Citizenship and Immigration Committee on March 10th, 2016

[Catrina Tapley]

If I may repeat something the minister said earlier, under the settlement formula there's a three-year average we use to allocate those funds. We look at where we're spending the monies. We have about a $580-million base budget. We break it down by province in terms of where we're spending that money and how we're tracking where immigrants are settling.

The point he made earlier was we do overweight in the formula for refugees in terms of understanding their settlement needs, which can sometimes be heavier. The factor is about 2.5 compared to others in terms of overweighting in the formula for the needs of refugees.

On top of that there are additional monies specifically targeted to Syria for the settlement needs of Syrian refugees who are coming in. As the deputy just said, for that population we're looking at where Syrian refugees have settled, so it moves outside of the settlement funding formula a bit. It's still the same idea, but it's where those Syrian refugees have settled across Canada. That's how those funds are being allocated.

[Randeep Sarai, Liberal, Surrey Centre, BC]

On that same line, there was an RFP that was done for almost all the settlement agencies last year. I think they were expecting a response in January, and I believe the minister asked that it be pushed forward. When can we anticipate the funding allocations for those RFPs for those settlement agencies, including those doing LINC programs and others? This year?

[Anita Biguzs]

Mr. Chair, we would anticipate that we would actually have new arrangements in place for April 2017.

Our agreements were expiring at the end of this fiscal year and, because of the timing of the election, the decision was made to extend the current arrangements. This is actually taking place. We're of course augmenting the funding in relation to the Syrian initiative, but certainly our intention is to work on the RFP and ensure that we have new arrangements in place for 2017.

[Randeep Sarai, Liberal, Surrey Centre, BC]

So the timeline is not defined yet as to when that would be decided?

[Anita Biguzs]

Well, it certainly would be over the course of the year, in the summer, I would expect. We know that we've received many submissions, so we have to analyze and assess the submissions based on the criteria indicated in the RFP, then have decisions and determinations made, and then of course negotiate contribution agreements. We know that the contribution agreement negotiations usually require a number of months.

I would expect that certainly probably by early fall, if not sooner, we would be in a position of having some clarity around how we will move forward with 2017 contribution agreements.

[The Chair, Liberal, Borys Wrzesnewskyj]

Thank you.

Mr. Arnold, you have seven minutes.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC]

I want to express my gratitude for the opportunity to be here and also to recognize the staff for the work you've been through. I'm sure your offices have been extremely taxed over the last few months in processing the number of refugees.

I have three questions that I'd like to pose. I'd like to go through all three of them first to make sure they're on the record, and then go back to them in order of priority, if I may.

What additional funds were set aside to offset any additional delays in processing the spousal sponsorship applications related to the recent transfer of 220 employees to processing Syrian refugee applications?

Number two, the minister mentioned earlier that $20 million is being transferred to the International Organization for Migration for overseas processing. Is that $20 million less for Canadian employees or contractors who will be going offshore, and what will be the downstream economic impact of that?

Third, in 2016 the immigration levels will be cut, so we'll be cutting 24,300 spots from the overall economic immigration stream. What is the predicted overall economic impact of this on the 2016 budget and future budgets?

I'll go back to the first question. What additional funds were set aside for the spousal sponsorship applications with that transfer of 220 employees?

[Anita Biguzs]

Mr. Chair, perhaps I can reiterate a few of the comments made by the minister.

In terms of our processing of spouses' applications, in fact, for 2015 we actually exceeded the number of admissions that we had indicated in the plan. The plan had given a range of 45,000 to 48,000, with a target of 48,000. In fact, we admitted over 49,700 spouses, almost 50,000, so I think that may provide an indication that we did not pull back in terms of the processing of spouses' applications.

These supplementary estimates do include additional funding for processing capacity. That's internal funding, I might say, in terms of funds that we had actually reprofiled from the previous year to put into spouses' applications processing. Certainly, the levels planned for 2016 include a rather significant increase in spouses' applications, so we feel that we should be in a position to make quite an impact in terms of the processing times for spouses.

In terms of the International Organization for Migration, in many respects, actually, the $20-million transfer allowed us to achieve very effective efficiencies. The International Organization for Migration is a very long-standing international organization that many countries use. We use the IOM—and have used it for decades—in terms of providing services. They have great expertise and experience. In fact, they were able to help with and facilitate a lot of the workload that we were dealing with in the Middle East in terms of helping to convoke a lot of administrative work, such as: calling people for interviews; helping us stand up a processing centre; filling out forms; providing interpretation services; arranging transportation for interviews; and expediting orientation services. Some of these services, such as the orientation services, the IOM does provide on our behalf generally.

In that sense, I think we felt that we had a long-standing organization with great expertise. We would have had to hire staff, which is a very long process, for a one-time, short-term initiative. In that sense, we felt that it was very beneficial. IOM also provides services in Canada and does employ Canadian employees, not just in Canada but also abroad, so in that sense, it's not displacing employment.

