Citizenship and Immigration Committee on June 2nd, 2021

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to meeting number 33 of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration.

The Board of Internal Economy requires that committees adhere to the following health protocols: maintain a physical distance of at least two metres from others; wear a non-medical mask unless seated, and preferably wear a mask at all times, including when seated; maintain proper hand hygiene by using the hand sanitizers provided in the committee room, and regularly wash your hands well with soap.

As the chair, I will enforce these measures and I thank you all for your co-operation.

Today's meeting is taking place in a hybrid format pursuant to the House order of January 25.

I would like to outline a few rules to follow. Interpretation services are available for this meeting. You may speak in the official language of your choice. At the bottom of your screen, you may choose to hear floor audio, English, or French. With the latest Zoom version, you do not need to select a corresponding language channel before speaking. The “raise hand” feature is on the main toolbar should you wish to speak.

I remind everyone that all comments should be addressed through the chair. When you are not speaking, your microphone should be muted.

The committee clerk and I will maintain a speaking list for all members.

With that said, we will go to today's meeting. Pursuant to Standing Order 81(5), the committee is considering the supplementary estimates (A), 2021-22, specifically vote 1a under Department of Citizenship and Immigration, referred to the committee on Thursday, May 27.

Appearing before us today is the honourable Marco Mendicino, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship.

Welcome, Minister. Thanks for joining the committee today. It's always a pleasure to have you at this committee and to hear about all of the important work you are doing.

He is joined by officials from the Department of Citizenship and Immigration: Catrina Tapley, deputy minister; Marian Campbell Jarvis, assistant deputy minister, strategic and program policy; Daniel Mills, assistant deputy minister, operations; Hughes St-Pierre, assistant deputy minister, operations, and chief financial officer and comptroller.

Welcome, all. Thank you for always appearing before the committee when needed. We will start with opening remarks from the minister.

Minister, thanks a lot once again. You will have five minutes for your opening remarks, and then we will go into the round of questioning.

The floor is yours. Please proceed.

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Thank you, Madam Chair. It's always good to be back before you colleagues.

I would like to acknowledge that I am joining you from the unceded traditional territory of the Algonquin Nation.

Colleagues, the past months have seen unprecedented challenges and change in Canada's immigration system. Immigration speaks to who we were, who we are and who we hope to be, and where we're choosing to grow right now. That's why last October I was so proud to unveil our 2021 to 2023 immigration levels plan, an ambitious and responsible plan to welcome 401,000 new permanent residents this year.

Over the past number of months, despite all of the challenges that have come our way, we've shown that we're delivering on our plan. While implementing strong border measures to protect the health and safety of Canadians, we created pathways to allow families, essential workers, international students and others to continue to come to Canada. We conducted the largest draw in the history of our express entry system, inviting some 27,000 people who are already here and hard at work to apply for permanent residency.

We launched the guardian angels program, recognizing the incredible contributions of asylum seekers in our hospitals and long-term care homes, and as of May 1, I'm very pleased to report that we've received over 3,800 applications.

We've taken our citizenship processes online, welcoming over 60,000 Canadians at some 10,000 virtual ceremonies, and we've recently become the first country in the world to offer citizenship testing online. We've created pathways to help young Hong Kongers as they cast their eyes abroad to choose Canada. We've made major investments to help speed up processing, and we're becoming more efficient, including through hiring 62 new staff at our office in Sydney, Nova Scotia.

We've also shown compassion in upholding human rights by adjusting policies, including for the survivors of Daesh, which will help more Yazidi families reunite with their loved ones through our adjustment of the parameters of the definition of family. We've offered permanent residency to the families of the victims of flights PS752 and ET302. While those tragedies may have taken place far from our shores, they were also Canadian tragedies, and that's why it is important that we took those steps to give justice to the families.

Finally, we announced the creation of a pathway to permanent residency for up to 90,000 essential workers and recent international graduates. Their status may be temporary, but their contributions are lasting.

It is against the backdrop of this significant progress that I am here to discuss today IRCC supplementary estimates (A).

Madam Chair, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s supplementary estimates (A) include only a re‑profiled amount of $24.5M—

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Sorry for interrupting. The translation has died.

Actually, it's now good. Go ahead.

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

Madam Chair, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s supplementary estimates (A) include only a re‑profiled amount of $24.5M for interim lodging services.

Madam Chair, I want to assure you that Canada will continue to do its part in leading way in world refugee resettlement. We've held that number one spot for the last three years. Throughout the past year, settlement providers have shown incredible resilience and ingenuity in working with my department and retooling their operations so they can continue to help those fleeing war and persecution. Indeed, as my colleague and friend Filippo Grandi often said, Canada was “a bright light in a horrible year”.

Before I conclude, I want to take a moment to emphasize the incredible role played by newcomers in helping Canada to get through the pandemic. In our health care system, over one in three doctors, pharmacists and nurses aides is an immigrant, but it's more than just that. From asylum seekers working on the front lines of long-term care homes to temporary foreign workers saving Nova Scotia's lobster season, we owe newcomers so much. We're doing more than expressing our thanks. With a variety of initiatives, which I've highlighted, we're demonstrating it.

