Evidence of meeting #72 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 irb.
A recording is available from Parliament.
9:15 a.m.
Deputy Chairperson, Refugee Protection Division, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
Oh, that was 1,000. Now we're at about 1,400 per month.
I'm not sure what date you're asking me about regarding new funding—
9:15 a.m.
NDP
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
That would be since the last time the IRB was before this committee, which would have been less than a year ago.
9:15 a.m.
Deputy Chairperson, Refugee Protection Division, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
There has been no new funding from a year ago.
9:15 a.m.
NDP
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
There is no new funding, so in terms of the processing, you are now adding 1,600 per month—
9:15 a.m.
Deputy Chairperson, Refugee Protection Division, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
It's 1,400.
9:15 a.m.
NDP
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
Sorry, it's 1,400 per month in the backlog, and no new funding has been provided.
In terms of “internal efficiencies”—that was the operative word from the minister, that this all can be handled with internal efficiencies—can you tell us if you can handle this situation with internal efficiencies?
9:15 a.m.
Deputy Chairperson, Refugee Protection Division, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
Internal efficiencies will actually help somewhat.
We are looking, as I said, at different triage methods for the way we can schedule better and more effectively. We are looking at digital tools for supporting our members. We are looking at various efficiencies. We don't know how much that will add.
There will still be a gap between what we can process and the number of cases that are put before us.
9:15 a.m.
Deputy Chairperson, Refugee Protection Division, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
I really can't project, but it is a significant gap.
We are, as I mentioned earlier, focusing on what kinds of resources we would need in order to close that gap, with various scenarios.
9:15 a.m.
NDP
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
Has the IRB communicated this to the minister, about the gap and the need for additional resources?
9:15 a.m.
Deputy Chairperson, Refugee Protection Division, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
We are in frequent communication with our partners in the department, and yes, we're all in this together.
9:15 a.m.
NDP
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
To date there have been no additional resources provided to the IRB, even though the minister knows there are an additional 13,000 cases being added per month in the backlog.
9:15 a.m.
Deputy Chairperson, Refugee Protection Division, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
Would you like to take that?
October 3rd, 2017 / 9:15 a.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic and Program Policy, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
I might just add just a reference, and I'm sure you're aware of this, Mr. Chair and members.
There is an independent review of the IRB going on right now. Our minister was asked to do that review, so that comes in—
9:15 a.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic and Program Policy, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
—and is very much a key part of this process.
9:15 a.m.
NDP
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
Thank you for that.
I'm aware of that, but we have come from a place where an additional 1,000 cases are still being added to the backlog, and now it has moved to 13,000.
I get it that there is a review, but there needs to be action. That's what we want to see. If there is no action with respect to that, we are jeopardizing the integrity of our system. That is what I'm mostly worried about. That is not good for Canada. It's not good for anybody.
The minister, when he was at this table—he comes very rarely—that one time, I think he did acknowledge that additional resources needed to be available for the IRB, but we have not seen any.
With that, I want to turn to IRCC. With the existing resources that were reallocated, the 120 staff, within the IRCC to deal with the situation, can you provide the exact breakdown of how many staff were reallocated and from where?
9:15 a.m.
Director General, Operations Sector, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
Thank you, Chair. I can, in fact.
At our Complexe Guy-Favreau—that's our mobile temporary processing facility—we have a total of 87 staff, and 49 of those are administrative people, 33 are decision-makers, and there are five supervisors. Clearly, we have extended hours there.
When we renovated our existing second floor office on Peel Street—
9:15 a.m.
NDP
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
I'm sorry, maybe I miscommunicated my question. What I'm asking about is the staff who were taken from existing departments. Where did they come from? What's the breakdown of that?
9:15 a.m.
Director General, Operations Sector, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
We did not take staff from any other departments outside IRCC.
9:15 a.m.
NDP
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
No, within IRCC, different departments, they came from what streams? Last time when IRCC was before this committee it was mentioned that citizenship, for example, and other immigration streams.... Can you break down for me exactly where and how many?
9:15 a.m.
Director General, Operations Sector, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
I can't break that down exactly, though I will say this. We took staff largely from our Montreal, Quebec, operations to surge up Guy-Favreau and Peel Street. But we also took certain decision-makers who had a lot of experience from our western and Ontario offices.
9:15 a.m.
NDP
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
Can you provide for the committee that breakdown please, where the staff came from within IRCC, and how many?
9:20 a.m.
Director General, Operations Sector, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
Yes, we can.
9:20 a.m.
NDP
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
Thank you. Can you tell me at this moment if any of the staff came from the processing of live-in caregivers?