Evidence of meeting #23 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 number.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Jasraj Singh Hallan  Calgary Forest Lawn, CPC
Caroline Xavier  Acting Deputy Minister, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
Daniel Mills  Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Operations, Department of Citizenship and Immigration

1 p.m.

Liberal

Shafqat Ali Liberal Brampton Centre, ON

Thank you.

Thank you, Minister.

Again, I understand that your department processed more than 100,000 work permit applications in the first quarter of 2022. Can you update us on the work permit processing since then?

1 p.m.

Liberal

Sean Fraser Liberal Central Nova, NS

Just to put it in perspective.... Again, just because I won't dig it out, I will point to Mr. Mills. I think we're at about double the pace of last year in terms of our actual production capacity when it comes to work permits.

Dan, do you have the updates since the end of March?

1 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Salma Zahid

I'm sorry for interrupting, but the time is up. If possible, maybe you can—

1 p.m.

Liberal

Sean Fraser Liberal Central Nova, NS

We can happily provide it after the meeting.

May 12th, 2022 / 1 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Salma Zahid

Thank you.

With that, this panel comes to an end.

I need five minutes from the members after the minister leaves to have some direction on the calendar for next week, but I want to take this opportunity, on behalf of all the members of this committee, to thank the minister and his officials for appearing before the committee and for all of the work you're doing. It's a very difficult file, and with everything that's going on around the world, your job becomes even more challenging, so a big thank you to you, minister, and to all of the officials who are working long hours to make sure that we can clear those backlogs created during COVID.

Thank you, Minister.

We will allow the minister to leave and then we'll have a quick five minutes with the members.

I need some direction in regard to the calendar for next week.

For Tuesday, we must complete the consideration of the recruitment report. If we can schedule Mr. Seeback to appear on Bill C-242 for the first half, then we can move into the report consideration so that we can finalize that report and table it. Also, then, I need some time on Tuesday, once we complete the draft report, to go through committee business to discuss the letter that was requested by the members at the last meeting in regard to the legal opinion from the law clerk. That, the members should have by Monday, if everything goes well and translation can happen, so we can discuss that on Tuesday.

In regard to Bill C-242, we need some deadlines in regard to the amendments. Mr. Seeback can appear on Tuesday for one hour, and then we can have the second hour for consideration of the draft report. Then we will be able to go into the meetings for C-242: four panels with the witnesses and one panel with the officials. That will be three meetings in total, including Mr. Seeback, and then we have one for clause-by-clause. For the clause-by-clause, we need a deadline for the amendments.

Does the committee agree that the deadline for the amendments be set for May 26 at noon? It will be a break week. The clerk will give a deadline to all of the members to submit their amendments by May 26, before we go clause-by-clause.

Go ahead, Ms. Kwan.

1:05 p.m.

NDP

Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC

I just want to ask a couple of questions. I think I caught four hours for Mr. Seeback's bill.

1:05 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Salma Zahid

No. I'm sorry to correct you. It's one hour with Mr. Seeback to present his bill to the members, one hour with the officials and then four hours with the witnesses. We will go through 12 witnesses, and the breakdown, based on each party, will be Liberals, six; Conservatives, four; Bloc, one; and NDP, one.

It will be two meetings.

1:05 p.m.

NDP

Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC

That's four panels for two hours...?

1:05 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Salma Zahid

It's four panels and four hours. One panel will be for an hour.

It will be four panels for one hour each, and we will go through 12 witnesses.

1:05 p.m.

NDP

Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC

Okay. It is a lot, Madam Chair.

I talked to Mr. Seeback previously, and he was okay with the idea of appearing for his hour along with officials. That will then save us one hour. If that could be accommodated, he said he was fine with this.

With respect to witnesses, four hours is two full meetings. I wonder whether there's a way for us to work collaboratively to see if we can reduce that time. We may well have a duplication of witnesses. I'm saying this, because I'm really worried about us running out of time. We're still trying to finish the first report. We have finished the witnesses, and we're waiting to do the other report on differential treatment. Then we've started our study on delays in processing.

Madam Chair, I would really like for us to get through these three studies, if we can. We have other items that need to come before the committee as well.

If we can try to find a way to save some time, that's what I'm trying to achieve.

1:05 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Salma Zahid

Thank you, Ms. Kwan, for your input.

We have Mr. Ali and then Mr. Brunelle-Duceppe next. We can have some more discussion on Tuesday on this, because we have a hard stop at 1:10

I just want to clarify for all members that a PMB—any legislation—is always a priority. I want to proceed so that we can finish this clause-by-clause before we rise for the summer break. I am very hopeful that we can finalize the report on the acceptance rates on Tuesday and be able to table that. I don't think we will be able to complete the study on processing times before we rise in June. We have put in a proposal for a visit in regard to this study. We will continue that when we come back in September.

In regard to tabling the report for the differential outcomes, we will see how quickly we go once we have the draft report. That's up to the members as to whether or not we can finish it before we rise for the summer break.

Quickly, we have Mr. Ali, Mr. Brunelle-Duceppe and Mr. Hallan, and then we have a hard stop.

1:05 p.m.

Liberal

Shafqat Ali Liberal Brampton Centre, ON

I won't take too long.

Regarding MP Randeep Sarai's motion, which was supported unanimously, I want to move a motion that his motion be studied in CIMM. Thank you.

1:05 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Salma Zahid

Mr. Ali, are you giving a notice? Are you moving it, or are you just giving a notice?

1:10 p.m.

Liberal

Shafqat Ali Liberal Brampton Centre, ON

I wanted to move a motion.

1:10 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Salma Zahid

You can move a motion if you have given a 48 hours' notice.

1:10 p.m.

Liberal

Shafqat Ali Liberal Brampton Centre, ON

Consider it a notice, please.

1:10 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Salma Zahid

Please send it in both official languages to the clerk of the committee. Thank you.

We will have Mr. Brunelle-Duceppe and then Mr. Hallan.

1:10 p.m.

Bloc

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

As far as Bill C‑242 is concerned, I think that three meetings is a lot. It would mean that we would spend six hours on this bill.

Ms. Kwan said that Mr. Seeback was prepared to give the officials an hour. I would suggest that we invite two panels for up to one hour each. I can tell you right away that the Bloc Québécois will not be calling any witnesses, so there will be a gap. If you want to fill it, great, but if you don't want to, even better, because we'll save time.

In the context of this study, I think it would be perfect to invite two panels for an hour each. That would give us perhaps an extra hour in which we could, behind closed doors, write the report or discuss the drafting guidelines, for example.

1:10 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Salma Zahid

For legislation, hearing from just six witnesses will not give us a good understanding to go into clause-by-clause. My recommendation would be that members have discussions among themselves, and we can finalize that on Tuesday.

If the members agree that Mr. Seeback and the officials can do one hour, I can ask the clerk to work with them to see if we can accommodate both of them for one hour on Tuesday. In committee business, members can have discussions among themselves and then we can come back and make a final decision on Tuesday.

Is that okay? Thank you.

Is it the will of the committee to adjourn the meeting?

1:10 p.m.

Some hon. members

Yes.

1:10 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Salma Zahid

The meeting is adjourned.