Madam Chair, it goes without saying that the past year has been a tempest for many people. Yet with the arrival of vaccines, the storm is breaking, and there is indeed hope on the horizon. I'm proud of how well we've adapted and innovated over the past year, and I look forward to doing more on immigration, as it will play a vital role in Canada's economic recovery and long-term prosperity.

I look forward to taking your questions and continuing to work with all members of this committee, indeed all parliamentarians, as we achieve that vision.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Thank you, Minister.

We will now go to our rounds of questioning. Our first round will be six minutes each, with Mr. Hallan starting.

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary Forest Lawn, AB]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

As always, Minister, thank you for coming, and, honestly, thank you for being so accessible to us here in this committee.

The estimates have come out. My immediate questions are the following. We have a dollar amount that's been announced, but we don't see real details on what kind of plan we're going to follow to get there. Have you started any consultations with stakeholders when it comes to how you're going to implement this and how many resources it's going to take, and does it cover cybersecurity as well?

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

First, thank you very much to my colleague, MP Hallan, for not only the question but also his ongoing collaboration in this space and his advocacy.

Indeed, my consultations have been ongoing throughout my tenure in this ministry. We routinely engage advocates within immigration. We routinely engage our settlement service providers. We routinely engage parliamentarians, and we routinely engage business leaders so that we can make informed choices, not only with regard to policy but also with regard to the financial resources that re necessary to give effect to that policy. That includes the supplementary estimates, which will ensure that there's $24.5 million set out for additional relief for asylum seekers in the event there is uptake.

In addition to that, budget 2021, as you know, sets in motion a significant down payment on the modernization and transformation of our immigration system, something I know we're all united in, because we know that immigration will accelerate our economic recovery and drive long-term prosperity.

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary Forest Lawn, AB]

Absolutely. Definitely I would agree with you that we do need to modernize. It's been a common theme, but, again, my question was very specific about getting there and what the plan is.

Of course, there have been consultations. What is the actual plan? Do we have a deadline of when we can expect this to happen? That will be one question, but I just want to add to that quickly as well.

All of our offices keep hearing about the same hardships that people are facing due to delays. There's a lack of transparency. People are having to do their own ATIPs, which are lengthy. Family reunification is one that's causing.... They've been going through so much already with the pandemic. They're suffering even more. We all know the mental health issues that it's caused and all the grief behind that.

Again, what is the plan to modernize? What kind of timeline are we looking at? Have we procured anything? On top of that, how are you going to address the transparency issues and the backlogs?

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

The first thing I want to do, Madam Chair, is to sound a note of compassion for those who have been kept apart as a result of the pandemic. As my colleague knows, that's one of the reasons we introduced a pathway to reunite families during the pandemic. I'm very proud of the fact that we have been able to reunite tens of thousands of families.

With regard to the specific question about a plan, we do have a plan. That plan involves a strategy that will add resources, as I've said—frontline personnel to the front lines of our department. That has not only cast its eyes forward to long-term modernization with budget 2020 investments, but we've already started to leverage technologies now during the course of the pandemic. That has led to concrete results with regard to citizenship, with our welcoming over 64,000 new citizens. With regard to our landing processes, we've moving our processes online so we can achieve the outcomes of landing more permanent residents. Again, as my colleague knows, we've made significant progress in achieving our 2021 levels plan, landing over 100,000 new permanent residents already. That's the proof the plan is working.

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary Forest Lawn, AB]

Minister, I would have to disagree that it's working, because we still hear about the same backlogs causing all of these issues. Do you have a timeline as to when that will be modernized?

You didn't note that there would be resources needed. How many more resources are needed? How many more people are we hiring inside the department to make that happen?

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

Madam Chair, again, budget 2021 does set out a significant down payment towards the modernization of our entire immigration system, and that is something that I'm going to be working on with the member and all members of this committee to advance as quickly as possible. We know that in order to keep Canada's competitive edge, one that we have enjoyed as a result of our innovation, we need to take this down payment and turn it into meaningful transformation.

However, I want to emphasize to all colleagues that we have already begun to innovate. We have moved our processes online, not only in citizenship, not only in permanent residency, but also in the work we're doing with regard to resettling refugees. Right across every line of business, we are leveraging existing technologies so that we can implement digital platform modernization both now and in the long run.

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary Forest Lawn, AB]

Thank you, Minister.

Just keeping in line with that, I asked back in March whether there were any data breaches. You had stated there were none at that time. Subsequently, we found out there were 1,793 data breaches. Given all that's going on now, and the recent cyber-attack on the JBS meat processing company and the major concern that a lot of people have about VFS Global in Beijing, what are we doing to secure Canadians' data and make sure that its safe and secure?

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Minister, you have 20 seconds.

