Citizenship and Immigration Committee on Oct. 25th, 2018

[Pouyan Tabasinejad]

The problem we've identified is that Iranians have a much higher chance than anyone else of being sent for comprehensive security examinations. Again, we don't have exact reasons as to why this is happening, but that is the root cause as far as we've identified it. That's what I would say needs to be looked at.

We need to look at why these individuals are being tagged and we need to have greater transparency in the process, both for organizations like us from the outside looking in but also for the applicants themselves. This information as to why they are being sent towards comprehensive security screening needs to be given to them, if that is indeed happening, rather than just telling them that it's pending.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

On this issue, I think that the committee would benefit quite a lot if we could receive a submission from you outlining the current situations and giving examples of the situations and the challenges people are faced with, and then of course providing recommendations in going forward.

I truly hope that we can find a way forward for the government to address these issues, because having the Iranian applications stuck in the system like that is truly our loss. It's Canada's loss, because the talent pool among the applicants is astounding. The vast majority of them have Ph.D.s and double graduate degrees. They're smarter than all of us put together and then some, and that's just one applicant. I think it is really important that we're trying to figure this out. If you have any recommendations specifically on what the government can do to address that situation, we would appreciate it.

[The Chair, Liberal, Rob Oliphant]

Be very, very quick.

[Pouyan Tabasinejad]

Unfortunately, I want to apologize that we weren't able to give any submission. It's because we were told about this only late Wednesday evening. That didn't give us enough time to prepare and then submit in time for translation. We can definitely do that.

Again, I outlined five recommendations in my presentation. I'll also provide those in writing, and then we can also come up with a long recommendation. Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Rob Oliphant]

Thank you.

Mr. Whalen is next.

[Nick Whalen, Liberal, St. John's East, NL]

Thank you, Mr. Chair,

Thank you, Ms. Hooper. I'm not going to focus my questions on the Iranian delegation or the folks for the conference.

Of course, most Canadians know that diplomatic relationships with Iran broke down in 2003 after the state-sanctioned murder of Ms. Kazemi, the photojournalist, and then of course Canada recalled its own ambassador permanently in 2012.

Are members of the Iranian community, the immigrant population in Canada, having other difficulties due to the lack of an embassy in Tehran?

I direct that question to you, Mr. Tabasinejad.

[Pouyan Tabasinejad]

What was the question?

[Nick Whalen, Liberal, St. John's East, NL]

What other problems is your community facing as a result of the lack of an embassy in Iran?

[Pouyan Tabasinejad]

I actually see part of the delayed applicants issue as being related to this, because we don't have an embassy in Iran, especially for outland applicants. We don't have visa applications in Iran either, and this is something that we actually made into a petition that was sponsored by MP Kwan.

This is one way that it's likely affecting us, but it affects us in multiple ways. We have no access. The Iranian community, unlike pretty much all immigrant communities, in Canada has no access to consular services. If tomorrow I wanted to renew my Iranian passport, I wouldn't be able to do that in Canada. I would have to go through a lengthy and costly process and go through the United States.

[Nick Whalen, Liberal, St. John's East, NL]

Would you agree, then, that it's this lack of formal diplomatic ties between the countries that the problem really stems from, and not any human rights abuse being committed by Canada?

[Pouyan Tabasinejad]

I would say that they're not necessarily mutually exclusive and that our lack of relations has perhaps exacerbated this problem. Really the onus right now, even putting the issue of diplomatic relations aside, which also definitely needs to be solved, is that's very urgent. Our organization is very clear that we support diplomatic relations, but the issue right now that's very urgent is figuring out what's happening. Why are these individuals being tagged? If it is related to lack of diplomatic ties, that needs to be addressed, but really this just needs to be tagged because I believe that it's a violation of the charter and of Canadian values.

[Nick Whalen, Liberal, St. John's East, NL]

I hear that position, but I think you also made some arguments against that in your previous statement. In the statement that was made by Minister Hussen on October 17—and obviously there was a lot of other news on October 17 besides this particular statement by the minister—he provided some additional details. Are you aware of the statement about the wait times?

[Pouyan Tabasinejad]

Yes, we are.

[Nick Whalen, Liberal, St. John's East, NL]

Is it reasonable? Have they done well in reducing wait times by 20 months between 2015, where they hit their peak under the previous government, when they were an extra 32 months, down to now just an extra 10 months? It seems to me that they're really clearing the backlog.

[Pouyan Tabasinejad]

First, I wouldn't characterize it necessarily as a backlog. What's happening is that the vast majority of Iranian applicants are actually being sent into another stream. They clear everything else through IRCC and they're being sent into the comprehensive security screening processes.

That said, yes, we do appreciate it. I mentioned in my presentation that we do appreciate that the delays have been reduced, but even in Minister Hussen's statement, he mentioned that we're still about ten and a half months over, and that's still an issue.

Our view of this—and it's difficult to say—is that the comprehensive security screening is actually being done faster but that Iranians are still being sent into comprehensive security screening at a rate far higher than the rate for anyone else.

[Nick Whalen, Liberal, St. John's East, NL]

I appreciate that. Just as Mr. Waugh and Mr. Saroya have mentioned, we all have Iranians in our ridings who are trying to become Canadian. They provide great service and they have great talents. They are excellent at the universities and we want their skills being put to work in the country, but there are also other communities. With respect to Turkish and other potential immigrants to Canada from the Middle East region, do you work at all with those other groups? Are they experiencing delays similar to those that Iranians are facing?

[The Chair, Liberal, Rob Oliphant]

Please be very brief.

[Pouyan Tabasinejad]

From what I understand, the Iranians are singular in this issue. We're the only ones facing this issue at this scale. Again what I would recommend for the committee to do is to really ask and demand information about why this is happening. We need more information about why. We need transparency into why Iranians are being sent into comprehensive security screening.

[Nick Whalen, Liberal, St. John's East, NL]

Thank you.

Mr. Chair, I would suggest we also get the information, then, on delays associated with Turkish, Syrian, Iraqi and other areas in the Middle East, because I have—

[The Chair, Liberal, Rob Oliphant]

And maybe Pakistani.

[Nick Whalen, Liberal, St. John's East, NL]

Yes, just to see; because I think it's really an issue about where there's conflict in the world. It's not that Iranians are being singled out; it's just that Iranians love to come to Canada. We want them to come to Canada.

Thank you very much.

[The Chair, Liberal, Rob Oliphant]

I'll just put it on the record that we'll be requesting from IRCC a comparative analysis of that, just to double-check. We will commit to the witnesses to try to understand that better.

Thank you very much, not only for today but for your work generally. We're always impressed with the quality of civil society work on these issues.

Thanks, everybody.

The meeting is adjourned.