Evidence of meeting #5 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 report.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:05 p.m.
Liberal
Maurizio Bevilacqua Liberal Vaughan, ON
It's a report on the loss of Canadian citizenship. Just imagine the title, and that would be the subtitle, right? So the thing would be “Reclaiming Citizenship for Canadians: a Report on the Loss of Canadian Citizenship”. It will work well in French as well.
4:05 p.m.
Conservative
4:05 p.m.
Liberal
Maurizio Bevilacqua Liberal Vaughan, ON
No. It would be “Reclaiming Citizenship for Canadians: a Report on the Loss of Canadian Citizenship”
4:05 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle
That sounds very reasonable, in my view.
Okay? I see no dissenters, so we'll go forward with that, and we'll be going forward with a unanimous report, so I want to thank committee members for that.
Maybe we will go back in camera.
4:05 p.m.
Bloc
4:05 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle
Yes, I think the clerk was working on a press release, or the analysts. Do we have a press release prepared?
4:05 p.m.
Penny Becklumb Committee Researcher
We've started work on one; certainly it will reflect today's comments.
4:05 p.m.
Liberal
4:05 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle
It will be tabled in the House on Wednesday, possibly, when the clerk said it would be ready. Is that accurate? If not Wednesday, definitely Thursday. Would that be okay?
Okay. I guess it needs proofreading and concordance, whatever that means.
4:05 p.m.
The Clerk
It's the process of ensuring that the two texts reflect each other accurately, both technically and in tone, and all the other aspects of the languages.
4:05 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle
Thank you.
We're suspending for a few minutes until the minister gets here.
4:05 p.m.
Liberal
4:05 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle
Yes. I asked a little bit earlier if she could get here a bit faster because we might be finishing early on this report.
Ms. Chow.
4:05 p.m.
NDP
Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON
Would it make sense, because we have extra time now and the minister can't make it here until 4:30, to spend a few minutes talking about the supplementary estimates anyway, among ourselves, to look at some questions we may have collectively?
4:05 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle
Okay. Can we move in camera first?
[Proceedings continue in camera]
[Public proceedings resume]
4:30 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle
The meeting will now come to order.
On behalf of committee members, I want to welcome the Hon. Diane Finley, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. Thank you, Minister, for coming along this evening in consideration of the supplementary estimates, votes 1a, 2a, and 10a.
I want to welcome as well, Mr. Richard Fadden, deputy minister, and Mr. Wayne Ganim, chief financial officer and director general of the finance branch, and Claudette Deschenes is from the department as well. Welcome to all of you.
The minister has an hour, after which she has to catch a flight.
Minister, you're very much aware of the routine. You've been here often enough. I don't have to tell you anything about it. You make your opening statement. I believe it's been distributed to members, so I'll pass it over to you, Madam Minister.
4:30 p.m.
Conservative
Diane Finley Conservative Haldimand—Norfolk, ON
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, honourable members, for allowing me the opportunity to be back here before you.
As you know, you have before you my department's supplementary estimates (A) for the current fiscal year for your consideration and approval. I'm looking forward to your feedback, and I'd be happy to respond to any questions you have after I make my opening statement.
Mr. Chair, most of the items in the estimates are routine in nature. I would, however, like to draw your attention to two items in the estimates, which reflect fundamental changes we are making to our immigration program in order to make it more responsive to the needs of the Canadian labour market.
First, I wish to note spending of almost $4.6 million for our Temporary Foreign Worker program, an increase of 10%. As you know, the program allows employers to hire temporary foreign workers when there are no Canadian citizens or permanent residents available for the positions needed.
And as you are also no doubt aware, Canada is facing a crucial need for more skilled workers in different regions of the country.
We continue to respond to that need. Last year we took in over 112,000 temporary foreign workers; two years ago that number was just over 99,000. This reflects substantial growth in this program.
As we bring in more temporary foreign workers, we also need to ensure they are protected in the same way all Canadian workers are. We must ensure employers comply with the terms of the contracts they enter into with workers from abroad, honour these contracts, and treat temporary foreign workers fairly, the same way all other Canadian workers are treated. Additionally, we must work with the provinces to ensure labour standards are met.
