Citizenship and Immigration Committee on June 2nd, 2021

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Thank you, Mr. Allison.

We will end this round and this panel with Mr. Dhaliwal.

Mr. Dhaliwal, you will have two and a half minutes for your round of questioning.

[Sukh Dhaliwal, Liberal, Surrey—Newton, BC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I would like first of all to commend my friend Minister Mendicino for his leadership and the hard work- he and his staff have done during this pandemic. I also would like to echo the comments by my friend Jasraj Singh Hallan, on the other side, that you've been very accessible to this committee.

Minister, we all agreed that immigrants create jobs, help to drive economic growth and will, of course, play an important part in Canada's recovery in the coming months.

The pandemic has disproportionately affected low-wage workers, women, young people and racialized communities. Could you please tell me some of the highlights of the investments you are going to make to make sure that when we have this economic recovery, it is inclusive of all Canadians?

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

Madam Chair, first let me extend my gratitude to my friend and my colleague for all of the work he is doing in this space and for how passionate he is about it. We share a profound respect and belief that immigration isn't just an economic lever; it is one of the most meaningful ways that we are going to build the long-term prosperity of this country.

With regard to the specifics of his question, yes, of course, the essential workers pathway is unprecedented in its size, scope and speed. It's going to offer a pathway to stay in Canada for many here who are already and giving back in a variety of sectors of our economy, which is so vital, particularly now in the pandemic. That is such an important thing. The pandemic really has shone a light on how newcomers who come to this country, who roll up their sleeves, who are prepared to put their shoulder to the wheel and who want to give back at a time when we need it the most can achieve their full potential. By doing so, I believe Canada will achieve its potential as well.

With regard to racialized communities and those who have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, I would say that we have introduced very specific measures, and not only to provide support for members of vulnerable populations. There is also a pilot program that we have invested in, again in the budget, that will help women of colour and young women who have come to Canada to start the next chapter of their lives. We are also changing the face—

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Thank you, Minister. We'll have to end it here. I'm sorry for interrupting.

With this, the panel comes to an end. Today we are considering the supplementary estimates (A) 2021-22, vote 1a under Department of Citizenship and Immigration, referred to the committee on Thursday, May 27. We will have to vote.

DEPARTMENT OF CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION

Vote 1a—Operating expenditures..........$24,500,000

(Vote 1a agreed to on division)

Shall I report the supplementary estimates (A) 2021-22 to the House?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

With that, our first panel comes to an end.

Thanks a lot, Minister. On behalf of all members, I want to really thank you for taking time to appear before the committee and answering the questions raised by members. Thanks a lot for all the work you are doing. In saying so, I know that immigration is an important component of our economic growth.

We will suspend for two minutes to allow the minister to leave. If sound checks have to be done, the clerk will do that for the officials who will stay with us for the second hour.

Thank you, Minister.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

I call the meeting to order.

We will start our meeting with the officials for this one hour.

We will be going through the economic imperative and long-term importance of small rural municipalities outside of major cities retaining new immigrants. Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2) and the motion adopted by the committee on Wednesday, May 26, the committee is now commencing its study of this topic.

We are joined by officials from the Department of Citizenship and Immigration. I would like to welcome Ms. Catrina Tapley, deputy minister; Ms. Caitlin Imrie, acting assistant deputy minister, settlement and integration; Ms. Marian Campbell Jarvis, assistant deputy minister, strategic and program policy; Mr. Daniel Mills, assistant deputy minister, operations; and Mr. Hughes St-Pierre, assistant deputy minister, chief financial officer and comptroller.

Thanks to all of you for appearing before the committee. Will you be doing opening remarks, or would you like us to go into the round of questioning?

[Catrina Tapley, Deputy Minister, Department of Citizenship and Immigration]

If it's okay with you, Madam Chair, I have some quick opening remarks just to set the stage.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Yes, we'll give you five minutes for your opening remarks. Madam Tapley, you can please proceed. The time is yours.

[Catrina Tapley]

I will endeavour to be quick. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Across the country, communities in rural and northern Canada have told us that immigration is key to their economic and social well-being. It's one of the most important tools to fill labour market skills and shortages. Immigration is also vital to growing Canada's many rural communities.

While the pandemic has slowed immigration, we have continued to welcome newcomers and support Canada’s regions through immigration. At the same time, different regions and communities across Canada have unique needs when it comes to immigration, and each community faces its own unique challenges.

To better address these different needs, we continue to design and implement pilots and programs that are tailored to regional economic development and labour market needs.

As this committee is aware, IRCC launched the rural and northern immigration pilot in 2019. This pilot supports smaller and more remote communities in accessing the economic benefits of immigration. We're currently working closely with the 11 communities in western Canada and Ontario, selected as part of the rural and northern immigration pilot, to customize best practices in place-based immigration for each local environment. All partners have now launched the pilot locally. To date, approximately 41 individuals have been selected, and we anticipate more selections in the coming months.

