Citizenship and Immigration Committee on Nov. 7th, 2023

[Greg McLean, Conservative, Calgary Centre, AB]

Thank you.

I'm sorry that I have to be so short here.

We've gone through a lot of numbers: $700 million over the last five years, an extra $212 million this year, which includes $97 million in Toronto, and $627 million more for hotel rooms. We're talking about billions of dollars here.

You're overseeing a department where, as I recall from last week, your budget is to go down next year, and yet it seems that your demands are going up with this program.

How do you reconcile that, as far as being able to serve this growing expense without putting that in the budget? Or is the budget exercise a bit of a sham at this point, if I may say that?

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

Thank you.

Deputy Minister.

[Christiane Fox]

The department, through our levels plan, got funding for the work we are doing, and that funding will be to operate all of our lines of business.

What I would say is that as we think about asylum reform, we need to look at the system as a whole—and that's not just IRCC—and where funding is required. There are mechanisms by which funding can be requested, including in the budget cycle. I think these are decisions that the government will need to make around the very important priorities it has.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

Thank you, Ms. Fox, Mr. Hollmann and Madam McQueen.

[Greg McLean, Conservative, Calgary Centre, AB]

Chair, just as a follow-up, it doesn't reconcile that the needs are going up and budget is going down. That's what I'm trying to get to the bottom of here.

Can you please tell me how that actually works? You're going to need more money and yet your budget shows that you're going to get less money.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

We don't have resources after 7 p.m. If you can answer that question in writing, I would really appreciate it.

On behalf of committee members, I would love to thank the interpreters, and, of course, the clerk, analysts and the support staff, for helping us.

Again, thank you and the very best to you.

The meeting is adjourned.