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

I'm simply going to clarify that my friend was asking me about VFS in March. I maintain that there were no breaches then. With regard to the—

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary Forest Lawn, AB]

Sorry, Minister, I said “any data breaches”, and you said none at that time.

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

To be clear, with regard to data breaches, as I mentioned in the House during question period, we take any breaches very seriously. We work with the Information Commissioner and other branches to ensure that we are implementing any recommendations so that we can be transparent with Canadians.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Minister, sorry for interrupting. As the time is up, we will now proceed to Mr. Sidhu.

Mr. Sidhu, you will have six minutes for your round of questioning. I will give a two-minute signal and a one-minute signal.

[Maninder Sidhu, Liberal, Brampton East, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair; and thank you to the minister for being with us today.

Minister, the government has made reconciliation with indigenous people a priority. The need for truth and reconciliation has been highlighted this week with the horrific discovery of the remains of 215 children on the grounds of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School.

In my riding of Brampton East, there are many first- and second-generation immigrants, and I believe it's important for Canadians, including many new Canadians who have emigrated to Canada, to learn about indigenous peoples.

Could you update the committee on the work your department is doing to implement the TRC's calls to action 93 and 94 and the importance of these commitments?

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

Madam Chair, I'll begin by thanking my colleague for his advocacy, and I thank every member of the committee and all members of Parliament for unanimously supporting the passage of Bill C-8 yesterday in the House of Commons through third reading. I look forward to working with our colleagues in the Senate to ensure that the bill becomes law.

I think all of my colleagues would echo the sentiment that, now more than ever, we need to continue to do the hard work of reconciliation. This past week has revealed the horrifying news of the remains of children that were discovered at a residential school in Kamloops. We would be remiss if we didn't point out that this is not just about a shameful chapter in our history, but that indigenous peoples continue to live this reality today. As parliamentarians, and certainly in my capacity as minister, I will do whatever I can to continue the important work of reconciliation by taking call to action 94 that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission had put forward that would allow us to educate new citizens, but also all Canadians, by amending the oath of citizenship to reflect indigenous peoples' traditions, cultures and histories. That is something that I have seen over the course of my tenure as minister in our citizenship ceremonies. This is important work.

Again, we will continue to consult with our colleagues and with indigenous leaders across the country, but it is so important, now more than ever, that we make this bill law.

[Maninder Sidhu, Liberal, Brampton East, ON]

Thank you Minister for that answer. It's very important, and I definitely agree with you. I'm glad to see heading in that direction.

Minister, in your previous appearances before this committee, you've spoken about your department's efforts to adapt to the changing circumstances of the pandemic with innovative solutions like virtual citizenship ceremonies and online testing. These innovations have made a difference, and there are many other elements of Canada's immigration system that could benefit from those efforts.

I also understand that the 2021 budget included over $420 million in federal funding over five years to deliver an enterprise-wide digital platform that would gradually replace the legacy global case management system. This investment, beginning in 2023, is meant to improve application processing and support for applicants.

Minister, could you offer any insights into the types of efficiencies and improvements, from a user experience, this will provide in terms of modernizing our immigration system?

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

I thank my colleague for an important question, because it allows me to highlight how we are investing to transform our immigration system right from top to bottom.

Budget 2021 sets aside $827.4 million to do just that. With this investment, we are going to create a state-of-the-art digital, touchless and integrated immigration system that will allow newcomers, visitors, students, workers, families and refugees to come to Canada to write that next chapter of their lives. Not only does budget 2021 provide for that vision to become a reality, but it also sets aside important investments to help with client support and to reduce barriers for migrant workers who are already in Canada or plan to come to Canada.

The pandemic has taught us how important newcomers are to Canada. Whether we're talking about our health care sector, our farms and food processing plants, or the building and trade sector, we have seen newcomers step up in ways that are truly remarkable and, indeed, uniquely Canadian.

In order to continue that work and to achieve our goals in the 2021 plan, we need to be sure that we continue to invest in immigration. That's precisely what budget 2021 will do. My hope is that we'll be able to pass that budget in very short order, so that we can make it a reality.

[Maninder Sidhu, Liberal, Brampton East, ON]

Thank you, Minister.

In order to provide on-arrival, orientation services and emergency at-risk assistance, community-based organizations have been slated to receive funding through the migrant workers support program.

To your understanding, what are the benefits of outsourcing newcomer orientation and crisis support to community organizations?

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

The immediate benefits are from our partnering with those working most closely with migrant workers themselves. This is one of the many ways in which our government is looking to collaborate with grassroots advocates and those who really understand what the challenges are for migrant workers.

Let's be honest, as my colleague knows, and as the committee knows, this has been a challenging year for migrant workers because of the pandemic. Through this collaboration and our investments, we're going to do better to protect migrant workers and their rights. That's what we're committed to doing.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Thank you, Minister.

Madame Normandin, you will have six minutes for your round of questioning.

[Christine Normandin, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

Madam Chair, the clerks were to advise you that my colleague Yves Perron will be speaking in the first round of questions.