Evidence of meeting #44 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 instructions.
A recording is available from Parliament.
7:05 p.m.
NDP
Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON
The labour code, on how many points would be given to a certain profession, whether that profession requires labour market opinions...that is done primarily with CIC, the province, and HRSDC?
7:05 p.m.
Associate Secretary, Senior Associate Secretary's Office, Treasury Board Secretariat, As an Individual
Are we talking about immigrants now?
7:05 p.m.
NDP
Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON
Let's say temporary workers and then immigrants. The immigrants have the point system.
7:05 p.m.
Associate Secretary, Senior Associate Secretary's Office, Treasury Board Secretariat, As an Individual
For temporary workers there's no point system.
7:05 p.m.
Associate Secretary, Senior Associate Secretary's Office, Treasury Board Secretariat, As an Individual
It all starts with the premise that everybody who is going to come to work here in theory requires both an employment authorization and a validation that there's an actual need for that person there. Then there's the list of exemptions, such as the one for actors that you described before.
7:05 p.m.
NDP
Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON
In terms of points, then, for a landed immigrant, and as to how many points in which category—A, B, C, D, high skill, low skill, manual labour—are those points determined through Social Development and also CIC, as has been the past practice? Has that been changed through the years?
May 13th, 2008 / 7:05 p.m.
Visiting Assistant Deputy Minister, Canada Public Service Agency, As an Individual
Previously, before we applied the human capital model, we had an occupational list—
7:05 p.m.
Visiting Assistant Deputy Minister, Canada Public Service Agency, As an Individual
—that awarded points based on occupation. That was developed very much with HRSDC, as the federal government department that had expertise in the area of the labour market, together with Citizenship and Immigration. But the current selection system, the selection system that came into place with IRPA, did not have that occupational demand list associated with it. As we said, we moved away from awarding points based on occupations and professions.
7:10 p.m.
NDP
Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON
One of the problems in the 1980s, I recall, was, for example, that there were certain occupations that were counted as basically zero. If you were a basic cook, and there are lots of cooks around, if you get zero, then you won't be able to get your application considered at all.
Is that a point system that had flaws? Is that why it was moved to human capital? We obviously can use cooks here in Canada.
7:10 p.m.
Visiting Assistant Deputy Minister, Canada Public Service Agency, As an Individual
At the time, it was considered that keeping the occupational list up to date and having it absolutely current with the current labour market, given how quickly the labour market changes, was not a very effective way of making selection decisions for skilled immigrants, and that rather than identifying people based on occupational groups, what was more important was to focus on the total package that a skilled worker would bring to the country: their education level, their linguistic capabilities, their work experience in general, but not necessarily tied to a specific occupational group.
7:10 p.m.
NDP
Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON
In other countries, for example, in Australia, which is compared with us all the time, is that a model they use? What does Australia use? Do they use a list of occupations?
7:10 p.m.
Associate Secretary, Senior Associate Secretary's Office, Treasury Board Secretariat, As an Individual
Today, I don't know, but the last time I looked at that, when I had these responsibilities, Australia also had a selection grid.
7:10 p.m.
Associate Secretary, Senior Associate Secretary's Office, Treasury Board Secretariat, As an Individual
But they also had a very strong movement of temporary workers for those occupations that are in high demand, and as a matter of fact, the adjustment that was made to allow people to apply for a temporary worker to permanent resident—
7:10 p.m.
NDP
Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON
Do they give lists? Do they have an occupational list and go by points?
7:10 p.m.
Associate Secretary, Senior Associate Secretary's Office, Treasury Board Secretariat, As an Individual
No.
7:10 p.m.
NDP
Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON
Do they say, let's suppose, that category 6242 is cooks, and therefore you would get x number of points?
7:10 p.m.
Associate Secretary, Senior Associate Secretary's Office, Treasury Board Secretariat, As an Individual
No. Their selection grid is to some extent similar to ours. As I said, they have a very strong temporary worker movement and they allow these people to apply for permanent residence from within the country, to have just permanent residents. As a matter of fact, most of the skilled immigrants in Australia first enter as students and temporary workers.
7:10 p.m.
NDP
Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON
Because some are more skilled than others, some have more degrees than others, and some can speak English better than others, under the one used in Canada, do they look at it by how much English or how many degrees they have?
7:10 p.m.
NDP
