Citizenship and Immigration Committee on Nov. 7th, 2024

[Tom Kmiec, Conservative, Calgary Shepard, AB]

Can we consider that a commitment to provide us with the report?

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

Ms. May, do you want to respond?

[Bronwyn May]

I have responded.

[Tom Kmiec, Conservative, Calgary Shepard, AB]

Okay.

I'm going to move on to housing.

Housing starts are now down an extra 15% since last year. When the department was preparing the immigration levels plan, how much did they look at international students specifically as a source of reductions in the total numbers to avoid the pressures the department warned the former minister about two years ago? What percentage of the housing crunch did you consider was related to the international studies program?

[Bronwyn May]

I'm here today in my capacity as the director general for the international student program. The levels plan is led out of another area of the department. They would be able to provide you more details on what pieces of information—

[Tom Kmiec, Conservative, Calgary Shepard, AB]

I'm sorry. I would agree with you, but the levels plan has temporary resident numbers now, so it includes your side as well, and that's the first time it's in there. Your branch of the department is now included in the levels plan. That's why I'm asking.

What total percentage was considered directly related to housing?

[Bronwyn May]

As you've just mentioned, this is the first time that temporary resident volumes have been reflected in the levels plan, and international students do make up the largest share of the temporary resident volume.

In January of this year, a decision was made on international students to set the level based on a zero net growth model. That meant the number of new study permits that would be approved could not exceed the number of permits that were expiring this year. As a result of the government's commitment to reducing temporary resident volumes to 5% of the total population, a decision was taken that for 2025, the cap for students would need to be reduced by a further 10% and that this number would be held constant in 2026.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

Thank you.

We will go to Mr. Redekopp for two minutes.

Please go ahead.

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

Thank you, Chair.

Mr. Chair, I'd like to move the following motion. It was distributed to members on Tuesday:

That, given that the Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship has failed to appear before this committee on eight separate invitations dating back to February 2024, including on the following matters:

Supplementary Estimates (C);

The Mandatory Provident Fund;

Criminal cartels exploiting visa-free travel;

Supplementary Estimates (A) and Main Estimates for fiscal year 2024/25;

The 2023 Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration;

The Labour Market Impact Assessment study;

The Auditor General’s 9th Report on Processing Applications for Permanent Residence; and

The impact of the recent changes to International Students Program study;—

That's the study we're doing here today.

—the committee reports its disappointment to the House in the Minister's repeated failure to appear, and summons the Deputy Minister and Associate Deputy Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship to testify before the committee for no less than two hours, on November 18, to account for the Minister's absences and provide testimony on matters relevant to their department's mandate.

You all have this motion.

The minister's consistent absence underscores a worrying lack of accountability during a period of escalating challenges and pressures on Canada's immigration system. The recent election on Tuesday in the United States could provide further pressure on Canada's immigration system and on national security.

Just a couple of weeks ago, the minister tabled the “2024 Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration”. Ironically, it was a whole year after failing to come to this committee to address the 2023 annual report. Yes, he does plan to appear on this issue, but it's really concerning. How can we trust this year's report when we weren't able to question him about last year's report?

Our concerns as Conservatives over criminal elements potentially exploiting the current immigration system have never left us, and in fact, through the recent arrival of ISIS terrorists, they have only been heightened. The failure of the minister to discuss criminal cartels exploiting visa-free travel is troubling if not suspicious. Recent reports indicate that organized crime networks have exploited Canada's visa-free policies, facilitating human trafficking and other criminal activities.

These security concerns necessitate stringent vetting and resource allocation. However, the lack of attention to the main estimates and the supplementary estimates—documents that outline the necessary funding for handling these increased immigration pressures—suggests that the Liberal government is unprepared to protect Canadians from these threats. Without appropriate resources, Canada's screening process could become overwhelmed, compromising national security.

The absence of the minister to address these estimates calls into question the Liberal government's commitment to transparency and accountability. These are necessary.

Finally, regarding today's study, international students contribute significantly to Canada's economy, but they need housing, infrastructure and support services to thrive. To date, the Liberals have demonstrated they have no plan and have no way of fixing this issue, yet the minister has so far refused to appear to speak to it.

My motion to summon the deputy minister and associate deputy minister of IRCC reflects a crucial effort to uphold transparency and accountability in light of the minister's ongoing absences. Canadians deserve a government that is responsive to emerging challenges and dedicated to safeguarding national security.

