Citizenship and Immigration Committee on June 11th, 2014

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

We'll start, ladies and gentlemen.

This is the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, meeting number 32. We are here to study the main estimates under the Citizenship and Immigration Act.

We have before us a number of witnesses, including the Honourable Chris Alexander, the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration.

Minister, I'd like to welcome you to the committee and thank you for coming. I think we know all your colleagues, but you may wish to introduce them to the committee as well.

You may proceed, sir, with your presentation to us.

[Chris Alexander, Conservative, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration]

Thank you so much.

I'm delighted to be here, Mr. Chair and colleagues, with my highly qualified and decorated colleagues, because they are the real experts in the business of this department. They are Tony Matson; Catrina Tapley; my deputy minister, Anita Biguzs; and Dawn Edlund, who is the number two person in operations as associate assistant deputy minister.

I'm pleased to be here with these officials to present the main estimates for fiscal year 2014-15. Citizenship and Immigration has planned spending for this fiscal year totalling about $1.39 billion, an overall net decrease of $270 million compared with last year's main estimate funding levels.

Before anyone draws any sweeping conclusions from that decrease, keep in mind that I will come to that. There's a very simple explanation for it.

In my opening remarks today, l will highlight several of the significant funding increases and decreases in our main estimates. The most significant investment of the year is $45.5 million in funding to allow the department to address increased application volumes in the citizenship and temporary resident lines of business. You will recall that these were initiatives in previous iterations of Canada's economic action plan to meet a growing need, with more permanent residents than ever applying for citizenship and more people from around the world visiting Canada than ever before. A portion of the new funding will be used to add processing capacity to keep pace with growth in the temporary resident line of business, particularly in key markets such as China, India, and Brazil, where most of the growth is anticipated.

On the citizenship side, which we've been discussing quite a lot lately, our government is committed to timely service even as we face record numbers of applications due to the highest sustained levels of immigration in Canadian history over the past eight years.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

Excuse me, Minister.

I wonder if you could slow down just a little bit. Translation needs to catch up to you. We want to hear every word you say, sir.

[Chris Alexander, Conservative, Ajax—Pickering, ON]

Of course, Mr. Chair.

I apologize for having been late and for having made life difficult for the interpreters.

We have admitted as immigrants an average of more than a quarter of a million newcomers to Canada each year since 2006, as the committee well knows.

We're taking action to further strengthen the pride that Canadians take in citizenship, the value of citizenship in this country, with the first comprehensive reforms to the act since 1977. We do this, in contrast to the previous Liberal record, by cracking down on fraud, demanding and promoting greater attachment to Canada, and speeding up processing for eligible applicants.

This new funding will result in improved processing times and overall service. Combined with the efficiency measures proposed in the strengthening Canadian citizenship act, we will see processing times for citizenship applications come down to one year or less by the end of 2015-16.

I would like to take the opportunity to thank committee members for all their hard work on Bill C-24—the pre-study, the clause-by-clause, etc. As you all know, it passed second reading last week and report stage this week. We're very close, one step away, at least in House of Commons terms, from turning this bill into law.

Another $35.5 million in funding represents an increase to the grant for the Canada-Quebec Accord in 2014-15 and future years to meet our obligations under the accord.

As you know, the Canada-Quebec Accord gives the Government of Quebec exclusive responsibility for settlement and integration services in the province in return for financial compensation from the Government of Canada.

You may recall that the grant amount for 2013-2014 for Quebec for the settlement and integration of immigrants and refugees was $320 million. This includes the base amount of $284.5 million, plus an increase of $35.5 million based, in part, on the number of non-francophone immigrants settling in that province.

As a result, CIC's main estimates are now increasing by $35.5 million on an ongoing basis, starting this fiscal year, to reflect the updated grant of $320 million.

My department's main estimates for this year also include an increase of just over $13 million to develop and implement the electronic travel authorization, or eTA, under the Canada-U.S. perimeter security and economic competitiveness action plan. This is a low-cost, quick, and easy-to-use online application process that will allow us to screen visitors from all countries who do not require a visa to enter Canada and who travel by air, with the exception of citizens of the United States.

When the eTA is implemented, in 2015, we'll be able to screen most visitors before they board a plane to verify whether they pose a risk to Canada, or to the health, safety, and security of Canadians. Resolving issues prior to a traveller's arrival at a port of entry will enhance security, improve border efficiencies, reduce the need for removals and returns, and facilitate the movement of legitimate travellers. We are closely working with our partners at CBSA, and with the airline sector, to ensure the smooth rollout of this initiative in 2015-16.

For the first time in the main estimates, you will also see a line item for the passport program revolving fund, which was transferred last year from the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development, along with allocations for International Experience Canada, which was also transferred.

In addition to the items I have already mentioned, funding increases in CIC's main estimates also include $4.2 million to meet our commitments under the roadmap for Canada's official languages.

These include promotion and recruitment activities in Canada and abroad; language training and other settlement services for French-speaking newcomers; and immigration research and knowledge-sharing projects of interest to both francophone minority communities and English-speaking communities in Quebec.

Mr. Chair, these and other increases are offset by a number of funding decreases in the estimates. The previous Liberal government left an immigration system with serious shortcomings. That resulted in potential immigrants putting lives on hold, waiting for up to eight years for an answer. This is something our government didn't accept, and we are endeavouring to do better.

That is why—

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

Excuse me, Minister, could I interrupt for a minute? The bells are ringing.

We are close to the chamber. I wonder if I could have unanimous consent to let the minister finish his remarks.

