Thank you.
Evidence of meeting #35 for Citizenship and Immigration in the 41st Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was detention.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #35 for Citizenship and Immigration in the 41st Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was detention.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative David Tilson
Mr. Karygiannis, you have up to five minutes.
Mr. Karygiannis is with the opposition Liberal Party.
Liberal
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
Thank you, and good morning, Down Under, if I might say.
In coming up with the legislation you've got in front of your Parliament today, did you have an opportunity to discuss this with the Canadian department and/or our minister?
Manager, Immigration Policy, Policy and Research Group, Department of Labour, New Zealand
I have not been party to discussions. There may have been some general discussion around things that countries were thinking of, but we haven't undertaken consultation, as far as I'm aware.
Liberal
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
Do your colleagues, Mr. Richards and Mr. Dunstan, know of any discussions with our minister, your minister, and/or the department in Canada?
Fraser Richards Acting Director, Legal Business, Legal Group, Department of Labour, New Zealand
No, I know of no discussions.
General Manager, Settlement and Attraction Division, Immigration Group, Department of Labour, New Zealand
No, we don't.
We've obviously been aware of the Canadian bill going through, but our legislation was developed in New Zealand for our circumstances.
Liberal
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
You've got about, what, 300 people who come into your country as refugees per year, if I remember the number?
Manager, Immigration Policy, Policy and Research Group, Department of Labour, New Zealand
At present. It was around two and a half thousand ten years ago—
Manager, Immigration Policy, Policy and Research Group, Department of Labour, New Zealand
Yes, it's much lower now.
Liberal
Manager, Immigration Policy, Policy and Research Group, Department of Labour, New Zealand
We instituted some other mechanisms. A major one is advanced passenger processing, which means that everyone who is checking in on a flight with a trip where they will eventually end up in New Zealand is checked against the immigration computer system.
Liberal
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
I appreciate that.
Out of the two and a half thousand people who applied for refugee status years ago, how many were found to be legitimate refugees?
Manager, Immigration Policy, Policy and Research Group, Department of Labour, New Zealand
Fewer than 10%. At that point around 80% to 90%—
Liberal
Manager, Immigration Policy, Policy and Research Group, Department of Labour, New Zealand
No, the other way round. At that point, around 10%, I think, were gaining refugee status each year, so maybe around 200 to 250 of them.
Liberal
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
Okay.
I've heard from my colleague from the NDP that your minister calls the migrants “queue jumpers”. Has your minister used that term?
Manager, Immigration Policy, Policy and Research Group, Department of Labour, New Zealand
He has used that term.
Liberal
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
He has.
Has your minister used the terms “smuggled migrants and bogus asylum claimants”?
Manager, Immigration Policy, Policy and Research Group, Department of Labour, New Zealand
I can't confirm that, I'm sorry.
Liberal
Jim Karygiannis Liberal Scarborough—Agincourt, ON
You wouldn't expect a minister to use those terms, would you, and let me repeat, “smuggled migrants and bogus asylum claimants”?
Conservative
Conservative
The Chair Conservative David Tilson
A point of order.
Just one minute, Ms. Hyndman. We're going to have a little dispute here.
Ms. James.
