertainty and instability.
We've heard from companies like J.D. Irving with respect to the forestry sector. We've heard from different farmers that temporary foreign workers are critical to the operations of these companies, of these organizations and of these sectors, and it's not easy banning temporary foreign workers and bringing students in to replace them in these jobs.
Here's my question: Was ESDC or IRCC informed by the Government of New Brunswick of its intention to ban the entry of temporary foreign workers into the province? If so, when?
Deputy Minister, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
I can start and then I'll turn it over to Mr. Massé.
No, we did not have advance warning of what the Government of New Brunswick intended to do in this situation.
Director General, Temporary Foreign Worker Program, Skills and Employment Branch, Department of Employment and Social Development
It's the same here. We found out about it at the same time.
Liberal
Wayne Long Liberal Saint John—Rothesay, NB
Were officials at ERDC or IRCC consulted at all by the province? Was there no consultation whatsoever?
Did you have any reaction to that, or were you surprised that you weren't consulted?
Deputy Minister, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
We have a pretty robust federal-provincial table on the immigration side, but no, we were not consulted in advance of this.
Liberal
Wayne Long Liberal Saint John—Rothesay, NB
Does ESDC or IRCC have any data regarding the economic impact of the temporary foreign worker program in each province?
Deputy Minister, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
I'd be happy to get back to you on that. We do have some work in this area and I'm happy to share it. Mr. Massé, I think, may have even more.