Thank you, Madam Chair.
It is very useful to examine family reunification and spousal sponsorships. However, the study should not include the exploration of [Inaudible--Editor], but rather the family reunification scheme as a whole.
With regard to family reunification and COVID-19, the government has made progress with respect to amending visa [Inaudible—Editor] and seeks to keep families together. Recently, we introduced a process for extended family, committed couples and compassionate cases to reunite.
We have also sped up our process for spousal applications, and we will make almost 49,000 decisions by the end of the year.
The parents and grandparents program that was announced will accept 40,000 applications this year and the next.
Therefore, I propose an amendment to paragraph one of the motion: That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the committee undertake a study on family reunification and that during the study the committee pay attention to the grand operational landscape, including sponsorship application process times; that the committee examines ways in which to improve the application process and explore options to increase efficiency and accessibility for families; and that the committee report its findings and recommendations to the House.