It's time for Marc Miller to come to this committee to provide answers. It's time to bring it home.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

Thank you.

I'll mention that the motion is in order, but the Liberals have five minutes left and the Bloc and the NDP have two and a half. Basically, if we can, please keep the discussion short.

Go ahead, Mr. Chiang.

[Paul Chiang, Liberal, Markham—Unionville, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I want to thank the member across for the motion. I suggest that we go to a vote on it.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

Is there any more discussion?

I see none, so let's vote.

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

I'd like a recorded division.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

Mr. Clerk, please take the vote.

(Motion negatived: nays 6; yeas 4)

We'll go to the Liberals for five minutes on the recent reforms to the international student program.

Mr. Ali, go ahead.

[Shafqat Ali, Liberal, Brampton Centre, ON]

Thank you, Chair.

I'd like to thank the witnesses for being here today as we study the recent reforms to the international student program.

My question is for IRCC officials.

As international students have been exploited by some post-secondary institutions, particularly in the province of Ontario, what specific steps is the federal government taking to hold provinces accountable for the lack of accreditation standards and inadequate support for international students?

[Bronwyn May]

With the way the international student cap is structured, it is incumbent on provinces to consider a number of factors in how they allocate spaces. As a result, provinces and territories can make determinations and allocate spaces to institutions that are meeting the highest standards when hosting students. It would be incumbent on provinces and territories to not allocate spaces to institutions that are simply not meeting those standards. That is one aspect of it.

Federally, we are also in the late stages of regulatory changes that will provide the IRCC with additional tools to deal with non-compliant learning institutions. The IRCC's new tools will allow us to work in concert with provinces to deal with institutions that are simply not playing by the rules and not supporting students properly.

[Shafqat Ali, Liberal, Brampton Centre, ON]

There have been numerous cases of fly-by-night colleges and substandard institutions taking advantage of international students. Can you explain the federal government's approach in addressing these concerns, especially since some provinces have failed to implement effective oversight and regulations?

[Bronwyn May]

Improving the integrity of the student program and reducing the vulnerability of students will take action from various levels of government. As I summarized in my opening remarks, we've put in place a number of reforms to reinforce the program. As I've already said about the cap, when you address these issues, you're going to create a system that's better aligned with the interests of Canadians, international students and the education sector in the long run. You're going to create fewer opportunities for exploitation. You're incentivizing stronger supports for students.

Also, when you're better calibrating the volume of international students to the amount of space we have in our permanent resident programs, you're creating more meaningful opportunities for those who wish to stay. There's a multipronged approach at the federal level. We're also working with partners so they can do everything they can within their responsibilities and authorities to make this a stronger program.

[Shafqat Ali, Liberal, Brampton Centre, ON]

Can you talk about the public-private partnerships with colleges, the role they have played and how the federal government has stepped up to ensure integrity in the system?

[Bronwyn May]

Absolutely. In December, Minister Miller announced that changes would be made to the post-graduation work permit program, specifically to close a loophole that was causing some unsustainable growth, particularly in certain areas of the country. These were situations where private colleges were delivering the curriculum of public institutions. As a result of that, students were gaining access to work permits that otherwise were only intended for public institutions. As a result of the action of closing that particular loophole, access is no longer available.

That's a very concrete action to address that particular integrity and volume issue.

[Shafqat Ali, Liberal, Brampton Centre, ON]

As the provinces increasingly rely on international students as a major source of revenue, how does the federal government plan to ensure that financial incentives do not overshadow the need to provide adequate support for students, particularly in such areas as housing and mental health services?

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

Give a brief answer, please. The time is almost up.

[Bronwyn May]

There are long-standing, underlying funding issues in the post-secondary sector that must be acknowledged. The reality is that international student tuition and volume cannot continue to compensate for those issues. In 2023 alone, we saw an increase of about 30% in international student volumes, and that simply cannot continue.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

Thank you.

We will go to Mr. Brunelle-Duceppe for two and a half minutes.

Please go ahead.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Ms. Spattz, you said earlier that one of the main objectives of the post-graduation permit measures for colleges and CEGEPs stemmed from the fact that there had been a huge increase.

Your colleague just told us that there was an unsustainable increase. Can you tell me how many international students are currently in the CEGEP system in Quebec?