Citizenship and Immigration Committee on Dec. 7th, 2020

[Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Liberal, Hochelaga, QC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I would like to thank all the IRCC officials who have joined us this evening and who are giving generously of their time to our committee.

Before I move to a few questions that I want to ask, I would like to go back to the issue of educational institutions. They had to establish measures to ensure the same level of service during the pandemic. As we now understand, the pandemic is not yet over. In 2021, those institutions will have to continue to apply measures in order to ensure that they are providing the same level of service.

Are you too going to continue to apply the same measures to support educational institutions, whether that be financial support or support for activities, so that they can continue to provide the same services in 2021? Are you currently working on any measures to support educational institutions during the pandemic?

[Marian Campbell Jarvis]

Thank you for the question.

We had to transform or adapt a considerable number of things because of the pandemic. We are currently studying the pros and cons in each case. We intend to keep everything that improved our processes, approaches, policies and activities.

Take the citizenship ceremonies as an example. They are now conducted virtually. I feel that is a very effective approach. Our clients' comments show that they prefer a virtual system. Personally, I was a little afraid that it might become impersonal. However, our clients like the efficiency of the system.

We are very interested in keeping all new measures that are effective and that improve services for our clients.

[Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Liberal, Hochelaga, QC]

If any department has experienced a lot of transformation and innovation, it is certainly IRCC. The pandemic required you to get out of what we might call a comfort zone and transform ways of doing things that had been the same for years. IRCC had to quickly change its processes and become innovative, with biometrics, for example. You have also extended the duration of permanent residencies and you have begun to conduct interviews and citizenship ceremonies virtually. Not to mention the entire issue of digitizing the files, which you have already begun.

In your view, which of those changes would be most important to keep in order to increase the effectiveness of immigration processes?

[Marian Campbell Jarvis]

Thank you for the question.

A number of changes have proved to be very effective. Our decision to keep any of those changes is made in terms of the advantages they represent for our clients.

I will ask my colleague Daniel Mills to add some examples to illustrate the way in which those transformations can help us to improve our activities.

[Daniel Mills]

Thank you.

Let me expand on one of the points my colleague has just mentioned by telling you about the citizenship test, which is now administered online. We launched it only about a week ago and the results are excellent. It will be more practical for people, because they will no longer need to appear in person to take the citizenship test. They will be able to do it wherever they are in Canada. They will also be able to do it at their own speed. I mean that they have a set time in which to do the exam—

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Sorry to interrupt, Mr. Mills, but your time is up.

With that, our panel comes to an end.

On behalf of all the members of this committee, I want to thank Ms. Jarvis, Mr. Mills and Mr. Valentine for appearing. I hope to receive the information that members have requested from you.

Thank you for all of the hard work you always do on behalf of all Canadians, especially during this very difficult year.

With today's news that soon we will have some vaccines on the shores of this great country, I hope and pray that the next year will be a better year for all of us.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays. Please pass this on to all of the officials at IRCC.

With this, we come to the end of this meeting.

The meeting is now adjourned.