Evidence of meeting #6 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 backlog.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB
Mr. Atkinson, did you want to comment in regard to the trade component? You made reference to the crane operator. Here we have a lot of doctors, apparently about 90%-plus, who are not practising medicine. Do you think they can operate cranes?
President, Canadian Construction Association
I hope so, because we're going to need them.
President, Canadian Construction Association
They're probably paid better too.
October 27th, 2011 / 12:50 p.m.
Liberal
Conservative
The Chair Conservative David Tilson
I'm sorry, sir. You're getting into a good area, but we're out of time.
Conservative
Conservative
Rick Dykstra Conservative St. Catharines, ON
Thank you.
Mr. Creates, do you have clients who applied under the foreign skilled worker program?
Conservative
Rick Dykstra Conservative St. Catharines, ON
I've heard for the last hour from Ms. Parker and from Mr. Mokhtari. How do you find the new system versus the old one?
Immigration Lawyer, As an Individual
It's a lot clearer now than it ever was, because there are now quotas. If you don't come within the quota you shouldn't file an application. If you do, it will be sent back to you.
This is an attempt by the government to prevent a new backlog from being created, and I don't object to it. I think it's probably right, because you know ahead of time, unless you're looming towards the deadline by which the quota is being filled up, which happened to us recently. But there's more certainty in it. There's faster processing. It's going to prevent the new backlog. It's a good thing.
Conservative
Rick Dykstra Conservative St. Catharines, ON
It's interesting. We have two witnesses, and both tell different stories.
Ms. Parker and Mr. Mokhtari, have you advised any of your clients who were in the backlog prior to February 2008 to withdraw their applications and apply under the new system because it would be much quicker?
Lawyer, As an Individual
This suggestion is being done by Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
Conservative
Rick Dykstra Conservative St. Catharines, ON
Are you doing that? Are you recommending that your clients withdraw from the old system? Because, as you've indicated, it's a very big backlog and takes a long time.
CanPars Immigration Services Inc., As an Individual
There's one very important issue here.
Conservative
Rick Dykstra Conservative St. Catharines, ON
Okay. I don't have much time, so I just need a yes or a no. Are you advising your clients who are in this backlog, yes or no?
CanPars Immigration Services Inc., As an Individual
Yes, but there is a big but.
CanPars Immigration Services Inc., As an Individual
Listen, when you apply for a program and they tell you that your application will be processed in 12 months, and the 12 months start from, let's say, January 2009 because they started receiving AORs then, it means that January 2009 to January 2010 is the timeframe in which you logically have to wait, okay?
So no one thinks there's any problem. Then Mr. Kenney didn't correct the problem and continued, and even the annual reports mention that six to 12 months of processing time. But the second ministerial instruction was in June 2010, so many of them still were not 12 months.... So we couldn't recommend them.
Conservative
Rick Dykstra Conservative St. Catharines, ON
Okay, I understand you that have a personal issue with respect to the timeframe: it takes you that much longer. I think there's a couple of reasons why.
First, I wish the federal government had the authority to do the foreign credential research on our own and approve who could practise medicine in this country. That jurisdiction belongs not only to the provinces, but obviously to the associations who would then approve the individuals, so I think it's unfair to say that the processing times are part of the problem of the backlog. They are not.
Part of the problem is that we have a backlog. We have people applying into the process or into the system who need to be approved as professionals by the associations in the particular provinces they are going to move to. So I'm not surprised to hear--the base load of your clientele is Iranian--that doctors from Iran are not necessarily qualifying on a very quick basis. If, for example, you were to look to South Africa in terms of the medical associations there, we have the medical associations in Alberta and Saskatchewan approving doctors very, very quickly, and in fact, well within the processing time of the six to 12 months.
Also, you made a sweeping statement regarding the comments that Minister Kenney has made with respect to the new system post-February 2008: that those processing times are much longer than the six to 12 months that he has indicated in a number of speeches that he's given. I would ask you to submit to the committee the documentation you have to prove he isn't telling the truth. You may have a couple of situations, but I doubt very much that you have all the documentation to prove that across the country that's the case.
CanPars Immigration Services Inc., As an Individual
Yes, I have a list. I also have the link of the CIC website. All his speeches are there.
But responding—
Conservative
Rick Dykstra Conservative St. Catharines, ON
I'm not talking about the speeches. You made a sweeping statement. You're allowed to do that. You're here as a witness. You've been invited to do so.
But when you make those kinds of comments, you have to provide the evidence and the proof that what the ministry is saying on its website, what the minister is saying in his speeches, and what the government is saying with respect to honouring the timeframes that we committed to in February.... If you're saying that's untrue, then I ask you today to submit to the clerk to distribute to all the members of this committee the proof that this is the case.
