Citizenship and Immigration Committee on May 12th, 2022

[Daniel Mills]

According to our data, the 14‑day processing times are met for 90% of our clients. We have to make sure that the file is complete before we start processing, and that includes biometrics. It is important to note this.

In some cases, applicants have applied, but have not yet provided their biometrics. It is impossible for us to process or complete the application as long as the biometrics have not been obtained on site. That is why we have increased the number of applications—

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

I'm sorry for interrupting, Mr. Mills. The time is up for Mr. Brunelle-Duceppe.

You will maybe get an opportunity to come back to it in the second round.

We will proceed to Ms. Kwan.

Ms. Kwan, you will have six minutes. Please begin.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Thank you.

Can the minister advise if the high commission in Pakistan is still processing Afghan applications?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Central Nova, NS]

On country-specific items, I'll point to my departments, because there are quite a few presences around the world.

Do we have that information?

[Caroline Xavier]

For clarity, I want to make sure that one understands that, when we're processing applications, we process them across the globe. Even though a person may have submitted an application in Pakistan, it may not be that it is being processed at the high commission in Pakistan.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

I'm sorry to interrupt. I just need a clear answer. Is the high commission in Pakistan processing Afghan applications?

[Caroline Xavier]

I'm going to ask Mr. Mills to answer the question more directly.

[Daniel Mills]

Thank you for the question.

In Pakistan, we do process applications from the cohort in Afghanistan.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Are they being processed there?

I assume the answer is yes. If it's incorrect, please submit an answer to the committee for clarification.

[Daniel Mills]

The information is correct.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Is the minister still exercising his authority to bring in special procedures secretly for Afghans?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Central Nova, NS]

I'm not sure what special secret procedures you're speaking about.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Actually, I have an undertaking with respect to that.

I asked that question in the previous committee meeting, and the response was that the minister will engage in the practice to which he engages to which he cannot disclose.

Therefore, can the minister advise if he's still engaging in special procedures within the department that are not for public consumption?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Central Nova, NS]

There are some policies that I believe have not been published. For more specific policies, I would be interested in more specificity as to what you're looking for.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Maybe I can follow up with the minister with respect to that in another meeting, if the minister cannot—

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Central Nova, NS]

Sure. To be clear, the kinds of things we're talking about are typically to protect people's safety and security, not for some ulterior purpose.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Let's hope so.

The minister said on the public record that, on the issue of security checks, it's not up to him. The Department of National Defence told members of the Afghanistan committee that no one has asked them to work with allied countries to help bring Afghans to safety or to help with the collection of biometrics in third countries.

Why hasn't the minister asked for assistance from other department officials in this regard, and most particularly with the military?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Central Nova, NS]

That is because Global Affairs Canada is responsible for our diplomatic relations with other countries, and we work closely with them for the very thing you've described.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Has the minister asked Global Affairs to ask the Department of National Defence for assistance?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Central Nova, NS]

Do you mean, asked them for assistance in asking third countries for help with biometrics processing? I'm unclear what the question is.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

To help work with allied countries to bring Afghans to safety and to help with the collection of biometrics.

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Central Nova, NS]

I don't know if Global Affairs has asked the Department of National Defence, but—

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

I'm sorry. My question was whether the minister asked Global Affairs to make that request to the Department of National Defence.

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Central Nova, NS]

We don't need the Department of National Defence to be a part of that. We deal with third countries all the time for the purpose of things like biometric collection and other matters, and those conversations are happening with different countries around the world. It may just be that the Department of National Defence is not the appropriate department to be having those conversations.

However, access to biometrics in third countries is not a bottleneck right now. Safe passage through Afghanistan to get to those third countries is very much a challenge.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

I can tell the minister that there are a lot of Afghan families who could not get their biometrics done, and as a result they cannot get through to the next steps in the processing of their applications. The issue for a lot of those Afghans is about biometrics.

The Department of National Defence has previously engaged in similar missions—I'm sure the minister is aware of this—in different regions, in helping with a whole-of-government approach to bring people to safety, including addressing the issues of security and biometrics. I would urge the minister to consider that and to ask GAC to approach the Department of National Defence for assistance. They have the capacity and the capability to do that work.

I'd like to—