Citizenship and Immigration Committee on Feb. 7th, 2024

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Thank you, Minister.

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

—hasten an announcement because it may well be that agents who don't have Canada's best interests at heart will make decisions accordingly, and I—

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

I understand, Minister.

Earlier, in your presentation, you mentioned the positive things your government has done over the past eight years. The fact remains that I have never seen so many immigrants or people waiting for permits come to members' offices as I am seeing right now. The immigration system is really broken.

Concerning the crime currently taking place in Montreal, I would like to hear your opinion on the letter that the Premier of Quebec sent to the Prime Minister. In his letter, Mr. Legault raises specific points. In particular, he talks about the impact of asylum seekers on Quebec, but also about the criminal element. In 2019, I actually did an interview on street gangs, a terrible scourge.

In the short term, what concrete steps are you taking to find a solution to these problems?

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

The representatives of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police or the Canada Border Services Agency could answer your question on how to stop the crime.

Clearly, we share many of the concerns raised in Mr. Legault's letter. However, as the government responsible for diplomatic relations with Mexico, we have to respect certain steps and give this process a chance. If we do things hastily, Mexico could act against the interests of Canada and Quebec. All of that has to be taken into account when we make such a decision.

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

In 2009, the Conservative government made a calculated decision. I understand that you are talking about economic interests, but the assessments were done and this decision was made carefully. Mr. Harper, at the time, did not do that for fun.

Today, after the fact, can you admit that you ultimately made a mistake in 2016?

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

That is not the case. It is clear that we are dealing with very significant migration flows, whether from Mexico or from other countries. I've said in other committees that the number of people interested in coming to Canada is at an all-time high.

Please don't think that the flow of asylum seekers is solely dependent on Mexico, but it is clear that a large proportion of that flow is currently coming from that country. All in all, this is a relatively recent development. On balance, I think the decision made in 2016 was the right one.

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

In closing, do you consider the points raised in the letter from the Premier of Quebec to be reasonable?

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

Those points are reasonable in several respects, and we are working to address the issues raised.

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Are you finding solutions to these problems?

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

Absolutely.

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

Minister, you have 15 seconds to respond.

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

I said that I agree with him.

I'm done.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

Thank you.

Now we will move to Mr. Ali for six minutes.

Please, go ahead.

[Shafqat Ali, Liberal, Brampton Centre, ON]

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you, Minister and officials, for appearing before the committee.

In November 2023, I was with the Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities, Kamal Khera, as she announced funding of $7 million for Peel Region towards opening a new reception centre for asylum seekers. This funding is absolutely crucial for Peel Region and the City of Brampton and to ensure that asylum seekers have a safe and warm place to sleep at night. It has saved and will save lives.

The mayor of Brampton, Patrick Brown, even went as far as to say, “credit where credit is due. [The Government of Canada] stepped up.”

Minister, could you please tell the committee how the federal government has been providing funding to Peel Region and other provinces and municipalities across the country to support the housing needs of asylum seekers?

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

Thanks, MP Ali.

The announcement we made, which you were at—and thank you, obviously, for your advocacy and for that of your colleagues on this, because it was directly responsible for swift action by the federal government—was very important, because this is a humanitarian operation. Whether or not you agree that people who arrive here irregularly should be here, clearly they need shelter over their heads for the winter and also as they get the due process to which they are entitled under the laws of this country and under our international obligations.

The relationships we have are different from province to province. We have a different relationship with Quebec, and frankly, despite the political narrative at times, it is more organized than the one we have with the Government of Ontario. We deal sort of city by city, municipality by municipality at times in our organization, and there is probably a good argument to be made about being better organized, particularly as we see large flows coming into the city of Toronto, a lot of them coming from other places in the country, including Quebec.

These announcements will save lives. The interim housing assistance program—and its name betrays it—is something that is interim, but it is intended to keep shelter over people's heads. Federally speaking, we are also operating in numbers of hotels across the country to make sure that people are safe and that they can have work permits and get jobs.

