Thanks, Chair.
Minister, I want to say that I'm pleased to see that the government has moved to reduce the right of landing fee, and I think that's a significant step. However, I'd put forward that if a $975 fee was wrong, a $490 fee is also wrong. It puts undue stress on people at a very difficult time in their lives when they're making the move to Canada. So I hope the government moves quickly on its timetable to reduce that further, and hopefully we'll be able to eliminate it altogether without much delay.
I wanted to ask you about another fee. Right now, the refugees who are determined outside of Canada don't have to pay for processing fees, but refugees who have their claims heard in Canada and are found to be refugees here in Canada do have to pay the processing fee. That fee of $550 is significant for many of them. It gets more significant when you have a family to deal with. I'm wondering if any consideration is being given to eliminating that fee, given the difficult circumstances of many refugee families who are determined here in Canada. We know, for instance, that they're often living in poverty here in Canada, and that this fee presents a significant barrier, especially when they're up against a short timeline to make their application for permanent residence.