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[John McCallum, Liberal, Markham—Unionville, ON]

[Inaudible—Editor]

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

Well, the bells are ringing. It's a 30-minute bell, and I'm asking for unanimous consent that we allow the minister to finish his introductory remarks.

[John McCallum, Liberal, Markham—Unionville, ON]

Do you mean and to have questions?

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

No, that's to finish his remarks, and then he'll come back.

[John McCallum, Liberal, Markham—Unionville, ON]

He will come back.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

I will ask him to come back, and I know he will because he likes it here.

[Chris Alexander, Conservative, Ajax—Pickering, ON]

I promise.

[John McCallum, Liberal, Markham—Unionville, ON]

Okay.

As long as he comes back, that's fine.

[Chris Alexander, Conservative, Ajax—Pickering, ON]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

I'm sorry, Minister, you may continue.

[Chris Alexander, Conservative, Ajax—Pickering, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

And thank you to my colleagues as well.

Under Bill C-38, passed in 2012, our government included measures to transform the economic immigration programs that we have into a just-in-time system that will recruit people with the right skills to meet Canada's labour market needs today and into the future, fast-track their immigration, and get them working in a period of months, not years.

This is what's best for our economy. It's certainly what's best for newcomers, who will see their economic outcomes improve as a result. They already have improved, as we have reduced backlogs and made processing faster in preparation for this new system. Our government is committed to building a fast and flexible economic immigration system focusing on finding people who have the skills and experience required to meet Canada' s economic needs. The federal skilled worker program backlog was an issue in the past, but because of our government's action, the backlog will be eliminated this year.

We put a pause on the program and are returning up to $130 million in fees paid by certain federal skilled worker applicants who applied before February 27, 2008. The statutory funding decrease that you see in the main estimates this fiscal year relates to a longer than anticipated time horizon to return the fees paid by applicants to the FSW program, but they will be returned. My department has reallocated this funding to future fiscal years to address the anticipated refund requests in those years.

Eliminating this application backlog allows us to focus on new applicants with the skills and talents that our economy needs now. It also sets the stage for the launch this coming January of express entry, our government's next-generation approach to economic immigration, which will completely change the way we manage and process applications in our existing economic immigration programs.

Mr. Chair, let me be clear: Canada's doors are open to high-skilled workers. They have a pathway to permanent residency in this country. Investors can come to Canada under the Canadian Experience Class, under the Federal Skilled Worker Program, and under the Provincial Nominee Program. And the process is even faster for these investors because they have these programs available to them, as well as those offered by Quebec.

And as of January 1, 2015, applicants under these programs will have their application processed in six months or less under express entry. Express entry will be a faster, more effective, more efficient and more proactive process that will select immigrants based on the skills and attributes that Canada needs, and based on criteria that anticipate immigrants' economic success once they arrive.

Once it is launched, we expect to see a number of improvements to Canada's economic immigration system that will benefit our economy, our prosperity and labour market. Which, as you know, is a top priority for our government.

For example, the skilled newcomers that our economy needs will arrive here in months, rather than years.

In addition, by requiring candidates to first receive an invitation to apply before submitting an immigration application, we will prevent crippling backlogs from accumulating, like the one that plagued the Federal Skilled Worker Program for years.

We're getting faster, Mr. Chair, and we are identifying immigrants whose skills match Canada's needs and the needs of employers more closely than ever before.

CIC's main estimates also contain a decrease of nearly $30 million compared to the previous fiscal year for funding related to the implementation of biometric screening to reduce identity theft and fraud in our temporary resident visa program. Since biometric screening was successfully implemented at various missions over the last year, no additional investments are required this year. As this screening now forms part of our regular operations, ongoing funding is included in our operational budget.

All told, Mr. Chair, these and other items represent a net decrease of $270 million, with the largest single item relating to the passport revolving fund, which is part of our estimates for the first time this year. There's been a reduction of $270 million, though, across the board compared to the previous fiscal year, which brings my department's main estimates for 2014-15 to roughly $1.39 billion. Keep in mind that the revolving fund is reduced in response to higher revenue in the previous period. We had that unbelievable interest spike in demand for the 10-year e-passport last year, which partly explains the reductions in our main estimates this year.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I'm happy to answer any questions that you or members of the committee may have now or when we return.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

Thank you very much for your presentation, Mr. Minister.

The bells are ringing, as we know. I'm going to suspend the meeting. If you could return after the meeting for some questions by members of the committee, it would be greatly appreciated.

Mr. Menegakis.

[Costas Menegakis, Conservative, Richmond Hill, ON]

The minister can come back, but he has to be finished by—

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

Excuse me?

[Costas Menegakis, Conservative, Richmond Hill, ON]

The minister will come back, but he'll be finished by five o'clock. So we'll have half an hour for questions, roughly, when we get back, which is average. Okay?

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

It's lovely having you again, sir.

We suspend.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

We'll reconvene, and I thank you, ladies and gentlemen.

We have Mr. Leung, who has the first round of questions in the first round.

Sir, you may have the floor.

[Chungsen Leung, Conservative, Willowdale, ON]

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you, Minister, and staff for attending.

Immigration is probably one of the greatest hallmarks of Canada's history in our nation-building and how we've evolved and where we are today.

Minister, you spoke about Bill C-24, strengthening Canadian citizenship act. We know that the Liberals had 13 long comfortable years to reform the Citizenship Act, but they didn't do it. That's why our government set out to make the first comprehensive reform to the Citizenship Act in 35 years; that's since 1977.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

Mr. Leung, I know the minister may have opened the door when he started talking about Bill C-24, but we're here to talk about estimates as to expenditures, and Bill C-24 is not law, so unless you're using that as a preamble to something—