On your final point in terms of immigration levels, I think what the government has announced in terms of the 2016 levels plan is that this is a one-time adjustment, if I can put it that way, and that overall, the other categories, whether that's spouses or others, are also contributors to the Canadian economy. As well, certainly, refugees will have a role to play in Canada's economy. The levels themselves are among the highest levels we've ever had in terms of going up to a range of 305,000. Looking at all of that, I think it's still certainly a very significant number.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC]

If I can just come back to that, is there a predicted overall economic impact by reducing 24,300 from the economic immigration stream? You can bring that answer back to the committee at a later time, if you'd like.

[Anita Biguzs]

We're happy to respond.

Ms. Tapley.

[Catrina Tapley]

I'll start with the numbers themselves.

Compared to the 2015 plan, we see a reduction on the economic side of 20,700. Those are the numbers I have, Mr. Chair.

We haven't done any particular studies on what the economic impact of that might be. I would note for the numbers on the economic side, in terms of the last five or six years and in terms of average, that in real numbers this is still the average between 2008 and 2014, let's say, of what we've brought in under the economic category in our levels plan. In real terms, the real numbers that are there continue to meet that average.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC]

There have also been cuts to the number of skilled workers coming in. How will these cuts affect the number of health care workers coming in and what will be the overall impact on our health care system? Those skilled workers were coming in and augmenting our health care system.

[Catrina Tapley]

There's no specific target by occupation category in terms of health care workers who would come in, so that would be difficult for us to say in terms of specific occupational groups.

[The Chair, Liberal, Borys Wrzesnewskyj]

Thank you—

[Anita Biguzs]

If I could just add that under the provincial nominee program, and you'll see the program is staying at a constant level, provinces have the ability to access their own provincial nominee programs to bring in health care workers as well.

[The Chair, Liberal, Borys Wrzesnewskyj]

Thank you.

Ms. Kwan, seven minutes.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair, and thank you to the officials.

I'm interested in getting some baseline information in terms of the department staff and all the different programs within it. Can we get information on the FTEs allocated for each of the departments, the programs in which they're involved, and the funding allocation from your global budget broken down by those departments? Can we have year-to-year comparisons, going back the last 10 years, so we have a baseline to compare it with?

[Anita Biguzs]

Mr. Chair, we'd be happy to get back to the member with that information. I know that our report on priorities and plans does include a breakdown of our expenditures and overall FTEs. In terms of being able to do the backward comparison, and giving you that compared to our other numbers that have been provided in our departmental performance reports, we can certainly get back to you and give you some of those numbers.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Thank you.

In terms of the calculation for funding for settlement services, because the data is collected from three years back to make that determination going forward, how much would it be? The situation is changing swiftly, especially with the new arrivals, the 25,000 Syrian refugees and so on. One would assume the data would be skewed to the negative and impact the new arrivals' access to services. If you calculate three years back, those numbers will reflect a reduction in terms of arrivals.

I'm wondering if that's been taken into consideration because I think that's important.

[Anita Biguzs]

If I can clarify, Mr. Chair, in terms of the settlement services funding that is being provided under the Syria initiative, we aren't looking back at a three-year average. What we are looking at are the refugees who have come to Canada and their destinations. We've allocated the resources based on their areas of destination and their communities of destination.

The base of settlement services funding, in terms of what we normally allocate across provinces, is based on a three-year average formula that takes into account the number of immigrants coming to that particular province, or to that region. The number of refugees, as has been indicated, recognizes the fact that the needs oftentimes are much higher for refugees. The Syrian initiative in particular is based on the numbers in terms of where we're sending the Syrian refugees. In that sense it is already compensating for that factor.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

In terms of access to language training and resettlement programming, can we get information on what the wait-list is with the service agencies that provide for those services across the country and the information of each agency that has a wait-list?

[Anita Biguzs]

Maybe I'll turn to Ms. Edlund to respond to that question.

[Dawn Edlund]

Yes, we can provide that information. We've been working very closely, particularly in our western region, to assure that we're addressing the wait-list situation—there is one in particular in the Lower Mainland of B.C.—and pushing funding to address those wait-list situations and making sure we can have space for that. I don't have the specific numbers with me today, but we do have knowledge of where wait-lists are. We're pushing funding toward that to address those wait-lists.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Thank you. I would like to get the wait-lists and the funding allocation, and where they're at. If there's an injection of dollars going to those organizations to offset the wait-lists, it would be good to know how much. With the anticipation of that money, by how much would the wait-lists be reduced?

In terms of calculations, because the calculations are based on the date of landing and the destination, is there any consideration given to the notion of intermigration? That is to say, somebody comes and they are in New Brunswick, and later on they move to Vancouver. Is there any tracking of this information. Do we have a full understanding of the impact of the demands on settlement services on that basis, and the funding that will flow the following year?

[Anita Biguzs]

I'll ask Ms. Tapley to answer in greater detail. Our experience, which I think she would speak to, is that, for the most part, we haven't seen a lot of migration within the first one or two years.

It may be the case that, with a longer period of time in Canada, you actually may see some movement. Some of it may reflect where labour market opportunities are.

I think our experience has more or less indicated that when refugees, in particular, initially arrive, they usually stay in their appointed destination, from the point of view of both their accommodation and the settlement services they are receiving in that particular community.

I'll ask Ms. Tapley to explain that further.