Citizenship and Immigration Committee on April 28th, 2008

[Ed Komarnicki, Conservative, Souris—Moose Mountain, SK]

You're making some pretty serious allegations. I think you're speaking way out of line. I think it's an improper comment in this context, unless you can put some specific proof on the table.

[Andrew Telegdi, Liberal, Kitchener—Waterloo, ON]

That's not a point of order.

[The Chair, Conservative, Norman Doyle]

No, it's not a point of order.

We have two or three minutes left, Madam Beaumier. Go ahead.

[Colleen Beaumier, Liberal, Brampton West, ON]

I want to know what we do if an immigration consultant in a foreign country is not honest. I go to a foreign country and see them operating there and getting in faster than I can. Why don't they know that these are not scrupulous people?

I want to know what we do with racist people who are suffering burnout within our bureaucracy. We can't deny it's there. We had a lawyer in Hamilton. I experienced it in calling our immigration department. When I reported it, I was accused of lying. I want to know what we do to clean ourselves up first.

I have a tremendous amount of respect for the public service. I was a member. I know that most people are trying their best to serve. What do we do about cleaning up our own act?

Anybody?

[Les Linklater]

Mr. Chair, clearly the decisions and processes that are in place for CIC officers, immigration officials.... All public servants have to respect the charter. There are public service standards and codes of conduct that must be followed--values and ethics. If a member of the public service is found to be contravening any of these standards, certainly there are disciplinary actions, which could include dismissal.

[Colleen Beaumier, Liberal, Brampton West, ON]

What has been done with the Hamilton lawyer who received the racist comments from someone within CIC? What has been done to follow up on that?

[Les Linklater]

Mr. Chair, I'm not aware of the facts related to this case.

[The Chair, Conservative, Norman Doyle]

Okay.

Well, thank you on behalf of the committee for your presence here today. You gave some very interesting testimony. Of course we're working on our draft report, and I'm sure your testimony will be very useful to us when we consider the recommendations we will be making.

Thank you again. We'll take just a minute for you to move away from the table, and we will get on to our next item on the agenda.

While that's happening, maybe as a matter of courtesy to some of the members who are here, like Mr. Siksay, Mr. Obhrai, Mr. Dosanjh, and other people who couldn't make it to our meetings across the country, I'll tell you that we travelled across the country to nine provinces and we held hearings on Iraqi refugees, immigration consultants, and temporary foreign workers. We heard 52 panels. Some of the members, in their wisdom, in the middle of that, wanted to deal with Bill C-50, and we couldn't at the time because we felt we wanted to do these three. So we said we'd get on to Bill C-50 at another date, and hopefully that's coming right now.

I believe you have before you a letter from the Standing Committee on Finance. It passed a motion at its meeting that, as promptly as possible, its chair write a letter to the chair of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration asking that committee to consider the subject matter of part 6 of Bill C-50 and to report by May 9, 2008.

Does everyone have a copy of that?

[Jim Karygiannis, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

Before we deal with that letter, I think there is a variety of motions on Bill C-50 that have been made by different members of this committee—

[The Chair, Conservative, Norman Doyle]

Yes, there is.

[Jim Karygiannis, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

I think that we should deal—

[The Chair, Conservative, Norman Doyle]

I think Mr. Khan had one that dealt specifically with this. Did you?

[Wajid Khan, Conservative, Mississauga—Streetsville, ON]

Yes, Mr. Chair. I have a question that relates to this exactly, and it has come with a unanimous request from the finance committee. As a matter of fact, it's a Bloc motion, and we have a motion dealing with this.

[The Chair, Conservative, Norman Doyle]

Do people feel we have to deal with those motions now in order to get going on this? Is that the point you're making?

[Jim Karygiannis, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

Mr. Chair, I respectfully would like you to allow me to finish my comments before you pick and choose who you go to.

[The Chair, Conservative, Norman Doyle]

Okay, go ahead.

[Jim Karygiannis, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

I thought you wanted to be impartial. So in that impartiality, sir, I ask you to stay impartial. There are motions that have been coming, and I would say to you that we should look at these motions in the order of date that you have received them.

There are motions from me, Mr. Telegdi, and Mr. Bevilacqua, and motions that different members have put in, and they go back to early April and the end of March. With due respect, Mr. Khan's motion came to you on April 24, so in good spirit, sir, I would say to you that we should deal with the motions you have in front of you, on Bill C-50 or anything to do with IRPA, by the date they arrived.

[The Chair, Conservative, Norman Doyle]

There is no problem with me.

Mr. Komarnicki.

[Ed Komarnicki, Conservative, Souris—Moose Mountain, SK]

Number one, we have a pretty definite motion that was moved in finance, where all parties passed it—

[The Chair, Conservative, Norman Doyle]

Does everyone have a copy of that letter, by the way, before we proceed? Do you have a copy of it, Mr. Siksay? And you have, Mr. Carrier? Yes, you have it, okay.

Go ahead.

[Ed Komarnicki, Conservative, Souris—Moose Mountain, SK]

It was passed unanimously by all the parties. The essence of it is simply that we undertake a study and report back on May 9. What's different about Mr. Khan's motion from the other motions is that it mirrors this motion, and I think it would be in order to consider that motion and have a vote on it. If it passes, it would still be open to this committee to decide how it would proceed in terms of the witnesses it would call, when it would call them, and when it would sit. But that is the essence of it, and I think it's appropriate for us to align ourselves with what the finance committee has said, because it came out of there unanimously. We should mirror it here and then get into a discussion.

That's why I think Mr. Khan's motion should be taken out of order and voted on now, and if it's defeated, so be it. But if it passes, then we get on to the business of asking how we accomplish that in the days we have left. So I think, contrary to what Mr. Karygiannis said, we should vote on Mr. Khan's motion—

[The Chair, Conservative, Norman Doyle]

How does the committee feel?

Mr. Carrier.

[Robert Carrier, Bloc, Alfred-Pellan, QC]

Mr. Chairman, you received a letter from the Standing Committee on Finance calling on this committee to examine that part of Bill C-50 which concerns immigration. I believe they want an answer from us as soon as possible. A study would address some of the concerns raised during our round of consultations. Until now, all we have done is talk about this issue. Now that we have received a formal request in line with Mr. Khan's motion, I think we should debate the motion and get back to the finance committee as quickly as possible. That would demonstrate our interest in this issue.

[The Chair, Conservative, Norman Doyle]

Okay. Good. Thank you.

Mr. Telegdi and Mr. Siksay.

[Andrew Telegdi, Liberal, Kitchener—Waterloo, ON]

You have a request from the finance committee?