Evidence of meeting #100 for Citizenship and Immigration in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was million.

A video is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Christopher Meyers  Director General, Finance, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
David Manicom  Assistant Deputy Minister, Settlement and Integration, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
Paul MacKinnon  Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic and Program Policy, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
Dawn Edlund  Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Operations, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
Mike MacDonald  Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic and Program Policy, Department of Citizenship and Immigration

12:55 p.m.

Liberal

Ahmed Hussen Liberal York South—Weston, ON

Sure.

12:55 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Rob Oliphant

Mr. Sarai.

12:55 p.m.

Liberal

Randeep Sarai Liberal Surrey Centre, BC

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you, Minister. Your budget proposes about $32 million over the next three years to launch a pilot project to support programming for newcomer women who are members of visible minority groups. It's meant to remove potential barriers to employment. Can you elaborate? I think something like that would be very well received by the people in Surrey Centre. I've noticed that a lot of women do have some barriers.

12:55 p.m.

Liberal

Ahmed Hussen Liberal York South—Weston, ON

Visible minority newcomer women face multiple and distinct challenges to their labour market integration and career advancement. We see some of those barriers being reduced by private sector engagement in the integration and resettlement of these women. We have done some of that work by providing child care, for example, when that lack of child care has been a barrier to women taking language training.

We believe this money over three years will enable us to support programming for these women to be able to access the labour market. We already know that some of the private sector folks in different parts of Canada are doing amazing work with newcomer women without any government funding. Some of those ideas we will be able to take and spread across the country. I can give you examples of that.

12:55 p.m.

Liberal

Randeep Sarai Liberal Surrey Centre, BC

I went to a graduation ceremony of a class of newcomers and women who were taught in the hospitality industry. I think 75% of them had employment prior to even graduating. It was a great program.

My second question is with regard to increased funding for the international mobility program, I guess, or temporary foreign workers. How will this ensure that those who genuinely need employees who are not available in Canada get those resources, and ensure that, on the other hand, those who are coming in don't get exploited by some of the shady elements that are running amok in this industry? That's my concern. I get concern from genuine employers who still are having a tough time in certain cases versus those who are complaining that people are abusing this, where they maybe only need two employees and are getting 10, or the industry might be lacking. Could you elaborate on that?

1 p.m.

Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic and Program Policy, Department of Citizenship and Immigration

Paul MacKinnon

I have a couple of comments on that. We're pleased to see $180 million in the budget for compliance. You will recall that the temporary foreign worker program run through ESDC had permanent money for compliance. At IRCC, through our international mobility program, this makes our temporary funding permanent. We'll be able to go out and do inspections of employers. We've done upwards of 6,000 inspections since we started the program, but this will give us permanent funding to be able to go out and do more on-site inspections of employers who are taking folks in through the IMP.

1 p.m.

Liberal

Randeep Sarai Liberal Surrey Centre, BC

My next question is on the $7 million you're putting toward the start-up visa pilot program that makes it easier for foreign entrepreneurs to actively pursue new ventures in Canada. How will this differ from, say, previous investor programs, which were more “cash for access” programs versus actually creating jobs and allowing entrepreneurs to come to Canada?

1 p.m.

Liberal

Ahmed Hussen Liberal York South—Weston, ON

This is actually a very different program.

The program has a lot of credibility because the folks we process through the start-up visa program are selected by the industry, not by us. Various industries, industry associations, and venture capitalists go out and seek promising entrepreneurs to come to Canada and then scale up, to have that company go from $5 million to $10 million to $100 million, because that's where the jobs are. Some of this funding will go towards that and it will go towards more frequent outreach. It makes the program permanent. The program was not permanent. It was a pilot program started by the previous government. It also moves away from a paper-based program to an online portal for easier access.

1 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Rob Oliphant

Thank you, Minister.

Ms. Kwan, go ahead for three minutes.

1 p.m.

NDP

Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

I can't stress enough how disappointed I am to hear the minister and some officials use the term “illegal”. The truth of the matter is that people who cross over at irregular crossings are irregular crossers; it is not illegal. I want to say that very clearly. Just because the Conservative members are badgering the government on that doesn't mean that you should capitulate to that term. It is the wrong term and it is not appropriate.

