Evidence of meeting #35 for Citizenship and Immigration in the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was consultants.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Bruce Perreault  Member of the Canadian Bar Association and of the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants (CSIC), Founding Director, Canadian Association of Professional Immigrant Consultants (CAPIC), Bruce Perreault and Associates
Ross Eastley  Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Migration Institute
Dawn Moore  Director, Canadian Migration Institute

1:45 p.m.

NDP

Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON

The law society has seminars.

1:45 p.m.

Member of the Canadian Bar Association and of the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants (CSIC), Founding Director, Canadian Association of Professional Immigrant Consultants (CAPIC), Bruce Perreault and Associates

1:45 p.m.

NDP

Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON

Are they of high quality?

1:45 p.m.

Member of the Canadian Bar Association and of the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants (CSIC), Founding Director, Canadian Association of Professional Immigrant Consultants (CAPIC), Bruce Perreault and Associates

Bruce Perreault

I can tell you, Madam Chow, only last November I had the opportunity to attend an excellent program that the law society puts on every year. It's an excellent program: two days at the law society, on immigration.

1:45 p.m.

NDP

Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON

Yes, it's great. It's good quality.

1:45 p.m.

Member of the Canadian Bar Association and of the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants (CSIC), Founding Director, Canadian Association of Professional Immigrant Consultants (CAPIC), Bruce Perreault and Associates

Bruce Perreault

Absolutely. I agree.

I've also had the opportunity to go to the two-day seminar of CMI, I believe it was three weeks ago, and I can tell you, Madam Chow, it was, I would say, quite comparable.

1:45 p.m.

NDP

Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON

Okay, so they both are high quality.

1:45 p.m.

Member of the Canadian Bar Association and of the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants (CSIC), Founding Director, Canadian Association of Professional Immigrant Consultants (CAPIC), Bruce Perreault and Associates

1:45 p.m.

NDP

Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON

If I asked you to grade them from 1% to 100%, would you rank them above 90%, a grade of “A”?

1:45 p.m.

Member of the Canadian Bar Association and of the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants (CSIC), Founding Director, Canadian Association of Professional Immigrant Consultants (CAPIC), Bruce Perreault and Associates

1:45 p.m.

NDP

Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON

They're similar.

1:45 p.m.

Member of the Canadian Bar Association and of the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants (CSIC), Founding Director, Canadian Association of Professional Immigrant Consultants (CAPIC), Bruce Perreault and Associates

Bruce Perreault

It certainly wasn't Immigration 101. It would not have been Immigration 101.

1:45 p.m.

NDP

Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON

No, it would be Immigration 303.

1:45 p.m.

Member of the Canadian Bar Association and of the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants (CSIC), Founding Director, Canadian Association of Professional Immigrant Consultants (CAPIC), Bruce Perreault and Associates

Bruce Perreault

Yes, Madam.

But if I may, just on that point, I see in some of the materials published that, with respect, we have a tendency in the committee to divide up consultants as—

1:45 p.m.

NDP

Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON

But that's not my question. Can I just ask my question?

My question really then is, if both are of high quality, should they be given the same merit? If I'm a consultant and I go to one that is by the CBA, or whether I do the SMI one, should it be of the same quality, the same points, the same...? Yes?

1:45 p.m.

Member of the Canadian Bar Association and of the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants (CSIC), Founding Director, Canadian Association of Professional Immigrant Consultants (CAPIC), Bruce Perreault and Associates

Bruce Perreault

I would say yes.

1:45 p.m.

NDP

Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON

Okay. Then why isn't it? Right now, you give different points—right?

1:45 p.m.

Member of the Canadian Bar Association and of the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants (CSIC), Founding Director, Canadian Association of Professional Immigrant Consultants (CAPIC), Bruce Perreault and Associates

Bruce Perreault

Yes, Madam. I don't; CSIC does.

1:45 p.m.

NDP

Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON

Okay, CSIC does.

Can I then ask another question? What if the number of points that are given are different? The difference is about 50%. How would you know, in terms of CSIC, if a person with a 10-point course pays their funds and doesn't show up? Will they still get the points?

1:45 p.m.

Member of the Canadian Bar Association and of the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants (CSIC), Founding Director, Canadian Association of Professional Immigrant Consultants (CAPIC), Bruce Perreault and Associates

Bruce Perreault

Well, now, that's an interesting question you ask, Madam Chow.

1:45 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle

Do you want to get to your object, Ms. Chow, because Mr. Eastley—

1:45 p.m.

NDP

Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON

I just want to finish this, please.

1:45 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle

Okay. It's totally up to you.

1:45 p.m.

NDP

Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON

I don't want to run out of time.

1:45 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle

Okay, you have four minutes, so we can go to Mr. Eastley then.