Citizenship and Immigration Committee on Dec. 5th, 2023

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

Go ahead, honourable Minister.

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

Mr. Chair, could you give Mr. Godin more time? I didn't quite understand his question.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

Mr. Godin, go ahead.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Mr. Minister, you stated in your opening remarks that there had been an increase in immigration to Canada. Can you give us the proportion of francophone and anglophone immigration?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

Yes, I can tell you what the situation is outside Quebec.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

I'm talking about all of Canada. I'm not making—

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

As you know, Quebec sets its own immigration levels. I assume that these are exclusively francophone immigrants, although that may not be the case.

The francophone immigration rate outside Quebec reached 4.4% last year. This year, we have just reached a rate of 4.5%, which is a historic threshold. We still have work to do, obviously.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Let's talk about targets.

You set francophone immigration targets for the next three years, 6% in 2024, 7% in 2025, and 8% in 2026.

What criteria did you use to establish the francophone immigration targets needed to at least stop the decline of French in Canada? We know full well that these targets won't get us there.

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

There was quite a significant consultation across Canada. We also looked at our resources within the department. The levels we had achieved in our recent history were well below 4%. After taking into account the comments we received and what the department was asking for, we set realistic targets.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Thank you.

I will conclude my remarks by saying that, unfortunately, the minister has just told us that if French isn't protected and its decline in Canada isn't stopped, it's simply a question of resources. I find that unfortunate.

I would now like to give the rest of my time to my colleague Mr. Kmiec.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

Mr. Kmiec, you have one minute. Please go ahead.

[Tom Kmiec, Conservative, Calgary Shepard, AB]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Earlier today, I asked your deputy minister about the CUAET visa program. The Yeates report talked about how only 10,000 people were the original group that you thought—the department thought—would be allowed to stay as permanent residents.

There are over 200,000 CUAET visa holders. What does the future hold for them? Can you commit to finding a path to permanent residency for these war refugees who have come to Canada?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

First of all, I would like to respond to Mr. Godin's comment.

We've increased our targets to 8%. The Conservatives, on the other hand, did nothing for the entire time they were in power. When the Conservatives were in power, the targets were close to 2% or 3%. So I find it a bit ridiculous to be lectured about this.

My answer to MP Kmiec is as follows.

We will have to have a discussion about what that pathway to permanent residency is for Ukrainians who wish to stay. Currently, we have some geopolitical considerations, as you well know, with respect to the permanence of those people who are here—who are well over 200,000. There is, as you mentioned, a pathway for people seeking permanent residency, but the general expectation is that those people will return to rebuild Ukraine once the war is won. That is a reality, and it is one that is not without geopolitical consequences if we decide to expand permanent residency currently. There are pathways, but are they sufficient? I think time will tell. There is a point where Canada will have to make additional considerations, but we aren't prepared as a country to do that now.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

Thank you very much, Mr. Kmiec.

I will now go to Mr. El-Khoury.

Mr. El-Khoury, please go ahead for five minutes.

[Fayçal El-Khoury, Liberal, Laval—Les Îles, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Welcome to the minister and his extraordinary team.

Mr. Minister, Canada is experiencing an increase in the number of asylum seekers, which has put considerable pressure on Canada's housing system. As winter approaches, the needs become more and more urgent.

Less than two weeks ago, our government announced additional funding for the Region of Peel to open a new welcome centre that will temporarily house asylum seekers.

Can you tell us more about the benefits of this funding, the reaction of stakeholders and how it can help meet the needs of these people?

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

The honourable minister.

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

Thank you for your question, Mr. El‑Khoury.

As you've seen in the newspapers, the sharp increase in the number of asylum seekers, especially in the Toronto area, has made it necessary for the federal government to intervene. Together with the mayors of Brampton and Mississauga in particular, as well as the mayor of Toronto, we made a number of efforts to ensure that people would have a roof over their heads for the holidays.

The announcement we made was for funding for a reception centre near Pearson airport. The funding from the federal government is $7 million. There will be additional funding from other levels of government. This centre will play an important role in welcoming people who, when they arrive at Pearson airport, will make a refugee claim. The centre will also be used to house people who are on the street.

So it was a very nice announcement. This is what Mississauga and Brampton, in the Peel region, have been requesting for a very long time.

As I'm sure you know, a homeless person died, unfortunately. Obviously, I don't know if there's a distinction to be made between Canadians who are homeless and asylum seekers who are homeless. Death has no regard for a person's citizenship. That said, we definitely need to make an additional effort, and the federal government supports it.

The responsible government of Ontario must also invest the necessary funds. I know they have a historic agreement with the City of Toronto. That said, it must certainly fulfill its role with respect to asylum seekers on its territory. That was done a few decades ago, but the Ontario government unfortunately backed away from it.

One thing is clear: Migration flows are unprecedented at the international level. They affect over 100 million people around the world. Canada is not immune to this phenomenon, although it is quite isolated geographically, compared to a number of European countries where it is prevalent.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

The honourable member.

[Fayçal El-Khoury, Liberal, Laval—Les Îles, QC]

Mr. Minister, Canada is a prime destination for people looking for a new place to work, study, have a better future, start a family, and feel safe and secure.

In recent years, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has received an increasing number of applications. This often exceeds the department's capacity to process applications, resulting in delays and failure to meet service standards.

Can you tell us more about the recent work done by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to improve the experience of newcomers and its clients?

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

The honourable minister.

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

We've had a chance to talk about it. It's true that we're facing a record number of applications from people who want to come and settle in Canada. I think we hit an all‑time high in October, when there were still three months left in the year. That puts a lot of pressure on the department.

Obviously, we have to do things better. At the time, everything was done by the handful. This system isn't suited to the 21st century. Digitization is a big step forward. The Office of the Auditor General's report, which was mixed, but still positive, noted among other things the improvement in processing times and services provided by IRCC. That's a good thing. Two years ago, coming out of the COVID‑19 pandemic, the wait times were very long. Since that point of reference for the Office of the Auditor General's review, we have made additional improvements. So that's positive. We're moving in the right direction.

Obviously, there are factors beyond our control. As for the rest, my department is working 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to improve its points of service. Our credibility is at stake.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

Thank you, Mr. El-Khoury. Your time is up.

With that, on behalf of the committee members, Minister, thank you for being with us today. Hopefully, you will be accessible in the coming days, and we're looking forward to seeing you many more times.

Thank you.

With that, the meeting is suspended.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

We still have all of the officials that I have already mentioned, so I'm not going to take any more time on that.

We will have one round of six minutes for each party, and then there is a consensus that we will adjourn because of the votes.

Without any further ado, I will go into the questions and answers.

The first six minutes will go to Mr. McLean.

Mr. McLean, go ahead, please.

[Greg McLean, Conservative, Calgary Centre, AB]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Deputy, I have a follow-up on the last question I asked. Do you have the names of the five top organizations that were given grants and contributions?

[Christiane Fox]

I think what we can do is that we'll—