To put it on the public record for the minister's information, the NDP has called for an ombudsperson for immigration in our platform for years now. We certainly support that, and I think it absolutely is required. I hope the minister will take that seriously and implement something like that.
With respect to differential treatment, it doesn't start in one place but actually is throughout the system. The committee has been advised that racialized women's organizations are being treated differently. They've been asked for a detailed breakdown of admin budget costs, when other sectors are not required to do so.
Settlement officers have to provide additional information to substantiate and justify their decisions, and this extends to clients as well. In India, there's hyper-scrutiny for marriage fraud. Muslim female clients are being asked questions of a sexual nature with regard to their relationship with their male spouses, as proof of marriage. For China, DNA testing is often required for child sponsorship applications. For Africa, genuine parent and child relationships are often questioned.
Will the minister ensure that there is an independent review into these concerns as part of a larger independent review of systemic racism within IRCC and report his findings publicly?