While we continue to monitor the impacts of COVID-19 on the pilot, many communities are recommending applicants who are already working and residing there.

Flexibility is a key aspect of this pilot. A community-based approach allows partners to adjust to evolving economic realities, including those resulting from COVID-19, to ensure that immigration supports their economic development plans and complements their changing workforce needs. For example, communities may prioritize candidates in occupations that face shortages even in the context of rising unemployment. This includes the health care sector, such as personal support workers and licensed practical nurses.

Having local partners also allows the department to ensure that employment opportunities continue to be available. Our community partners include economic development corporations, chambers of commerce and community futures organizations. Our partners have indicated to us that their long-term labour market needs will continue, in spite of the pandemic.

The Atlantic immigration pilot has been a great example of how regional economic programming can be successfully implemented to attract and retain newcomers to areas outside of Canada's metropolitan centres. Following a successful evaluation, the AIP is transitioning into a permanent program that will share the benefits of economic immigration with this region, which hastraditionally received a lesser share of economic immigrants.

Since the launch of the Atlantic Immigration Pilot, participating employers have made over 9,500 job offers in key sectors, including accommodations and food services, manufacturing and health care. As a result of these offers, more than 8,000 permanent residents have been admitted to the Atlantic region.

Even amid the economic uncertainty brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, the reality is that Canada still faces demographic challenges. This situation is especially pronounced in our country's many smaller communities.

In addition to the rural and northern immigration pilot and the Atlantic immigration pilot, IRCC looks forward to continuing to work with provinces and territories, as we design a new municipal nominee program.

Provincial and territorial experience in regional immigration will provide valuable insights toward the implementation of a program that meets the needs of underserved areas. This will also help us to support the recovery of the economy, which has been affected by the pandemic.

Of course, as Canada's core regional immigration program, the provincial nominee program will continue to be essential in responding to local immigrant needs.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Please wind up, Ms. Tapley.

[Catrina Tapley]

I am winding up right now.

Immigration will also continue to contribute to Canada's economy and communities in the long term.

Thank you for that.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Thank you, Madame Tapley.

We will now proceed to our round of questioning, starting our first round of six minutes with Mr. Seeback.

[Kyle Seeback, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

Great. Thanks very much.

Has the department gathered and then analyzed any data as to what the main challenges are for our small municipalities when they're looking at attracting and keeping immigrants in their communities? What would they say are the largest impediments right now? I can think of some off the top of my head, but they aren't backed by any data.

[Catrina Tapley]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

We've done two things. One, we have done consultations with communities and provinces and territories as we get ready to set up a municipal nominee program. The second is we've gathered good lessons learned from the existing federal regional pilots. I'll come back to that.

One is that smaller rural centres want a role in immigration selection. How do they complement domestic labour market needs? They have dual objectives here, and this is certainly what we've learned under the Atlantic immigration pilot, between economic establishment and retention.

If you will just permit me, I would point out that one problem we tried to solve was the question of retention in smaller communities. When we established the Atlantic immigration pilot in 2017 the goal was to retain more newcomers in the region, as in the provincial nominee program, which I think we would all say has been a success. What wasn't a success in certain regions was retention. In parts of Atlantic Canada I think it got as low as 30% for those being retained, and that's what we wanted to look at.

What do you do as a community with wraparound supports to ensure that newcomers are staying in the community and contributing to the vibrancy of the community? That's what we've heard back from communities themselves on how we do that while looking at some of the other lessons that are there, working with other partners, working with those economic development agencies, the chambers of commerce in the city. It's a whole-of-society effort to make that happen. That's one thing that's come back to us.

[Kyle Seeback, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

I dealt with the provincial nominee program when I was a member of Parliament in a different area, to a significantly higher degree. What we did see is that, for example, if those people went through the provincial nominee program to Manitoba or Saskatchewan, or any other province, after a certain amount of time they would then come into the GTA, because the GTA is where there are large cultural communities. Maybe I'm going to say this in an incorrect way, but there's going to be a comfort level for new Canadians. They want to come here. This is what I'm looking at.

When we look at a municipal nominee program, the challenge is going to be to have them stay in that municipality. I think that's the goal. I guess what I'm trying to ask is, how are we going to try to figure that out? If we have a municipal nominee program, and after a few years almost everyone ends up back in the GTA, it's not really serving the purpose.

[Catrina Tapley]

Madam Chair, I think those are excellent points.

