Evidence of meeting #78 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 services.
A video is available from Parliament.
Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Operations, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
We would have to dig in further to say for that particular line of recommendations, the 80-some in the last few years, how many actually ended up in refusals or in admissions.
Liberal
Gary Anandasangaree Liberal Scarborough—Rouge Park, ON
For us, it would be very helpful to have that kind of information, because that's what we are trying to determine. Would you be able to provide how many of the 84 went through the fairness process and were admitted to Canada?
Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Operations, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
Yes.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Rob Oliphant
I need to cut you off there. I'm sorry.
Ms. Rempel and Mr. Saroya are sharing.
Conservative
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
Thank you.
My understanding is that there are actually two prongs to the component of excessive demand. There is the cost calculation that we've been talking about, and then there is the component around increases in wait times. Is that correct?
Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Operations, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
Yes.
Conservative
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
Just to clarify, can somebody be deemed inadmissible on either of those two components, or is it combined?
Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Operations, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
It's either of those two.
Conservative
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
We've spent a lot of time talking about the first component today. Could you provide the committee with a breakdown of how many people, over the last five years, let's say, have been deemed inadmissible on the first category, as opposed to the second category?
Director General, Migration Health Branch, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
I would say they are often combined, whereas they are separate in the act. Often, cases actually meet the threshold and have a bearing on the wait time. We do what we can to apply that.
Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Operations, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
You may have someone with chronic renal insufficiency, for example, who is going to require a transplant in the not-too-distant future, which would then have an impact on wait-lists.
It can be either/or, but it can be both.
Director General, Migration Health Branch, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
It's often combined.
Conservative
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
Could you elaborate briefly on how you would determine the wait time component? What criteria are you using to evaluate that particular prong?
Director, Centralized Medical Admissibility Unit, Migration Health Branch, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
The wait times are published by the provinces. They are available publicly. If we look at the wait times, we see that those are mainly for surgical operations or transplants and those kinds of cases. We look at the data available from the provinces.
Conservative
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
Okay.
What about mental health services and those sorts of things? Would that be considered as well, or is it typically just for surgical?
Director, Centralized Medical Admissibility Unit, Migration Health Branch, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
It is typically for the surgical procedures.
Conservative
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
Would mental health services or care for complex or chronic conditions be included in that?
Director, Centralized Medical Admissibility Unit, Migration Health Branch, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
With those services, usually one can pay for them and defray the cost, so the wait time for them is not a greater issue than it is for the surgical cases.
Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Operations, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
The definition in the regulations about the wait times is related to whether they “would increase the rate of mortality and morbidity in Canada”. It's not just any wait-list. It's more specific than that.
Conservative
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
It would be acute or emergent sorts of diagnoses, then.
Director, Centralized Medical Admissibility Unit, Migration Health Branch, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
That's correct.
Conservative
Conservative
Bob Saroya Conservative Markham—Unionville, ON
Thank you.
Mr. Saeed—or anyone—we know how many cases got rejected: 930 in 2014, 713 in 2015, and 1,101 in 2016.
There must be some sort of threshold where we say, “This is on the borderline. This is not too bad. This is good. This would be good to let go. This is the final.... We're not going to allow these people to come into the country.”
With regard to these numbers, how many people were admitted to the country? Do we have some sort of numbers?
Director General, Migration Health Branch, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
No. We've undertaken to come back with those numbers. These numbers represent the medical recommendation and not the final visa decision. We will actually come back with those numbers.
Conservative
Bob Saroya Conservative Markham—Unionville, ON
Mr. Saeed, when a panel recommends somebody as inadmissible, how often does the visa officer say, “Hmm, that's not too bad. I'm going to let this person go”? Is there any chance that the visa officer can reject the case from the medical officer and allow these people to come into the country?