Citizenship and Immigration Committee on Oct. 18th, 2022

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

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I thank the witnesses again for being here today.

Ms. Desloges, you say that in your experience there have always been delays, but that the current situation is the worst you have ever seen. When we ask senior officials at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, they always come up with excuses and excuses, but never say there is a problem.

In your opinion, isn't the inability of these people to say that there is a problem the root of the evil? If you can't name the problem, you can't address it. Is that right?

[Chantal Desloges]

Yes. This is the whole thing I was saying about transparency. There is no fault in admitting that we have an issue here. Everybody just wants to fix it. It's not about pointing fingers or blaming or trying to suggest that people are incompetent. It's nothing like that. It's just that we need to acknowledge that there is an issue and start tackling it by whatever means we possibly have. There's no shame in just admitting that there's a problem.

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

Mr. Ballard, you had one last message to deliver. I yield the rest of my time to you so that you can do so.

[Mark Ballard]

I think I would agree with Ms. Desloges. We don't know the internal workings of the IRCC. It's very difficult for us to determine how we can improve that process if it's not clear what's being done behind doors.

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

Ms. Pagaduan, I will leave you with the final word so that you can deliver a final message to the committee members and analysts.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Time is up for Mr. Brunelle-Duceppe.

You can always send a written submission to the clerk of the committee if there is something you didn't get an opportunity to talk about today.

We will now proceed to Ms. Kwan, for 90 seconds.

Ms. Kwan, please begin.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

I'm going to go back to that last question I asked about immigration levels numbers.

First, I'm going to go to you, Ms. Desloges, if you can answer that.

[Chantal Desloges]

I have forgotten what the question was.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

In order to accommodate some of the backlog in the processing, you need immigration levels numbers. Would you agree that the government needs to ensure that there is the room in the levels numbers to accommodate it?

[Chantal Desloges]

Yes, absolutely. I think they not only need to work towards celebrating meeting targets, but they also need to give some thought to making sure that whoever has been waiting longer is processed first: not a “last in, first out”, but a “first in, first out” system.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

I have the same question for Mr. Ballard, and then we'll go to Vilma.

[Mark Ballard]

I would agree with “first in, first out”. We should try to look at that.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Would you say that we need to also increase the immigration levels in these respective streams? Otherwise it wouldn't make a difference.

[Mark Ballard]

At this point, I would say no. I think the backlog is too great.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Are you suggesting that we shut down all new applications and just process the backlog?

[Mark Ballard]

That's what we are suggesting within our own group, as a matter of fact.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Vilma, do you have any comments?

[Vilma Pagaduan]

I think IRCC should increase the cap in every immigration stream, especially for the caregivers—the home support and child care programs.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Ms. Desloges, would you say that we need to increase the immigration levels?

[Chantal Desloges]

I don't think it's a good idea to turn off the taps that feed the pipeline entirely.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Time is up for Ms. Kwan.

I want to let all the witnesses know that if there is something that you were not able to talk about today because of a lack of time, you can always send in written submissions to the clerk of the committee. Those will be distributed to all the members, and we will take them into consideration when we go through the consideration of the draft report.

With that, this panel comes to an end.

I just wanted to seek approval from the members for the travel. Because of the time, we will not be able to have the second hour we had scheduled for the subcommittee. I will discuss it with the clerk of the committee, and we will try to schedule the subcommittee on Tuesday because we have to schedule our studies after this study. We will try to change the calendar and have that meeting on Tuesday. The clerk will work on that and then send the notice.

I just want to seek approval from the members of the committee as the deadline is coming. As you are all aware, we have to submit our plans to the liaison committee for travel for January to April. Is it agreed that in relation to the study of the application backlogs and processing times, the chair may be instructed to prepare the proposed preliminary submission for the committee's travel to the United Arab Emirates and Senegal for January 2023?

Mr. Brunelle-Duceppe, go ahead.

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

I agree Madam Chair, and I think everyone present agrees. Even Mr. Ballard has raised his hand.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Okay.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Madam Chair, before you move forward, I would just add a comment, if I may.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Yes, Ms. Kwan.