While a number of facilitative measures have been taken by Human Resources and Social Development and CIC, additional work does remain. This includes the introduction of more robust monitoring and compliance provisions to ensure the temporary foreign worker program continues to help meet the needs of the economy while taking measures to prevent abuse and exploitation of immigrants to Canada.
To better ensure worker protection, Budget 2007 allocated $51 million for improvements to the program. My colleague, the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, and I will be bringing forward regulatory proposals in 2008 to enable implementation of these proposals.
Mr. Chair, the other item to which I would draw your attention is the $2.3 million allocated to support our foreign credentials referrals office, or FCRO, that I launched in May this year.
Let me be very clear: our government wants newcomers and their families to succeed in Canada. And newcomers want to contribute to our country by working in the fields for which they have been trained. We want to help them do that. But as all of us know, it is all too common for individuals to come to Canada and find either that their professional credentials from other countries are not recognized here or that the process to have them assessed is slow and complicated.
While provinces have jurisdiction over regulating professions, the federal government has a responsibility to give newcomers the information and references they need to find how their professional credentials could be assessed and recognized, what upgrades they might need to meet Canadian standards, and what jobs might be available in various fields. We know that there is a real need to provide this information to newcomers. And in many cases, if we provide information to prospective immigrants abroad, they can take steps to get accredited before they come to Canada so that when they arrive, they can contribute more quickly by working in their chosen field.
As I said, I launched the program in May with six Service Canada centres offering foreign credential referral services in person. By the end of this month, there will be over 300 Service Canada centres across the country offering this service in person, as well as via telephone and on the Internet. Since its launch, the credentials.gc.ca website has had over 120,000 hits, two-thirds of which were from outside the country. The dedicated phone line has received over 900 calls, of which half were for information and half for referrals to assessment bodies. In addition, overseas sections have served more than 1,200 prospective immigrants already.
In addition to providing these services, the FCRO is also working with federal partners, provincial and territorial governments, employers, and other stakeholders to work together on this important issue.
As well as reaching prospective immigrants through our website, FCRO is also working overseas through pilot programs in China, India, and the Philippines to help skilled workers in these countries prepare to work in Canada while they're still overseas.
In fact, I traveled to India just a couple of weeks ago, where I had a chance to visit these pilot orientation sessions, delivered through a contribution agreement to the Association of Canadian Community Colleges. I also met key people in the business and education communities and told them about our programs so that they might encourage talented people to come to Canada. This chance to see our programs gave me a valuable personal insight, both into the programs we support and the dedication of our people overseas.
Mr. Chair, there are two items in the estimates that highlight efforts to make our programs more responsive to the labour market. This was a goal we articulated in Advantage Canada, the government's economic plan.
Toward it, one of the significant initiatives that we launched this year is the Canadian experience class. First announced in the last federal budget, this new immigration stream will allow certain temporary foreign workers and students graduating from Canadian universities to apply for permanent resident status without having to leave the country. Previously, students and temporary workers had to go back to their home country to apply.
This, we believe, will help us tap into a pool of talented people who've already demonstrated that they can succeed in our economy and in our society. It will also help us retain those students already studying here; it will help temporary foreign workers benefit from the Canadian work experience they are busy building and enable employers to recruit talented newcomers.
The good news is it's a two-way street. We believe the prospect of eventual Canadian citizenship gives us a marketing advantage as our schools and our employers look to recruit the best and the brightest from around the world.
This program will let us keep good people, not just in our major urban centres, where many newcomers head, but in rural areas as well.
If they have studied in a rural area or worked there temporarily, they may be more likely to remain there. We want to ensure that the entire country benefits from immigration. We want to get the right people in the right place at the right time. The Canada Experience Class will help us do that.
At the same time, we will ensure the smooth operation of the Provincial Nominee Program, which has grown substantially. The program allows the provinces to identify the people they need, and we help to get them here quickly.
Manitoba has been a leading participant in this area, welcoming close to 5,000 people last year--almost double the number of a year earlier--and other provinces are catching on as well. For example, we recently signed new framework agreements with Alberta and Nova Scotia that include provincial nominee annexes, while the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador has just renewed a prior agreement.
Mr. Chair, we are also putting substantial effort into helping people succeed once they arrive here. The government's commitment of $1.3 billion for settlement funding across the country represents a significant increase in this important area. Working closely with the provinces and service providers, we are helping newcomers find jobs and integrate into communities and schools.
