Citizenship and Immigration Committee on June 2nd, 2021

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

I saw you joining in, so I thought it had changed.

Mr. Perron, welcome to the committee. You can proceed.

[Yves Perron, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

I thank the members of the committee for welcoming me. I also thank the minister for his presence and the officials for their availability.

I usually sit on the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food, but I am still familiar with the foreign workers file. There are problems with the temporary foreign workers program.

Minister, I'd like to talk to you about the processing of work permits for sectors deemed nonessential by the federal government. This has been completely frozen in time since the beginning of the pandemic.

Contractors are contacting us all week long, and the cases are multiplying in every riding in Quebec. Even some contractors who are not in our ridings are contacting us to tell us that they are losing contracts and have to pay huge penalties because of delays, and to explain to us that the Labour Market Impact Assessments, the LMIAs, for which they paid are useless because they do not result in the issuance of a work permit.

What can you say to these people today? How is the situation progressing?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Eglinton—Lawrence, ON]

Madam Chair, my message is very simple. Temporary foreign workers are essential to our businesses, our farms and our health care facilities. That is why we have facilitated the arrival of essential temporary foreign workers throughout the pandemic.

In fact, last year we welcomed more than 85% of the planned agricultural workers and, this year, we will welcome even more. As far as processing times are concerned, we have made a lot of progress. The current processing time for a work permit is just over 60 days. This means that we are on track to meet our goal. We will continue to work with the Government of Quebec to ensure that it gets all the foreign workers it needs...

[Yves Perron, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

I am sorry to interrupt you, Minister, but time is running out.

You are talking about the agricultural sector, and we know that special efforts have been made in that area. However, I am also talking about sectors that the federal government sometimes does not consider essential, but that Quebec does. I am talking about people who have contracts with the Quebec Department of Transport, people who manufacture essential equipment for Quebec hospitals in sewing factories. I am thinking in particular of Textiles Patlin, in Saint-Paulin, in my riding, which makes curtains for hospitals and cannot the workers it needs. What do we say to these companies that have sometimes paid LMIAs for nothing?

Will there be compensation for the costs of LMIAs that do not result in the issuance of work permits?

These employers don't want compensation, they want employees. We really need to speed up the processing of claims.

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Eglinton—Lawrence, ON]

Madam Chair, as I said, we are working closely with the Government of Quebec.

I speak almost weekly with my counterpart, Minister Girault, not only to discuss the immigration file and temporary foreign workers, but also to enable her to welcome permanent skilled workers.

[Yves Perron, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

I have a concrete proposal, Minister. Have you considered the possibility of collecting biometric data on arrival in the country?

This is something very concrete that could speed up processing.

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Eglinton—Lawrence, ON]

Madam Chair, we have introduced flexibility into our policies, not only in terms of biometrics, but also in terms of other documents that we need to expedite the process. This is one of the concrete examples of collaboration between our government and the Government of Quebec.

[Yves Perron, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

So your answer tells us that you are open to assessing the situation. Are you also open to allowing people to work without a work permit, as we have done exceptionally in the agri-food sector, but this time in other sectors?

I take as an example the companies that build infrastructure. I am thinking of a local company that has had problem—Coffrages Synergy, in Lavaltrie. These people build bridges, which is still significant. Are you open to that as well?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Eglinton—Lawrence, ON]

Madam Chair, we are listening to Quebec businesses, and what they are asking for is more immigration, not just temporary, but permanent. That's what they're asking from Mr. Legault's government.

As for us, we are always ready to provide Quebec with all the economic immigrants it needs.

[Yves Perron, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

All right. Let's talk about permanent immigration. You bring me to my next point.

In your introduction, you talked about 90,000 permanent residences and you said that resources were allocated to that end. But according to the information we have, the resources that were put there were taken from elsewhere, from Immigration, when there is already not enough to go around.

Everyone agrees that the processing of permanent residences should be accelerated. In this crisis, we need economic recovery. You mentioned in your statement that immigration is crucial for economic recovery. That is what our businesses are telling us as well.

