Citizenship and Immigration Committee on May 31st, 2022

[Arielle Kayabaga, Liberal, London West, ON]

Another question I have concerns the safeguards around insurance policies. What kinds of mechanisms does IRCC have to ensure that these policies can guarantee coverage in a timely manner once the applicant is on Canadian soil? Is there a push to make sure that it's met on time?

[Michèle Kingsley]

Thank you.

Currently, because the super visa requires the private health insurance to be provided by a Canadian provider, the integrity is ensured essentially by the fact that these insurance providers are regulated within the Canadian system. We know them, we know that they're regulated and that we can trust them.

Should we consider foreign insurance providers the way that this bill does, we would really have to come up with a designation system that takes into account new criteria that the department doesn't currently have the expertise to develop. We would have to work with provinces, territories and health experts to determine what those criteria are. Are they around the solvency of companies? Are they around the compliance with laws and regulations abroad? What are the modalities of payments, including criteria around having payments at point of service to protect clients, for example?

Of course, we would have to ensure that any designation scheme has ongoing monitoring to ensure that clients continue to be protected by anyone who's designated.

It's a complex issue that would just need to be really looked into in consultation with experts in the field and provinces and territories.

[Arielle Kayabaga, Liberal, London West, ON]

Thank you. It sounds like a very complex issue, so I'm going to ask further questions on that.

There is no guarantee that there wouldn't be scams through that for applicants. If there was to be other insurance companies as the bill suggests, there's no way to safeguard for people to make sure that they're not going to get scammed. You wouldn't be able to track whether it can be delivered in a timely manner, which would cause and create more issues for the applicant.

[Michèle Kingsley]

That's correct, Chair. There is a higher likelihood of fraud. We would be very concerned about that and we would need to develop really stringent criteria around all of these issues and ensure that there is very close, ongoing monitoring of any of thousands of companies that might be interested in being designated through such a model.

[Arielle Kayabaga, Liberal, London West, ON]

I have another quick thought on that. How much time would that take, relatively, if you have to consult with different provinces through their different health care systems?

I'm sure you can't really give me an exact answer on this, but I just feel like it would take time to get through all of that.

[Michèle Kingsley]

It would definitely take quite a bit of time to make sure that we get it right and to make sure that clients are protected from fraudulent actors, from possible companies that may not actually pay in time or may not pay up front. It would take quite a bit of time to determine all of that. I can't really speak to how much time that might take.

[Arielle Kayabaga, Liberal, London West, ON]

That's okay. I figured you wouldn't be able to answer that.

I have another last question on that same topic because it's a very interesting one.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

I'm sorry for interrupting, Ms. Kayabaga, but your time is up.

[Arielle Kayabaga, Liberal, London West, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Thank you.

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

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

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Once again, I'd like to thank the witnesses. This will be the last time I address them today.

I understand that Bill C‑242 has consensus across all parties. It contains no major pitfalls that would cause any party to oppose it.

So, I'm wondering, in your opinion, is there a way to speed things up so that what the bill proposes can be implemented as quickly as possible? Is there a way?

[Michèle Kingsley]

Thank you for your question.

As you say, all parties agree on the principles of the bill, and so do we. The purpose of this bill is to facilitate family reunification for extended periods of time. The current super visa already allows that. It's valid for 10 years, and it allows parents or grandparents to enter the country for an initial period of two years and then stay on.

So I believe the current super visa, which is designed based on an instruction to the department, already achieves that goal.

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

How long do you think it will take before this all comes together, given everything on the table right now?

[Michèle Kingsley]

As I was saying, the super visa already does that. it already has some—

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

Yes, but Bill C‑242 provides for changes.

Couldn't the department provide some direction to make this happen more quickly? Since we already have a consensus and agreement among all parties, it would go much faster.

[Michèle Kingsley]

As I said earlier, changes to departmental instructions in a context similar to this one could take a few weeks.

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

Therefore, it would go much faster than if we had to do all readings of the bill in the House, have the bill considered in the Senate, and have the Senate refer the bill back to the House. You're telling us that we could save time.

[Michèle Kingsley]

I believe you could.

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

Thank you for those great responses.

I will turn the floor over to my esteemed colleague from the NDP.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Thank you, Mr. Brunelle-Duceppe. Your time is up.

We will now proceed to Ms. Kwan. You have two and a half minutes. Please begin.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Previously, I asked the question around whether or not officials have undertaken to contact provinces and territories to see if it is feasible for them to make available their provincial or territorial medical insurance coverage for parents and grandparents, with them paying for it. Is that an option that could be entertained?

[Michèle Kingsley]

Thank you, Chair.

To my knowledge, we have not asked provinces and territories about making their public health insurance regimes available to super visa holders. It is something we could do. To my knowledge, it has not been done.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

I would encourage officials to undertake that, because I think it's another viable option—as opposed to private insurers—if the provinces or territories are willing to provide that at a cost. That cost may be lower for parents and grandparents as well.

With respect to moving forward on this, part of the problem with the current parents and grandparents sponsorship program is that it's so limited. So few families can access it. The issue with the income threshold is that it doesn't take into consideration the cultural and economic contributions of parents and grandparents to Canada.

Should the government not be thinking about those contributions as they evaluate the financial requirements? If so, how can they measure them and take them into consideration?

[Michèle Kingsley]

Thank you, Chair.

The member is referring to the parents and grandparents sponsorship program, which is the permanent residency program. I would just highlight the latest levels planned have record admissions targets and have increased them considerably to 25,000 for this year, 28,500 for next year and 32,000 in 2024—

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

I'm sorry to interrupt. My question was about the evaluation of their contributions economically, socially and culturally. How are they being accounted for?