Yes.
Evidence of meeting #19 for Citizenship and Immigration in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was process.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #19 for Citizenship and Immigration in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was process.
A recording is available from Parliament.
10:10 a.m.
NDP
Bill Siksay NDP Burnaby—Douglas, BC
On the question of the advertising program, was that an initiative of the government or was that an initiative of the IRB?
10:10 a.m.
Chairperson, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
It was an initiative of the government, and the minister, in our discussion...there was a concern that maybe by limiting ourselves to self-identification, if we did it publicly more often we would draw more, wider, and I agree.
10:10 a.m.
NDP
Bill Siksay NDP Burnaby—Douglas, BC
You said you couldn't say how many people were currently before the panel. How many people are currently before the government who have been recommended after the panel process?
10:10 a.m.
Chairperson, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
I thought you were asking about how many people I would have referred for appointment. That's the pool.
10:10 a.m.
Chairperson, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
That one is advice to minister. The people coming in front of us...there are 300-and-some who have applied. Once we screen for the basics, they will come in front of the panel. The panel will sit in two to three weeks from now, and we will look at the results of the test, we will look at their application, we will look at their track record. The panel--and I'm there for discussion purposes--will recommend the people who should be interviewed.
10:10 a.m.
NDP
10:10 a.m.
Chairperson, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
We screened out 45, so 300 will end up in front of the panel for consideration.
10:15 a.m.
NDP
Bill Siksay NDP Burnaby—Douglas, BC
You've expressed some frustration about the number of vacancies you have on the board at this time.
10:15 a.m.
Chairperson, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
I wouldn't say “frustration”. I expressed the facts.
10:15 a.m.
NDP
Bill Siksay NDP Burnaby—Douglas, BC
It sounds like frustration when I read it in your statement, but to whom do you express that in the government? Who gets that directly? To whom do you express the concern about the vacancies on the board and the ability of the board to do that job?
10:15 a.m.
Chairperson, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
I meet with the minister—not often, but I do meet with the minister. We talk about my requirements and we talk about the need for appointments and reappointments. It's discussion about the state of the union within the board, and it's a good dialogue.
10:15 a.m.
NDP
Bill Siksay NDP Burnaby—Douglas, BC
And how many appointments and reappointments have been made since February 2006?
10:15 a.m.
Chairperson, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
There have been eight recruitments and twelve reappointments.
10:15 a.m.
NDP
10:15 a.m.
Chairperson, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
Eight would have been selected from the people we qualified and twelve would have been reappointed.
10:15 a.m.
NDP
Bill Siksay NDP Burnaby—Douglas, BC
When you were last here, you said you had hoped to be able to report that the backlog was under 20,000 cases.
10:15 a.m.
NDP
10:15 a.m.
Chairperson, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
After I left, we reached 19,800.
10:15 a.m.
Chairperson, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
No, it's 20,500, and we'll probably end up at 24,000 to 25,000 in April at the rate we're going.
10:15 a.m.
NDP