Wouldn't it be necessary to reallocate resources? If not, do you plan to hire massively but urgently?

People would like to have dates or a specific program. They would like you to tell them that you are doing it and that you are going to come up with—

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

You have 30 seconds.

[Yves Perron, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

—a given number of extra employees in their thousands to speed up—

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Eglinton—Lawrence, ON]

Madam Chair, for our part, we know that immigration creates jobs and long-term prosperity. That's why our plan exists and why we continue to make investments in immigration. That is also why I will continue to work closely with the Government of Quebec.

[Yves Perron, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Are you planning on hiring, Minister?

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Your time is up, Mr. Perron.

[Yves Perron, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Thank you.

We will now proceed to Ms. Kwan.

Ms. Kwan, you will have six minutes for your round of questioning.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Minister, for coming to our committee once again.

Time is of the essence for the people of Hong Kong. The exit ban on the people of Hong Kong will now come into effect on August 1, 2021. While the minister has said that new immigration measures would be announced in November of this year, I'm afraid that they may come too late.

When will the minister announce the new measures and will they include humanitarian measures for Hong Kongers outside of Canada before August 1, 2021?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Eglinton—Lawrence, ON]

Madam Chair, I appreciate my colleague's question, as well as her knowledge of and experience with this file. I share her concern around the developments in Hong Kong.

As we all know, we are monitoring the situation very closely, but I will say that I am encouraged by the early returns on the creation of this pathway. The fact that we have already 3,600 applications in our system does I believe demonstrate and speak to the opportunity that we are hoping to appeal to young Hong Kongers. I certainly am prepared to continue collaborating with her and all members of this committee to determine whether or not we can see that pathway come to greater fruition going forward.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Well, I was asking the minister about new measures. I understand that there are measures for young graduates, but there are many people who do not qualify under those measures the minister has announced. We heard that from witnesses. Committee members heard from many people who urged further action. To that end, humanitarian measures for people outside of Hong Kong are absolutely essential, as is opening up family reunification streams for extended families to be sponsored here to come to Canada.

Is the minister considering any of those measures? He said that he was going to announce something new in November. Is he still planning on announcing something new in November?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Eglinton—Lawrence, ON]

Madam Chair, that is indeed our intent. As I have I think explained to the committee before, with regard to immigration from Hong Kong, we have seen significant increases in existing pathways, particularly with regard to students as well as family reunification. That, despite the pandemic, demonstrates how important it is that we maintain the people-to-people ties between Canada and the people of Hong Kong, despite the very challenging and complex backdrop.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

I know that the minister didn't answer my questions, and they were very specific questions. The reunification streams the minister talks about exclude extended families, so this is critical. I'd love to actually have a further conversation with the minister on this.

I'll have my office set up a time with you with respect to that. I'm going to move onto another area.

I raised this with the officials at our last meeting, and they were not able to confirm it. Can the minister advise if bridging work permits will now be provided to applicants under the new TFW pathway?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Eglinton—Lawrence, ON]

Well, Madam Chair, the Hong Kong pathway does allow for those to come to Canada who qualify under the criteria through an open work permit. That is going to be an unprecedented means and vehicle by which we welcome those who have already applied, as well as others. In effect, the open work permit is a bridge.

Now, I have said before that we will reassess where we are at with the program once we begin to receive applicants in Canada, as well as transition those who may qualify and who are already in Canada, but that open work permit is the bridge by which—

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

I'm sorry, Minister. I actually don't think you heard my question.

I was talking about the new temporary foreign workers program that you announced—this is not related to the Hong Kong program—and about a bridging work permit for the new temporary foreign workers pathway.

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Eglinton—Lawrence, ON]

I apologize, Madam Chair. There was a bit of a loss of signal there for just a moment.

Indeed, under the essential workers pathway, what we have determined is a set of criteria that does allow essential workers across a very broad range of occupations—approximately 140 occupations, not only in the health care sector but also in other non-health essential sectors—who will be able to apply for permanent residency, essentially on a fast track. By doing so, we will be transitioning some who already possess open work permits and who are employed and transitioning them to permanent residency status.