Citizenship and Immigration Committee on March 19th, 2018

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Scarborough—Rouge Park, ON]

I have a quick question relating to francophones with respect to the 4.5% of newcomers. Where does that number come from?

[Paul MacKinnon]

That was a commitment made—

[The Vice-Chair, NDP, Jenny Kwan]

Sorry, we're now at seven minutes so I wonder if another member may ask that question in the next round.

We'll now go to Mr. Tilson.

[David Tilson, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I'm looking at the supplementary estimates (C) for 2017-18 and at the bottom of one of the pages there's no question, from the testimony we've heard here in a study we're doing for the IRB, that there is a serious backlog with the IRB and yet for these estimates—and I don't know whether you have them in front of you—a zero amount is allowed for the IRB. Why is that, particularly when we have the problem of a backlog with the IRB?

[Paul MacKinnon]

You're right in terms of supplementary estimates (C). I would just highlight that there's $74 million for the IRB in the budget, which is spread over a two-year period, and that will allow the board to hear approximately 18,000 more cases, getting an additional 18,000 through the system, but it's again correct, Mr. Chair, that's in the budget, not the supplementary estimates.

[David Tilson, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

I'm going to refer to the memo that I received from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. It's undated, but I'd like to read a couple of paragraphs to you.

By the end of 2021 the new system inventory would grow to approximately 192,700 claims. This would be the equivalent of 133 months of RPD output, or an over 11-year wait time. Individuals waiting in the backlog can still continue to utilize social supports, including education, social assistance and the federal heath services. For 2016-17 these were calculated to be approximately $600 per month per claimant. Therefore, in the above scenario social support costs, which are education, social assistance, federal health for the inventory would climb to approximately $2.97 billion from 2017 through to 2021.

Is that information correct? Can you confirm that?

[David Manicom]

The memo you're referring to makes use of internal departmental projections using a number of different scenarios if nothing was done at the IRB either with regard to efficiencies, or with regard to further funding. In these situations, civil servants develop a number of scenarios to demonstrate the cost if nothing is done, but of course something has been done. Actions have been taken subsequently, significant increases in efficiencies at the IRB and a number of different funding envelopes for the IRB, to prevent that sort of accumulation from occurring.

[David Tilson, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

I would like to turn to visas, particularly Bulgaria, Mexico, and Romania where they were lifted. What's the status of the review of the visa policy framework?

[Paul MacKinnon]

That review is ongoing, and we will be providing advice to the minister on that. It was a mandate commitment, as you know, so we're—

[David Tilson, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

It was supposed to be done by the end of December, if I recall.

[Paul MacKinnon]

I can't say for certain, but—

[David Tilson, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

What's going on?

[Paul MacKinnon]

—that work is ongoing in terms of the visa policy framework.

[David Tilson, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

So when are you going to announce something? People in Bulgaria, Mexico, and Romania ask these questions. What is going on? You've said it's “ongoing”, but can you do any better than that?

[Paul MacKinnon]

In terms of Mexico, Romania, and Bulgaria, there is nothing in the work we're doing now in terms of the new framework that holds them back. As you know, we've already lifted the visa on those three countries. We lifted the visa based upon the present visa policy framework, so they're not waiting for us to do anything.

[David Tilson, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

Are there any other countries that are being considered for a visa lift?

[Paul MacKinnon]

It's really a continual review of countries that could potentially be lifted and that could potentially have a visa reimposed, so that's an ongoing piece of work we do at the department. At any given time we're looking at countries in both categories.

[David Tilson, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

Could you tell us some countries that are being considered?

[Paul MacKinnon]

I wouldn't give you countries that we're considering internally. If the country does know we're looking at it, I would not want to share that information before such time as the government makes a decision.

[David Tilson, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

How many refugee claims have there been from Mexican nationals since their visa lift in 2016?

[Paul MacKinnon]

There have been 1,948.

[David Tilson, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

And what percentage of those claims have been rejected?

[Paul MacKinnon]

I don't have that information in front of me. I don't know if my colleague can cross-reference that to refusals, or not.

I don't want to waste your time. We can come back.

[David Tilson, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

Can you undertake to give that to the clerk?

[Paul MacKinnon]

For sure.