Evidence of meeting #114 for Citizenship and Immigration in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was students.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Tom Kmiec Conservative Calgary Shepard, AB
Thank you, Chair.
My first questions are for Dr. Gaffield.
I have a quote here from the CEO of Universities Canada. He said, “Canada's international reputation has taken a huge hit”. Would you agree with your colleague at Universities Canada?
Chief Executive Officer, U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities
The headlines around the world emphasize and raise concerns about Canada having changed its historic welcoming of the best and brightest. From our perspective, that's a concern we certainly share.
Conservative
Tom Kmiec Conservative Calgary Shepard, AB
In order to convince Canadians that research universities are doing their part, I'm going to ask you a few very specific questions about the institutions that make up your organization.
How much campus housing do they provide in total?
Chief Executive Officer, U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities
In recruiting international students at the graduate level in particular but also at the undergraduate level, it is essential to think about it as a systematic approach. It's not just about getting an admission: What are the supports? What is the question of housing? What is the question of other services that will help a student?
We know, for example, that even in the case of the University of Toronto—
Conservative
Chief Executive Officer, U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities
—they guarantee first-year housing. It varies across our institutions, but in no case has this been a problem.
Conservative
Tom Kmiec Conservative Calgary Shepard, AB
Dr. Gaffield, that's not my question. I'm asking specifically about campus housing, whether it's for international students or domestic students. It's just total housing—dorm space—at these research universities. Do you have a number?
Chief Executive Officer, U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities
We know that it is adequate for the demand.
Conservative
Chief Executive Officer, U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities
We don't collect that information at our association.
Conservative
Chief Executive Officer, U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities
I know because we just had a meeting of our executive heads, and it's clear that they reported that it is.
Conservative
Chief Executive Officer, U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities
Yes.
Conservative
Tom Kmiec Conservative Calgary Shepard, AB
—and you're reporting it here.
How much do U15s spend on housing as a percentage of their total budgets?
Chief Executive Officer, U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities
We don't collect that information, but it's readily available. That's all public information.
Conservative
Chief Executive Officer, U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities
We could help your staff provide that.
Chief Executive Officer, U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities
It's about their ability to recruit.
Conservative
Tom Kmiec Conservative Calgary Shepard, AB
Provide it to the committee, please, so we can better understand that.
I want to go back to the question of reputational harm. When the government announced its early changes, were you consulted?
Chief Executive Officer, U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities
Conservative
Tom Kmiec Conservative Calgary Shepard, AB
On the grad cap that was introduced in September, were you consulted?
Chief Executive Officer, U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities
No. Well, early on, we said that it was absolutely, for us, unjustified.
Conservative
Tom Kmiec Conservative Calgary Shepard, AB
Thank you for that.
My next questions are for Professor Skuterud.
Professor, I don't know if you were able to listen to some of the testimony provided by the Immigration and Refugee Board, but I'll give you a few quotes from the minister just to give you time to think.
The immigration minister said the system is “out of control”, and then he was quoted in an article on September 22, 2024, as saying there was an “alarming trend” of more international students claiming asylum.
You wrote in the past that international students were being made to pay exorbitant tuition premiums in Canadian college programs, and you reflected on the value of obtaining an education versus the value of getting a spot to compete for permanent residency in Canada. You then noted that 130,000 former international students were on temporary visas with no realistic prospect of permanent residency.
We've seen the numbers at the Immigration and Refugee Board. The total volume of the backlog is over 250,000 as of the end of October. It was 218,000 at the end of July, which is an increase of 32,000 in the backlog in the last two months. Do you have any concerns about that? Can you expand on what you were saying originally about these 130,000 international students who have no prospect of getting permanent residency in Canada?