Mr. Chair, I'm sorry, I just don't have time to go over all the recent and upcoming initiatives in my department, but I trust that members have reviewed the annual report tabled in Parliament on October 31. This demonstrates that we will continue to play an important humanitarian role in accepting refugees and in reuniting families.
Committee members are aware of our specific commitments to resettle several thousand Karen, Bhutanese and Iraqi refugees. For Canadians looking to sponsor a relative from Iraq, we are processing those applications on a priority basis.
Beyond this, I have also initiated measures to assist the population of ethnic Vietnamese in the Philippines to apply for admission on humanitarian and compassionate grounds. This group, which has been a focus of attention for this committee, has welcomed the initiative.
Before concluding, Mr. Chair, I'd like to touch on a couple of pieces of legislation that I look forward to working on with this committee in the months ahead.
Bill C-17 addresses an important gap that currently exists in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. The proposed amendments in this bill would give me, as the minister, the authority to instruct immigration officers to deny work permits to individuals who might be at risk of exploitation or abuse should they enter Canada. Without this authority, our immigration officers are not able to deny a work permit to someone meeting all the requirements to enter the country even if they believe there is a strong possibility of that individual's exploitation or abuse.
As the honourable members know, temporary foreign workers--some with weak language skills, with no family or friends in Canada, and often with very little money--sometimes need more protection than Canadian workers. Some of these individuals could be at risk of degrading treatment, such as sexual exploitation.
The amendments we are proposing would make Canada a safer place by helping us stop human trafficking at our borders. I therefore urge all honourable members to stand with key stakeholder groups such as the Salvation Army, the Stop the Trafficking Coalition, and The Future Group and support this important legislation.
The other piece of legislation on which I look forward to working with you concerns citizenship. The issue of “Lost Canadians" preoccupied this committee, and me, in the last session. I promised to bring forward legislation to address it. In the interim, I have used my discretionary powers to grant citizenship to some of those affected in this manner. We will clarify the rules governing the loss of citizenship and work to make them fairer. And we will do so in a way that protects the value of Canadian citizenship.
I look forward to tabling this draft legislation in the near future.
We have celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Citizenship Act over the past year, and I've had the tremendous opportunity to attend many citizenship ceremonies. I have to tell you, seeing citizenship through the eyes of newcomers who have just become Canadians certainly underscores the enormous privilege it is to be a Canadian citizen.
To conclude, the values we cherish as Canadians—freedom, peace, and respect—help make up the foundation of Canadian citizenship and immigration. I welcome the opportunity to work with the members of this committee to put these values into practice and to highlight Canada as a country that welcomes newcomers from wherever they come.
As the Prime Minister noted of the welcoming nature of Canadians:
East and West, North and South, French and English, immigrant and Native-born, we are all proud champions of these founding values—of the Canadian way.
Thank you for your time. I am now prepared to take questions.
Thank you for your time. I will now be prepared to answer your questions.
4:45 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle
Thank you, Madam Minister.
The time is moving along pretty quickly, so I will go directly to you, Mr. Telegdi, first of all, for a seven-minute round.
4:45 p.m.
Liberal
Andrew Telegdi Liberal Kitchener—Waterloo, ON
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Minister, welcome. Let me say, you have come a long way from not wanting to look at the Citizenship Act to actually, hopefully, us doing something very meaningful around it.
You're right, it's the 60th anniversary of the 1947 act. It's also the 30th anniversary of the 1977 act, and this is the 25th anniversary year of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Minister, you threw a challenge to us when you appeared on this issue a number of months back. The challenge was that if the committee came up with recommendations that were unanimous, we would see it in legislation. So I look forward to it. I would have felt a little better if I had seen a little more money in the supplementary estimates, particularly directed at the Citizenship Act, but I trust you have enough funds to do it.
The other issue that's of major concern for me and Canadians and this committee relates to the critical shortage of workers from coast to coast to coast. It doesn't matter if one goes to the Maritimes, Quebec, Ontario, the Prairies, or British Columbia, there is a critical shortage of workers, and unfortunately, the shortage is for workers who are tradespeople and people with lower skills who cannot get here as immigrants.
