Evidence of meeting #70 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 chair.
A recording is available from Parliament.
8:15 p.m.
Liberal
8:15 p.m.
Conservative
8:15 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Salma Zahid
Please, I would request that those questions that have already been asked and that the officials have answered should not be repeated. If now they are repeated, I will have to cut members off.
8:15 p.m.
Conservative
Dan Mazier Conservative Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, MB
It won't be repeated. It's just a matter of relevance.
8:15 p.m.
An hon. member
[Inaudible—Editor]
8:15 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Salma Zahid
Let's have no conversations on the sides. We are sitting late. The officials are here. They are spending their time here rather than spending it with their families. I think that should be respected. Please avoid these conversations. Please be on point, and let's get this done.
Mr. Mazier.
8:15 p.m.
Conservative
Dan Mazier Conservative Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, MB
Just as far as the relevance is concerned, you're talking about putting an IRCC system to become citizens online. If you look at it from a rural perspective, if you're not online, if you can't.... This is a government proposal that no one has actually thought out. That's why I'm asking how the department is going to adapt to this.
That's all I'm asking. We can leave it, or we can move forward. That's not a problem.
8:15 p.m.
Conservative
Brad Redekopp Conservative Saskatoon West, SK
Thank you, Madam Chair.
I think it's appropriate at this time to just remember the reason why we're here. The reason why we're here.... There was a very reasonable suggestion put forward by Mr. Kmiec.
8:15 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Salma Zahid
This is not relevant to the amendment we have on the floor. We are debating the amendment. Please keep your points related to the amendment.
8:15 p.m.
Conservative
Brad Redekopp Conservative Saskatoon West, SK
On a point of order, we're all tired, fair enough. To your point, the reason we're here is that there have been so many changes made to this bill. Mr. Kmiec offered an easy way to fix this to allow amendments to be provided by the middle of May, I think it was. It was not done. It was not accepted. As a result, we're having to go through this slower process.
I just need to remind everyone of that. That's the reason we're here. That's the reason this is taking longer than we maybe hoped.
8:15 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Salma Zahid
Please, the conversation should be on the amendment or the subamendment, whatever we have on the floor.
On amendment CPC-6, we will go for a vote.
8:15 p.m.
Conservative
Damien Kurek Conservative Battle River—Crowfoot, AB
I'm sorry. My name should have been on the list.
8:15 p.m.
Conservative
Damien Kurek Conservative Battle River—Crowfoot, AB
Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
Certainly what's interesting in a large rural constituency is the whole dynamic around virtual citizenship, and specifically some of the proposals that have been brought forward. You know, when we've had the details of the amendments that have been brought directly before us here, I have consistently heard question asked of whether these adjustments are.... Quite frankly, over the course of this, it was not isolated to the new proposals. It was also some of the amendments that had been brought forward as IRCC and the government adjusted to the dynamics of COVID-19. I have had new citizens and people who are pursuing citizenship asking the simple question about how some of these things fit within the tradition of what is seen to be an incredibly valuable part of taking that step and that path to citizenship.
I guess my question to the officials specifically surrounds some of the consultations about how this impacts the perception of citizenship and the process that the oath, particularly, has. I'm wondering if they could provide some feedback or details around how some of these adjustments have impacted the perception of what the citizenship process is.
I think my father-in-law would be very comfortable with me sharing this. It was a very exciting day when as an adult—he'd moved with his family to Canada when he was a child—he decided to become a Canadian. That was a very powerful moment. There was a judge in front of an auditorium and 30 or 40 of them. This was long before I was elected. You know, me and my family.... I think I had one child at the time. It was an incredibly poignant moment for him, having lived and worked in Canada his entire life, and to also be on the stage with many others.
Has any data, research or feedback been received? Certainly, I've been receiving this. My office and constituency staff help hundreds of individuals with “casework”, as we refer to it. Has there been feedback provided about this process in terms of what is perceived as the culmination of the citizenship process, that actually becoming a citizen—
8:20 p.m.
Liberal
Arielle Kayabaga Liberal London West, ON
I have a point of order, Madam Chair. This question was asked earlier, so I'm again calling a point of order.
8:20 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Salma Zahid
Mr. Kurek, please do not repeat. Just get to the point of the question.
8:20 p.m.
Conservative
Damien Kurek Conservative Battle River—Crowfoot, AB
Absolutely. I understand. I have come to this committee, and it may have been asked in a certain context, but as the member for Battle River—Crowfoot, I have not yet had the opportunity to ask the question.
My question to the officials is on whether they could share with this committee the feedback that they have—
8:20 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Salma Zahid
You said this a minute ago, before this point of order. Can you please not repeat—
8:20 p.m.
Conservative
Damien Kurek Conservative Battle River—Crowfoot, AB
Madam Chair, I'm getting to my question. That's my expectation—to be able to ask the question about whether the officials can in fact share with this committee feedback that they have received from Canadians or from a consultative process about the adjustments being made to the process of becoming a Canadian citizen.
8:20 p.m.
Liberal
Arielle Kayabaga Liberal London West, ON
On a point of order, Madam Chair, this is the same question MP Redekopp asked less than 10 minutes ago.
8:20 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Salma Zahid
Thank you.
We are getting into debate. Ms. Girard has the floor. She will answer the question.
8:20 p.m.
Director General, Citizenship Policy, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
Thank you, Madam Chair.
As was mentioned previously, this was a regulatory proposal that was put out for public consultation. The public did provide various comments. As part of the regulatory process, the department will compile those comments and prepare the public summary that would normally be provided for final publication of the regulations some months from now, as part of the normal regulatory process. That information will be prepared for that purpose and shared down the line when we get to that stage.
Thank you.
8:25 p.m.
Conservative
Damien Kurek Conservative Battle River—Crowfoot, AB
Thank you very much.
Thank you to the officials, and happy birthday to your husband.
I understand that you're sharing that there have been consultations through some of the regulatory changes, but in the context of the bill that we have before us, specifically the amendment, in the larger context of the bill, I want to nail in here specifically, Ms. Girard, the timing that you referred to with the publication of some of those comments. Can you outline exactly what the timeline would be for those publications specifically? The reason it's highly relevant to this amendment and the bill writ large is that the committee is tasked with dealing with this now but does not have the opportunity to see what some of that feedback is. I want to make sure that members of the committee and Canadians watching know exactly what the overlap of those timelines might be.