Evidence of meeting #37 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.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle
Thank you.
We have a few more members who wish to ask questions and we've gone the full hour, but I think we'll go overtime a little bit. Some people want five minutes. I think others can probably wrap it up in three or four.
Mr. Karygiannis, you indicated you had a couple of questions you wanted to ask.
4:25 p.m.
Liberal
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle
Perhaps you could keep it below five, because we do have a lot of things on the agenda that we want to move on with.
Mr. Karygiannis, go ahead.
4:25 p.m.
Liberal
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
Mr. Linklater, you stated that the department was looking at translating in a number of languages.
4:25 p.m.
Director General, Immigration Branch, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
Yes.
4:25 p.m.
Liberal
4:25 p.m.
Director General, Immigration Branch, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
We have been developing the materials. I mentioned that we've put updated warnings and advertisements on the CIC website in French and English and we're now turning our attention to translating those materials.
4:25 p.m.
Director General, Immigration Branch, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
I believe there are 12 altogether, including those of countries that are top source countries, Urdu, Punjabi, Tagalog, Mandarin. I can get you the list.
4:25 p.m.
Liberal
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
Is there any translation on the Beijing website currently, in Mandarin?
4:25 p.m.
Director General, Immigration Branch, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
I am not sure. I would have to check the website, sir.
4:25 p.m.
Liberal
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
The website, sir, in Beijing has translation on all kinds of how to do things for the past two or three years. How come there are no warnings?
4:25 p.m.
Director General, Immigration Branch, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
As I said, we've recently developed the new materials and we'll be translating those for diffusion out to the missions.
4:25 p.m.
Director General, Immigration Branch, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
We are always looking at our materials. We have to cooperate with the Department of Foreign Affairs in terms of mission-specific websites. We have a number of priorities within the department and we are now turning our attention to this one.
4:25 p.m.
Liberal
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
Sir, are you trying to tell me that Foreign Affairs is not allowing you to post things on the website?
4:30 p.m.
Director General, Immigration Branch, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
I am not saying that. I am saying that we need to work with them to make sure the materials are put on the mission websites.
4:30 p.m.
Liberal
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
What about internally in Canada? What do you have regarding community-based handouts in different languages?
4:30 p.m.
Director General, Immigration Branch, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
At this point, we've been working only in English and French, but certainly the products we're developing now and translating will be available to different cultural communities.
4:30 p.m.
Liberal
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
I would tell you, sir, that you have failed part of my communities and you haven't translated in their languages, be it the Chinese community, the Punjabi community, the Indian community, the Pakistani community, communities that are vulnerable, communities that are going to consultants. Some of the consultants pretend to be consultants and they're not consultants. Some of them even have a lawyer's address in the front--it's a bogus lawyer's address--and in the back they have a phone number. This has come to my attention. People in these communities don't know who to turn to. They go to the Citizenship and Immigration website, and it's not friendly to navigate in their languages. They go to translation services, and they're charged a fee for even going on the website.
How come we have failed them in Canada? You don't have to discuss this with Foreign Affairs. You're not posting anything abroad. This is going straight to the Immigration website and saying this is where you go. The five top sources are China, the Philippines, South Asia, the Middle East. Having something translated in those languages would be preferable and more advantageous than some of the other languages that you have on there now.
4:30 p.m.
Director General, Immigration Branch, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
At this point we are translating the products we have to make them available.
4:30 p.m.
Liberal
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
How much money is set aside for translation, and how much money are you going to be spending on advertising in the ethnic papers, telling them to take a look at that specifically? Is there any money set aside from the department?
4:30 p.m.
Director General, Immigration Branch, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
There's no money set aside specifically. We're looking at this through normal budget processes.
4:30 p.m.
Liberal
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
So there's absolutely no money set aside for advertising to reach the communities and tell them to be aware of fraud.
4:30 p.m.
Director General, Immigration Branch, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
Do you mean money specific to this initiative?