Again, I'll come back to the oldest of the ones we're talking about. It's from 2017, so it's not that old. If we look at the Atlantic immigration pilot, what we see is a question of how you build settlement support with the employer. This was an employer-focused program. It just wasn't enough—and I think this is what the honourable member is saying—to simply have a job offer and to have a job in the community. It was a matter of, how did you go beyond that?

One hallmark of that program is a mandatory settlement plan. It's not just a settlement plan for the principal applicant; it's a settlement plan for the family. That is the first need. Nobody's going to stay in a community if they don't have a job. The second need is that nobody is going to stay if there aren't supports for their family. What is the school situation for their children? Can their spouse work? Is there a settlement plan for them? What's the capacity in the community to look at other things like recreation facilities or language, and improving those things?

Then there is the third need. I don't think anyone is prepared to stay in a community that isn't welcoming. How is the community prepared to adapt to that? I think we have some good examples out of this program, and I'm sure we will out of the rural and northern one as well, of people getting together with other like-minded people in the communities to look at establishing things like faith circles and faith communities, such as building a local mosque. All of those things became really important as anchors for retention in what we were doing.

The other key one is flexibility. Each program had to have a little flexibility in it to adapt to local needs. That's one lesson I think we're learning already under the rural and northern pilot. Each community is a little bit different. We have to be flexible enough to accommodate that.

[Kyle Seeback, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

I saw the sign, so I have less than a minute now.

As we look to craft a report on this, is there any data you can share or table with the committee or any lessons you've gleaned from these other pilots that we can look at as part of our report?

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

We can have a 15-second answer.

[Catrina Tapley]

We will table the Atlantic immigration evaluation with the committee. As well, I think we have some important statistics on the current immigration landscape, how many people are staying in cities, how many people are in communities themselves, just as good background information. The AIP evaluation would, I would think, certainly be helpful.

[Kyle Seeback, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

That's great. Thank you very much.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Thank you.

We will now go to Mr. Schiefke for six minutes for his round of questioning.

[Peter Schiefke, Liberal, Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC]

Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

I'd like to thank the witnesses, the departmental officials, for being here.

Deputy Minister, perhaps you could elaborate a little on the pilot project in Atlantic Canada. I'm really interested in hearing more about it. What is different about it? What is innovative about it? As well, perhaps you can give us maybe three to five examples or parts or components of it that you think have led to the preliminary success that it's seen so far.

[Catrina Tapley]

Thank you.

I'll come back to some of the comments I made previously.

In this one, it was the role of the employer, but you can't have the role of the employer without having the role of the community. That direct role and that direct stake in wanting to retain the employees who were coming in, the newcomers who were coming in, was key to the success of the program.

The other thing I would say is that—albeit it wasn't quite how we set it up, but how it has worked—there is good co-operation by the provinces. The four Atlantic provinces have been terrific partners in the Atlantic immigration pilot. We've negotiated carefully with them in a very collaborative way as we have been taking the Atlantic immigration pilot from a pilot to a permanent program. It's running through the regulatory process now.

As for other things I would point to as key hallmarks, I've talked about the important role of employers and the community on this, and how you designate an employer, and an employer's understanding of what their responsibilities are in looking at newcomers who are coming in.

There are also a couple differences back at the ranch, back at the department. One is something called the “dedicated service channel”. If we expected employers to step up, then we needed to step up our game vis-à-vis employers. What we created was a dedicated service channel so that employers had a place to call and had somebody to talk to who could help guide them through the immigration process and guide them through what their responsibilities are. We have received a lot of positive feedback on how well this has worked. It works well for big employers, and it works well for small employers.

The other lesson I would come back to is that when you have a number of players in the process—community groups, employers, the provinces and territories, the federal government and settlement agencies—the field gets a little crowded. One of the things we'll want to look at as we go forward is our governance around this to make sure that everybody understands their roles and responsibilities. Program integrity is always an issue for us in the immigration system, and we want to make sure that continues in how we move forward around it.

This is something that's not in the evaluation, so perhaps these are more my own thoughts on this. Having communities understand the importance of immigration and having that strong burning platform about why it's important that I revitalize my community and that I have newcomers coming into my community and how that contributes to the vitality of my community are key to creating a welcoming society. When the players understand the positive benefits of immigration, their communities are more welcoming of people coming in.

[Peter Schiefke, Liberal, Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC]

Thank you.

I would also like to know if there are currently any programs that highlight the arrival of new cultures in these communities. You mentioned mosques, in response to a question from Mr. Seeback, but are there any programs or funds currently in place to help new immigrants in rural or semi-rural communities share their culture and take pride in it?

This could encourage them to stay where they are rather than seek out cultural communities in Montreal or Toronto, as Mr. Seeback said. In my riding of Vaudreuil—Soulanges, people often move to the island of Montreal because they find a greater number of people from their community there.

Are there programmes that aim to celebrate the coming of diverse cultures?