I know you have the temporary foreign worker program. We know we have undocumented workers in this country—approximately, depending on the numbers, with their families, a range of 200,000 to 500,000. It seems to me that it would be more than useful to have these people able to apply under the temporary foreign worker program. This call has been made by unions and by companies. I know the home builders--it doesn't matter which part of the country we're in--are calling for it. I think that would be a very good way of dealing with the undocumented worker problem, which basically exists because the folks who are undocumented workers are working, contributing to the economy; they fit in. So there has to be a way of plugging them in.
Minister, I really hope you will look at that, because it just doesn't make any sense to spend a great deal of money getting these folks out of the country and then trying to bring in some other people who might not work out.
This can be done through regularization. I know your department has a plan on this. The previous Liberal minister was working on the regularization, and I hope you will take a look at allowing undocumented workers a chance to apply to be temporary foreign workers and further regularization.
Those are the questions I want to put to you, and I look forward to your response.
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
Diane Finley Conservative Haldimand—Norfolk, ON
Thank you.
First of all, I would like to thank the committee for all the work it has done on the lost Canadians issue. We have been following your deliberations very closely, and we are factoring that into the legislation we'll be proposing. I'm hoping we'll be able to move that through pretty quickly. Obviously, I'm interested because Bill C-17 is already coming before this committee, and having that one go through, we can get that protection to people who don't have it now even sooner.
In terms of the worker shortages across the country, you're absolutely right on that one. I hear it wherever I go. We have an aging population, a dwindling birth rate, people who are retiring earlier and expecting to retire even earlier, and it's creating worker shortages right from the PhD level. We're short of PhDs in research. We're short of almost every position, right down to dishwashers. It's a challenge to meet our labour market needs, no question. That's why we've done so many things to try to expand the temporary foreign worker program. We've worked with the provinces as well to expand the provincial nominee programs, because each region has unique needs and we didn't want to impose national program criteria on them.
We've been working with them so they can individually reflect their own needs, and we're really pleased to see the progress many of them have made in advancing the PNP. As I mentioned, Manitoba has been a real leader in this field. Nova Scotia is jumping on board. Alberta is going full-steam ahead, and of course we've opened new TFW offices in B.C. and Alberta to help them meet their temporary foreign worker needs.
One of the challenges with granting some sort of recognition program to those workers who are in the country right now who are undocumented...it's twofold. I'm very sympathetic to the uncertainty they face. But one of my great concerns, of course, is that if we recognize these individuals and grant them permission to stay here right out of the chute, then it's a question of fairness to people who have been waiting for a very long time to come here through legal channels. My concern is if we were to put forward that position, we would be encouraging more and more illegal entrants. That's not something we want to do. That would not help preserve the integrity of our immigration system.
I would point out, too, that a previous Liberal immigration minister took much the same position as I'm taking. I have a quote:
...the granting of a blanket amnesty to undocumented foreign workers would send the message that there is a reward for those who remain in Canada without the proper authorization.
This is something I'm very concerned about, protecting the integrity of our immigration system.
4:55 p.m.
Liberal
Andrew Telegdi Liberal Kitchener—Waterloo, ON
I'm concerned about that as well. But the fact of the matter is that these people are here because our immigration system wasn't responsive to the needs of the economy and that's why these folks are working. If they all left tomorrow, we'd have a really serious problem. But it also affords us the opportunity to see those who are here. If they perform well, fit in, pay their taxes, and don't have a criminal record, it just makes sense to allow them to apply and to keep them.
You're right, Minister, some previous ministers said exactly the same thing you just said and some were Liberal ministers. That was written for them by the bureaucracy, which has always maintained the same position. The only thing I'm saying is Minister Volpe was in the process of regularization, and the bureaucracy didn't particularly like it, just like the bureaucracy didn't like to change the Citizenship Act.
You know, Minister, you just have to deal with that, because we can't afford to get rid of all these folks who are part of the economy. They're contributing to the economy. They have adapted to this country. It should have absolutely nothing to do with how many more people are waiting in line, because we can get those folks in. We've got a shortage of people, and this would help address that.
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Norman Doyle
A brief response, Minister, if you will, because we've gone way over time. But because Mr. Telegdi is vice-chair, I generally give him an extra minute or so.
