Evidence of meeting #41 for Citizenship and Immigration in the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was funds.
A recording is available from Parliament.
9 a.m.
NDP
Irene Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Thank you to our witnesses for being here and for your expertise. I appreciate that very much.
I was listening carefully but I want to make sure that I've understood correctly with regard to the express entry.
It's my understanding that the government is spending $3 million in advertising services to newcomers. Is this exclusively for advertising express entry? I wonder why the money wasn't initially budgeted for these ads.
9 a.m.
Acting Deputy Minister, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
In terms of the $3 million that appears in the supplementary estimates, at the time that we undertook the process leading into the supplementary estimates, we were going to request an expenditure and access to funds to broaden our advertising campaign for services to newcomers, which was to include a major component on citizenship.
Since that time, plans have shifted and we will not be accessing these funds. These funds will be ring-fenced and we will not be able to use them for other purposes. They will simply be returned to the consolidated revenue fund.
9 a.m.
NDP
Irene Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
Okay, thank you.
I'd like to pursue the shifting of the plans, but I know that Madam Blanchette-Lamothe would like to ask some questions so I'll give her the opportunity.
March 12th, 2015 / 9:05 a.m.
NDP
Lysane Blanchette-Lamothe NDP Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC
Thank you very much.
I would also like to thank the witnesses for being here today.
I have a question concerning the $3 million allocated to the reform of the temporary foreign worker program. I would like some clarification on that.
Can you tell us exactly how this money will be used? Is the $3 million provided as one-time funding or will this be ongoing?
9:05 a.m.
Acting Deputy Minister, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
I will begin and then I will defer to my colleague, who will finish answering.
This funding will enable us to hire 6.8 new employees for the fiscal year.
I'm sorry, I'll just switch because my notes are in English. That's for employer compliance activities. It will allow us, also, to impose tougher consequences on employers who do not follow the temporary foreign worker rules.
This will also allow us to enhance the sharing of information and improve the computer systems associated with the temporary foreign worker program. Funding for Employment and Social Development Canada is included in these expenditures. The department will use the funding to increase the number of inspections of employers, improve the computer system and establish a tip line for people who have complaints about the way the program is being managed.
The $3-million amount is part of the Supplementary Estimates. When it comes to ongoing funding, that will be $6.1 million.
9:05 a.m.
NDP
Lysane Blanchette-Lamothe NDP Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC
I have something to add, if I may.
Recently, in February 2015, there was an announcement about additional fees paid by employers who hire foreign workers and are exempt from the labour market impact assessment process. I wondered whether this money will be collected this way, that is, through the fees that employers and employees in this class have to pay.
Are the fees included in the $3 million or will they be added to that amount? Will this money be used to accomplish the tasks you described, or are we talking about completely different tasks? Can you enlighten us a little more about this distinction?
9:05 a.m.
Acting Deputy Minister, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
The fees were established to ensure that they pay for the program. These fees will be part of the government's consolidated revenue fund. They will be used for the labour market impact assessments, as you said.
9:05 a.m.
NDP
Lysane Blanchette-Lamothe NDP Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC
Thank you.
Since I do not have much time left, I will take this opportunity to say that I submitted a motion to the committee yesterday. I will not put the motion on the table today, but it pertains to the study we are conducting on the economic integration of immigrants.
I suggested that we take a break so that we can study a sensitive issue, given the impact it will have on temporary workers starting next April.
9:05 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative David Tilson
I think you're going to have to wait 48 hours before you bring that motion.
9:05 a.m.
NDP
Lysane Blanchette-Lamothe NDP Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC
Yes, that will pertain to the agricultural sector.
I just wanted to say that the motion is on the table and that I hope we can discuss it later. I do not intend to talk about it officially today.
9:05 a.m.
Conservative
9:05 a.m.
NDP
Lysane Blanchette-Lamothe NDP Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC
Thank you.
Will the $3 million allocated to advertising for newcomers be used to publicize the express entry program? Can you tell us more about the funding allocated to advertising?
9:10 a.m.
Acting Deputy Minister, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
As I said earlier, this funding will be used to increase the service offer to newcomers. That is our plan.
9:10 a.m.
NDP
Lysane Blanchette-Lamothe NDP Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC
Those are two different things. How will advertising improve services?
9:10 a.m.
Acting Deputy Minister, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
I will complete my remarks.
When we worked on the supplementary estimates and our requests, that was our intention, but our plans have changed. The funds will be returned to the government's consolidated revenue fund.
The dollars that were requested are ring-fenced. We would not be using them in this fiscal year.
9:10 a.m.
Conservative
9:10 a.m.
Liberal
John McCallum Liberal Markham—Unionville, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to the witnesses.
I noticed that expenditures on two programs on multiculturalism are going down—not down by very much, but down. I would have thought that at this juncture such programs would be particularly important. I wonder why the expenditures are going down.
9:10 a.m.
Acting Deputy Minister, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
Each year we have plans in terms of how to undertake these expenditures. The multiculturalism expenditures are grants and contributions. We work with community organizations to support intercultural exchanges and to support celebrations like Black History Month, which we just did in the month of February. That is the purpose of the funds. We encourage community organizations to make application for these funds, and then we assess them against our terms and conditions. When community organizations make those applications, and they are in line with our terms and conditions, we are then able to release the funds.
9:10 a.m.
Liberal
John McCallum Liberal Markham—Unionville, ON
So you're saying that the expenditures are going down because the organizations have made fewer applications.
9:10 a.m.
Acting Deputy Minister, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
It is a matter of having enough applications that line up with the terms and conditions of the programs.
9:10 a.m.
Liberal
John McCallum Liberal Markham—Unionville, ON
Okay.
The job bank, which I think is a critical part of the express entry system, seems not to be functioning at this time. Am I right in saying it's not functioning? If so, when is it expected to be working?
9:10 a.m.
Acting Deputy Minister, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
First of all, I should clarify that the job bank is a program of the Employment and Social Development department, so I'll keep my comments focused on our roles and responsibilities. The job bank is a complementary program to express entry. When we were developing the express entry system, we were working very closely with Employment and Social Development to ensure that, when we launched, and over the initial stages as we ramp up the program, the job bank would allow employers to access interested immigrants who meet their skill requirements to meet their needs via the job bank. The intent is for these to work together. The job bank is functioning. We are anticipating that there will be enhancements later on this year to ensure that the job bank and the express entry system are working in an integrated and complementary way.
My colleague would like to answer.
9:10 a.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic and Program Policy , Department of Citizenship and Immigration
There are two parts to the job bank issue. One is for candidates themselves, so a requirement of express entry is that those candidates without a job offer or a provincial nominee certificate are required to register in the job bank. That's happening now.
The second part, with respect to employer functionality in the job bank—and this is what Ms. Vreeswijk was alluding to—is that employers can use the job bank and go in to look for candidates with good human capital skills who are in the express entry pool. That's expected to be functioning soon.
9:10 a.m.
Liberal
John McCallum Liberal Markham—Unionville, ON
Thank you.
Mr. Chair, while I have the floor, I'd also like to present a motion that I'd presented some time ago, which reads:
That the Committee instruct the Chair to translate and distribute the document provided to the Clerk by Mr. McCallum on February 26, 2015, no later than March 24, 2015.
The motivation for this is that this document has a direct bearing on our study on immigration settlement, so I think it warrants discussion by the committee. It has a bearing not only because it refers to the Conservative base as anti-immigrant, but more specifically because it appears to predetermine the outcomes of this study before we've even heard the witnesses.
I would like to present that motion at this time.