However, it isn't ideal and I don't think anyone could credibly tell you that this is a long-term solution to the challenges we face. I think it is a challenge that Canadians want to see us rise to, particularly as it involves not only the federal government but also municipal governments, including the mayoralties of Brampton and Mississauga, and importantly, given the volume, Toronto.

We're not out of the woods by any stretch of the imagination, but the sums that we've deployed federally and those that we will leverage provincially and municipally are key to making sure that these people, who are among the most vulnerable people in Canada, are properly taken care of and housed as they get the due process to which they are entitled.

[Shafqat Ali, Liberal, Brampton Centre, ON]

Thank you, Minister.

As you know, the minister's mandate letter asks the minister to, “Build on existing pilot programs to further explore ways of regularizing status for undocumented workers who are contributing to Canadian communities.”

Can you expand on the pilot programs and other initiatives that IRCC has developed to regularize individuals without status?

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

It is important to underscore how vulnerable people without status are. We're looking at a number of options, including one broader one, which I'm scheduled to take to cabinet this spring sitting, that deals with the regularization of people who are here without status. It will not be as comprehensive and as far-reaching as many people would like, but I think it will be something that will be fair for people who have been treated very unfairly who are here, who are working and who perhaps have kids who are Canadians, and who should be Canadian by any other name but are not. Whether it succeeds or fails, I've been given the mandate by the Prime Minister, and I've undertaken to take it before cabinet for discussion and eventually debate by the House if we choose to move towards a legislative path.

I would add that we are also looking in other areas such as the construction industry and looking at pathways towards permanent residency and extending some of the pilots we have for out-of-status construction workers who are here. They are not a pressure on housing, and they could really contribute to an industry that has historically been under-represented by immigrants.

Those are a couple of the lines we are working on, but we are always open to more innovative ones if Canadians want them.

[Shafqat Ali, Liberal, Brampton Centre, ON]

As you know, whenever you and your officials come, I like to ask for an update on the visa processing centre in Islamabad. I asked the deputy minister last time she was here, and the committee was told that the visas for officials were in process. Could you please update the committee on where we're at?

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

I'm pleased to confirm that, Shafqat. We do have about seven positions that should be in place by summer of this year. This is a process of accreditation with the Government of Pakistan that is under way. It is good news, and it will allow us to have a more streamlined processing capacity on the ground in Islamabad.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

Thank you, Mr. Ali.

We'll go to my dear friend, Mr. Brunelle-Duceppe.

I know you get excited when French-speaking ministers come in. I'm going to give the floor to you. Go ahead.

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

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Minister, it's always a pleasure to have you appear before this committee.

I'm going to pick up on something you said. I think it is important for Canadians to know what the situation is in terms of immigration.

According to what you said in the House, the leader of the Bloc Québécois compared migrants to heat pumps and treated migrants like cattle by asking for a fair distribution among the provinces. That is what Mr. Legault and Ms. Fréchette are asking for. You also said that Bloc Québécois members were just armchair quarterbacks.

Do you think the tone you used toward the opposition is appropriate when discussing a subject as important as immigration?

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

Thank you, Mr. Brunelle‑Duceppe.

I generally think that immigration is a topic worthy of a thoughtful and rational discussion. I have a great deal of respect for you. That said, I think that your leader crossed a line when he spoke out against our announcement of $100 million for Quebec. That awkward comparison with heat pumps was bizarre. In my opinion, comparing the announcement to social housing was disrespectful. I thought that it was a bit all over the place.

Clearly, the atmosphere in the House is heating up. You also rise to the challenge of these discussions. It's a bit like a hockey game sometimes. I don't mean to be disrespectful, but you must remember that the Government of Canada works with the Government of Quebec. Between these two levels of government, the Bloc Québécois is nowhere to be seen. Obviously, as members of this political party, you're entitled to responses from us. We're accountable. However, clearly, you aren't the Government of Quebec. You don't speak on behalf of Quebeckers either.

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

Thank you, Minister Miller.

Are you suggesting that Liberal members of Parliament were armchair quarterbacks during the 10 years of the Harper government when they were part of the opposition? Is that how you would describe them?

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

I think that the government—