Citizenship and Immigration Committee on Nov. 17th, 2014

[Matt de Vlieger]

I don't believe the United States provides either financial assistance or in-kind services. In the U.K. my understanding is that there is some in-kind support provided, though not access to the same kinds of financial benefits that other residents of the U.K. are accorded.

[Ted Opitz, Conservative, Etobicoke Centre, ON]

If you were to compare the Canadian system to what you know of these other two, how would you assess that?

[Matt de Vlieger]

The Canadian system as we know it now? Or the Canadian system that could hypothetically be implemented by the provinces?

[Ted Opitz, Conservative, Etobicoke Centre, ON]

Both now and in the future.

[Matt de Vlieger]

Currently in Canada all provinces and territories are providing social benefits in the form of financial assistance to refugee claimants immediately upon application, so that's different from the United States and different from the U.K. In the United States, my understanding is that there is neither a financial benefit provided nor in-kind services. In the U.K., they're providing in-kind services.

I think that's true for many European Union countries as well.

[Ted Opitz, Conservative, Etobicoke Centre, ON]

Okay. And in the future?

[Matt de Vlieger]

In the future, if provinces were to have these minimum criteria, they would be, for that period of time, depending on what period of time they put in, more comparable to some of those other jurisdictions. Again, depending on what kinds of in-kind services they might provide, really there are a lot of ways that a province might choose to design their social assistance regime.

[Ted Opitz, Conservative, Etobicoke Centre, ON]

But overall the Canadian system is, I would say, very generous and very fulsome in respect to claimants.

[Matt de Vlieger]

In respect of providing direct and immediate access, my understanding is that it compares very favourably, yes.

[Ted Opitz, Conservative, Etobicoke Centre, ON]

How could this legislation not be charter-compliant when it effectively gives the provinces the power they need to be able to impose a wait period? Nothing will really change here and it's in fact a jurisdictional matter. Can you comment on that?

[Matt de Vlieger]

I'd give the same answer I gave to the member opposite. I'm obviously not going to disclose the legal advice that we might have received. We do get legal advice when we are planning or preparing any measures, and the government would not be proposing measures that were found not to have a solid legal basis.

[Ted Opitz, Conservative, Etobicoke Centre, ON]

Great.

[The Acting Chair, Conservative, Devinder Shory]

We are done.

I want to take this opportunity to thank the witnesses for coming and enlightening the committee members by responding to their questions. Thank you very much.

Our time is up. The meeting is adjourned.