Evidence of meeting #157 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 consultants.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Louis-René Gagnon  As an Individual
Dory Jade  Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants
Gerd Damitz  Member, Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants
Andrew Roman  Retired Lawyer, As an Individual
Alli Amlani  President, Inter-Connections Canada Inc., As an Individual
David LeBlanc  Managing Director, Senior Immigration Consultant, Ferreira-Wells Immigrations Services Inc., As an Individual
Ryan Dean  As an Individual
Ravi Jain  Lawyer, Green and Spiegel LLP, As an Individual
Lisa Trabucco  Assistant Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Windsor, As an Individual

11:55 a.m.

Lawyer, Green and Spiegel LLP, As an Individual

Ravi Jain

Again, if I can speak to that, we're sort of flailing here. The direct answer, of course, is that there's the Competition Act, and I don't think that legislating fees is the answer. I know that the Liberal government in particular talked a lot about making evidence-based decisions, and I think that's an important way to proceed.

I guess my question to you is where the evidence is. Again, immigration lawyers don't operate in fancy law firms with million-dollar works of art hanging on the walls. They're generally sole practitioners. They're generally making six figures or just under, so I ask you, where's the evidence—

11:55 a.m.

Liberal

Ramez Ayoub Liberal Thérèse-De Blainville, QC

Is that a problem?

11:55 a.m.

Lawyer, Green and Spiegel LLP, As an Individual

Ravi Jain

Where's the evidence that they're not—

11:55 a.m.

Liberal

Ramez Ayoub Liberal Thérèse-De Blainville, QC

—making six figures?

11:55 a.m.

Lawyer, Green and Spiegel LLP, As an Individual

Ravi Jain

I'm talking about $80,000 or $90,000, depending on the practice. It's not an ultra-lucrative area of law. These are people who are going into it from a humanitarian impulse. I don't think there's any evidence that the fees are high.

11:55 a.m.

Liberal

Ramez Ayoub Liberal Thérèse-De Blainville, QC

Let me stop you there.

Madam Chair, I would like to move the following motion in the time I have:

That, keeping with the spirit of 106(2), the Committee hereby appoints Nick Whalen, as Acting Chair, who shall be vested with all the powers and authority of the Chair; this appointment shall expire on Friday, May 10, 2019; this appointment may be extended by the Committee by resolution; and the Clerk of the Committee shall advise the Clerk of the House of this resolution.

11:55 a.m.

Conservative

The Vice-Chair Conservative Michelle Rempel

Thank you for providing the name, rather than saying “insert here”. This is helpful.

11:55 a.m.

An hon. member

He's a lawyer.

11:55 a.m.

Conservative

David Tilson Conservative Dufferin—Caledon, ON

Thank you.

I am a patent agent. So I know—

11:55 a.m.

Conservative

The Vice-Chair Conservative Michelle Rempel

That motion is in order, Mr. Ayoub, because that is business that is of import and in front of the committee right now, given our previous chair's elevation. I think that there has been discussion among the parties on this. So if there is not any debate, we can proceed to a vote on that.

(Motion agreed to)

And it was unanimous. Mr. Whelan, I invite you to take the chair. Thank you.

11:55 a.m.

Some hon. members

Hear, hear!

11:55 a.m.

Liberal

The Acting Chair Liberal Nick Whalen

I'd like to thank the witnesses for joining us today.

The clock is now at noon.

The meeting is adjourned.