I want to move on to a question with respect to the breakdown of government-assisted refugees and private sponsors for Yazidis. Can I get a breakdown from the minister on that? How many are GARs and how many are privately sponsored?

1 p.m.

Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Operations, Department of Citizenship and Immigration

Dawn Edlund

Of the 1,200 who have arrived to date, 1,120 are government supported and 80 are privately sponsored survivors of Daesh. We will have another 98 individuals arrive by the end of March assuming they take the flight that they've been booked on. That would be another 90 government-assisted refugees to bring us to a total of 1,210 government-supported by the end of March and another eight privately sponsored to bring it to a total of 88.

1 p.m.

NDP

Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC

Can I get a quick update from the minister with respect to travel loans for refugees? The former minister, his predecessor, said he would look at extending waiving of the travel loan for refugees who were not part of the Syrian refugee initiative.

Can the minister advise whether work is actually under way to waive the travel loan for the refugees who are not part of the Syrian refugee initiative?

1 p.m.

Liberal

Ahmed Hussen Liberal York South—Weston, ON

Thank you.

That's an important question.

I've heard concerns about this issue from time to time from different advocates. We have listened. In the past we used to ask refugees to—

1 p.m.

NDP

Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC

Sorry, Minister, I have only three minutes.

Can you advise the committee whether or not there is work under way to in fact waive the travel loan for refugees who are not part of the Syrian refugee initiative?

1:05 p.m.

Liberal

Ahmed Hussen Liberal York South—Weston, ON

We haven't waived the loans. I'm trying to share with you some of the measures we've put in place to make it easier for people to deal with the payment of that.

1:05 p.m.

NDP

Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC

Okay.

Maybe you can submit that in writing to the committee then, because I have only three minutes.

Is the government looking at waiving the loan for the refugees who are not part of the Syrian refugee initiative? I'd like a yes-or-no answer.

1:05 p.m.

Liberal

Ahmed Hussen Liberal York South—Weston, ON

We're not at this time.

What we've done is we've made it easier. We've put in place better payment options.

1:05 p.m.

NDP

Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC

Yes, but it is a problem.

People are now getting their money and having collection agencies going after them. I can't imagine the stress that family members are faced with as a result of that. Once again, I would urge the government and the minister to consider waiving the travel loan for refugees.

I'd like to get a quick update from the minister on the study of the crooked consultants. This has been reported on and the government has responded to it. Still, there is status quo.

What is the latest? Is work under way to actually ensure that there's change with respect to accountability for the immigration consulting industry?

1:05 p.m.

Liberal

Ahmed Hussen Liberal York South—Weston, ON

This is a very complex issue.

The government has to take the necessary time to carefully consider the various options that have been put forward by different stakeholders as well as by this committee and to conduct a comprehensive analysis of all of the recommendations in order to move forward. We are in that process right now and—

1:05 p.m.

NDP

Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC

When can we expect action from the government?

I know you've been studying it. We submitted this report some time ago now and we've had a debate in the House of Commons around this. We all agree that action needs to be taken. When can we expect action to be taken?

1:05 p.m.

Liberal

Ahmed Hussen Liberal York South—Weston, ON

The issue is not whether or not action needs to be taken; I completely agree with you on that. The issue is what kind of action. A number of scenarios and a number of recommendations have been given to us by different stakeholders and this committee. We have to make sure we take the time to get it right. This is a really complex issue. It's not—

1:05 p.m.

NDP

Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC

The committee made a very clear recommendation from that report to say that the immigrant consultant industry no longer gets to self-regulate. Is that an option?

1:05 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Rob Oliphant

I'm afraid I need to end that there.

Thank you, committee, and thank you, Minister and officials.

The officials will be staying with us for the next 55 minutes or so, but we do have to give a chance for the minister to leave and for me to grab some lunch while we're changing our players.

Thanks.

We'll just suspend for a few moments.

1:10 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Rob Oliphant

We're going to continue. We'll start our second round, beginning with Mr. Anandasangaree.

1:10 p.m.

Liberal

Gary Anandasangaree Liberal Scarborough—Rouge Park, ON

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

For the sake of clarity, I'd just like to get a sense of who on the panel would be an expert on IRPA.