Evidence of meeting #97 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 number.

A video is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Marta Morgan  Deputy Minister, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
Paul MacKinnon  Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic and Program Policy, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
Dawn Edlund  Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Operations, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
Harpreet Kochhar  Assistant Deputy Minister, Operations, Department of Citizenship and Immigration

February 15th, 2018 / 12:55 p.m.

Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic and Program Policy, Department of Citizenship and Immigration

Paul MacKinnon

You could argue that. It's challenging to know if that trend will continue or if it's a blip because the visa requirement was quickly lifted, and they were trying to get in while it's lifted.

12:55 p.m.

Conservative

Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB

Ms. Morgan, did your department provide any advice to the minister or any rationale against lifting the Romanian visa requirement?

12:55 p.m.

Deputy Minister, Department of Citizenship and Immigration

Marta Morgan

Advice and analysis is always done within our visa policy framework.

12:55 p.m.

Conservative

Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB

Were there any specific points that were raised with regard to potential issues in lifting the visa requirement on Romania?

12:55 p.m.

Deputy Minister, Department of Citizenship and Immigration

Marta Morgan

When we look at our visa policy and our visa framework, we have a whole range of issues that we look at for any country regarding their travel documents: the management of their own systems, our level of collaboration with them, and their governance. There are a whole range of factors that go into the decision-making regarding visas.

12:55 p.m.

Conservative

Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB

We've seen nearly 300 Romanians claim asylum in Canada in a one-month period.

Minister, have you undertaken any efforts with the Romanian embassy or government to put in place preventative measures to stop this trend from increasing?

12:55 p.m.

Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic and Program Policy, Department of Citizenship and Immigration

Paul MacKinnon

I can answer that. We've met with the ambassador here in Ottawa.

12:55 p.m.

Conservative

Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB

When?

12:55 p.m.

Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic and Program Policy, Department of Citizenship and Immigration

Paul MacKinnon

Approximately two and a half weeks ago.

12:55 p.m.

Conservative

Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB

Okay, and what measures are being put in place to reverse this trend?

12:55 p.m.

Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic and Program Policy, Department of Citizenship and Immigration

Paul MacKinnon

They're working very closely with us. They too, like us, want to see a sustainable visa lift with Romania.

12:55 p.m.

Conservative

Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB

Is there a number that you've set with them, in terms of how if we get to a certain point we will reinstate the visa?

12:55 p.m.

Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic and Program Policy, Department of Citizenship and Immigration

Paul MacKinnon

There is a threshold in place.

12:55 p.m.

Conservative

Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB

Which is...?

12:55 p.m.

Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic and Program Policy, Department of Citizenship and Immigration

Paul MacKinnon

That's not a public figure. Out of respect for the relationship with Romania, we've agreed that we would not share that figure, so that's not a public figure.

12:55 p.m.

Conservative

Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB

Is that within a calendar-year period?

12:55 p.m.

Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic and Program Policy, Department of Citizenship and Immigration

Paul MacKinnon

It's within a 12-month period.

12:55 p.m.

Conservative

Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB

Okay. Why would you not share that with this committee?

12:55 p.m.

Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic and Program Policy, Department of Citizenship and Immigration

Paul MacKinnon

As I said—

12:55 p.m.

Conservative

Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB

Minister, what is the number that you've set as an acceptable threshold for Romanian asylum claims? Was that included in the negotiating terms for CETA?

12:55 p.m.

Deputy Minister, Department of Citizenship and Immigration

Marta Morgan

We look at a range of issues in terms of our visa policy, which includes numbers, but which also includes other factors.

12:55 p.m.

Conservative

Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB

Thank you, Ms. Morgan.

To the minister, what is that threshold and was it included as a bargaining chip with CETA?

12:55 p.m.

Liberal

Ahmed Hussen Liberal York South—Weston, ON

When we make any decisions on visa lifts or visa reimpositions, there are a number of factors that have to be considered. Our visa policy framework is comprehensive. It's not just based on asylum claims, even though—

12:55 p.m.

Conservative

Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB

Mr. MacKinnon has said that there is a threshold.

12:55 p.m.

Liberal

Ahmed Hussen Liberal York South—Weston, ON

—that is one of the categories. It looks at that. It looks at immigration violations. It looks at document integrity and so on.