Evidence of meeting #95 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 program.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Marc Miller Liberal Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC
I have not spoken to anyone in the PA.
As you know, Minister Joly met with Mr. Abbas.
We do, as security measures, coordinate at times with those, but on an officials basis.
Conservative
Tom Kmiec Conservative Calgary Shepard, AB
My question then is going to be about the interactions with the officials.
Can you describe the security relationship? I ask because the reaction of the Government of Egypt has been different to those who are to come through the Rafah crossing versus those who have fled the civil war in Sudan.
Can you explain what that interaction is like and how that has perhaps complicated the Government of Canada's response?
Liberal
Marc Miller Liberal Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC
Certainly, it's a highly pertinent question, MP Kmiec.
This is not an easy area to extract folks from. Correspondingly, it has been easier to have people exit Ukraine, for example, and perhaps even Sudan. Given the gravity of the crisis in Gaza, there is an intense security perimeter, which you are familiar with. Coordination to get people out requires interaction with the Government of Egypt. It requires cooperation with COGAT, a wing of the Israeli Ministry of Defense. With respect to the Palestinians, who have family members here and whom we are trying desperately to get out, we have submitted a list of well north of 300 people.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Sukh Dhaliwal
Thank you, Minister, and Mr. Kmiec.
We will go to Madam Kayabaga for six minutes, please.
Go ahead.
Liberal
Arielle Kayabaga Liberal London West, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I would just like to go back to some of those numbers you just talked about. I wasn't sure if I heard the answer on how many people have exited through this specific program for Gazans, through the official Rafah crossing.
Liberal
Marc Miller Liberal Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC
It has been very few and far between. There are 14 people who have exited. We have, on an ad hoc basis, been able to extract people through intense diplomatic efforts, but not as a result of the names that we have submitted in due course to COGAT—amongst others on the list that we have. That is the preferred way of getting people out in a way that doesn't involve intermediaries and bribing people of dubious backgrounds.
Liberal
Arielle Kayabaga Liberal London West, ON
Are the 14 people specifically through the program, or are they those who got out on their own, with their own families, using their own money?
Liberal
Marc Miller Liberal Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC
These people got out by their own efforts.
Liberal
Marc Miller Liberal Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC
It was not through the efforts of our trying to extract people through this program.
Liberal
Arielle Kayabaga Liberal London West, ON
It's fair to say that nobody has come through with this program.
Liberal
Marc Miller Liberal Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC
They are covered by the program, but they are not covered by the official way in which we are trying to get people out. They have gotten out on their own.
Liberal
Arielle Kayabaga Liberal London West, ON
Is there a way to address the concerns regarding the code requirements for Gazans to be able to submit for temporary resident visas?
Liberal
Liberal
Arielle Kayabaga Liberal London West, ON
The code requirement. There has been a code that has been submitted, and you receive it once in a while. I think it's been stopped now.
Can we get some more information on the code? I've never seen the code before.
Liberal
Marc Miller Liberal Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC
As of last week, we started to increase the number of codes. We will be increasing the number of codes in increments of 250 by week, just to—
Liberal
Marc Miller Liberal Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC
Well, it's part of the process. When you initiate the application process, you issue people a code as part of their further step in the process. I can defer to officials to describe the step plan.
Liberal
Arielle Kayabaga Liberal London West, ON
Is this a code that we've used before?
Maybe the officials can help with the answer.
Liberal
Dr. Harpreet S. Kochhar Deputy Minister, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
Thank you, Chair, for the question.
Basically the code is built in a systematic way to make sure that we have the complete application. When there is an interest from any person, who is an anchor relative here to bring someone from Gaza, they are actually applying through the web form, which triggers a code. That code is actually allowing them an ability to submit an application.
Liberal
Arielle Kayabaga Liberal London West, ON
Just in the interest of time, if I cut you off, I apologize ahead of time.
Deputy Minister, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
No worries.
Liberal
Arielle Kayabaga Liberal London West, ON
I'm just more curious to know if this is something we have done before, or if this is a special code for Gazans.