Evidence of meeting #41 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 refugees.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Rema Jamous Imseis  Representative to Canada, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Appolonie Simbizi  Secretary General, Alliance des Burundais du Canada
Janet McFetridge  Mayor of Champlain, New York, Plattsburgh Cares
Azadeh Tamjeedi  Senior Legal Officer and Head of Protection Unit, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

3:40 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Salma Zahid

Thank you.

Mr. Redekopp, go ahead.

3:40 p.m.

Conservative

Brad Redekopp Conservative Saskatoon West, SK

For the information of the committee, this information is readily available—we had this discussion last time—but we need this information at committee. Unless we have it given to the committee, we—

3:40 p.m.

Liberal

Arielle Kayabaga Liberal London West, ON

I have a point of order, Madam Chair.

3:40 p.m.

Conservative

Brad Redekopp Conservative Saskatoon West, SK

That's the whole point, so that—

3:40 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Salma Zahid

On a point of order, we have Ms. Kayabaga.

3:40 p.m.

Liberal

Arielle Kayabaga Liberal London West, ON

I'm really confused about what's happening right now. There's a motion that's been tabled by Ms. Kwan, and that you were calling a vote on. Are we moving another motion on top of Ms. Kwan's motion?

3:40 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Salma Zahid

Ms. Kayabaga, we have adopted the motion that was moved by Ms. Kwan. The members didn't want to have a recorded vote, so it was a show of hands.

That motion has been adopted, so Mr. Maguire has tabled another motion.

Mr. Redekopp, go ahead.

3:40 p.m.

Conservative

Brad Redekopp Conservative Saskatoon West, SK

Thank you.

That's the point. I believe this information is readily available. If we have it tabled to the committee, then it's accessible to the committee to use in the report. That's the intent of this. It's not meant to create work or anything; it's meant to bring it to the committee for our use.

3:40 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Salma Zahid

Thank you, Mr. Redekopp.

Ms. Rempel Garner, go ahead.

3:40 p.m.

Conservative

Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB

Chair, I would like to echo my colleague's comments. This is a motion that has been adopted by this committee in previous Parliaments—I believe unanimously. It's a tremendous data point for the committee to deliberate and also to contextualize recommendations. It's also of use to the clerk and the analysts.

Certainly I support my colleague's motion on this and would like to note, for Liberal colleagues as well as other opposition colleagues, that this has been a standing practice of the immigration committee to adopt in previous Parliaments.

Thank you.

3:45 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Salma Zahid

Mrs. Lalonde, go ahead.

3:45 p.m.

Liberal

Marie-France Lalonde Liberal Orléans, ON

I'm very sorry we have to do this in front of our witnesses, because we're anxiously waiting, but I wanted to know if my honourable colleague would be receptive to this. I would like, Madam Chair, to move an amendment that instead of five days, it will be 20 days.

3:45 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Salma Zahid

Thank you, Mrs. Lalonde.

Mrs. Lalonde has moved an amendment to the motion moved by Mr. Maguire, so we have an amendment on the floor.

Mr. Kmiec, go ahead.

3:45 p.m.

Conservative

Tom Kmiec Conservative Calgary Shepard, AB

I'm sorry, but what did you mean—from five to 20 days? I just don't understand the amendment.

3:45 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Salma Zahid

Madame Lalonde, could you please repeat your amendment?

3:45 p.m.

Liberal

Marie-France Lalonde Liberal Orléans, ON

I apologize.

I propose that, instead of it being the fifth day of the month, it be the 20th day of the month.

3:45 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Salma Zahid

Mr. Kmiec, go ahead.

3:45 p.m.

Conservative

Tom Kmiec Conservative Calgary Shepard, AB

Chair, what's the impact of making this change? I'm trying to understand what the departmental reason would be for not being able to provide it earlier in the month, as opposed to the 20th of the month. Does Mrs. Lalonde know the answer to that?

3:45 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Salma Zahid

Thank you, Mr. Kmiec.

Mrs. Lalonde, go ahead.

3:45 p.m.

Liberal

Marie-France Lalonde Liberal Orléans, ON

As we've discussed with some members, the 5th of the month is maybe premature. Not that we have anything.... It is already online, as you know. By the time everything gets to be aggregated, it's a collection of information from another department, as the member very much knows. CBSA also works.... It's not just IRCC.

What we're asking for is a very reasonable approach, just to say that instead of on the 5th day of the month, it would be the 20th, so the department, in consultation with their other ministries, would have a chance to ensure the information that is posted online is relevant, but also factually well informed.

Actually, we're looking forward to it, because it's already online, but we would like to present a friendly amendment, therefore allowing the ministry to look with all the other ministries to aggregate that data on the 20th of the month. It would just make a best practice.

Thank you.

3:45 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Salma Zahid

Thank you.

Mr. Maguire, go ahead.

3:45 p.m.

Conservative

Larry Maguire Conservative Brandon—Souris, MB

Yes, thank you.

The reason it's the 5th of the month is that we're giving them five days to post information to us that they already have available on the first day of the month. They don't need 20 days. That would be my off-the-cuff comment on that.

I appreciate my colleague's raising the number of days, but this information is available on the first day of the next month and we're giving them five days into the month to be able to assemble it. All they're doing is transferring it to this committee. The point of having the motion in the first place is so that the committee gets the information directly and we can deal with it at our meetings.

That would be my initial thought. I'll take other people's comments.

3:45 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Salma Zahid

Thank you, Mr. Maguire.

Mr. Redekopp, go ahead.

3:45 p.m.

Conservative

Brad Redekopp Conservative Saskatoon West, SK

My thought is that if it is published, it's published, and if it's wrong or there's an error, I'm sure it will get corrected. I think the same process could be applied here too. I guess I don't see why we can't just go with the data as published online on the 5th. If there's a mistake in the previous month, it's an easy thing to fix it.

3:45 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Salma Zahid

Mrs. Lalonde, go ahead.