Citizenship and Immigration Committee on March 20th, 2024

[Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, Liberal, Beaches—East York, ON]

Thanks very much.

My understanding is there are about 2,367 applications. We've completed 900 and about 300 have been submitted. The minister said that, unfortunately, it's not in our control, and it's immensely frustrating. Who has that control, and where should Canadians, who are so frustrated, be directing that immense frustration?

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

Thank you. The time is up, but Deputy Minister or Assistant Deputy Minister, you can answer the question.

[Dr. Harpreet S. Kochhar]

To clarify, Chair, 2,300 are the...codes out there. We have 986 applications.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

I'll stop the watch and go back to Mr. Erskine-Smith, please, to clarify.

[Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, Liberal, Beaches—East York, ON]

No, the core question is that there are 300 applications you have submitted, and 900 have been completed, as I understand it. I take your point—there are 2,367 codes that are out there of people who have expressed an interest here. Having said that, the question remains: If it's not in our control, and we are immensely frustrated, where should we be directing that frustration? Who has the ultimate control here?

[Dr. Harpreet S. Kochhar]

The control, as I mentioned earlier, is with COGAT, which is the Israeli authority that has to give the exit...for the people of Gaza who are trapped there.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

Thank you very much. The time is up.

It's my understanding that my dear friend, Mr. Brunelle-Duceppe, is giving his time to Mr. Morrice, Is that correct? That's good.

Mr. Morrice, please go ahead for two and a half minutes.

[Mike Morrice, Green, Kitchener Centre, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Brunelle‑Duceppe, for sharing your time with me.

Thank you, Chair.

Deputy Minister, I appreciate your being here. I would encourage you, if you have a chance, to stick around afterwards to hear from some of the Palestinian Canadians in this room who, to your claim of other countries not being successful at having folks get out of Gaza, have, in my view, some pretty strong evidence that that's not the case. I'd encourage you to hear from them directly.

I'd like to follow up on a mother of Maha and Saja from my community. I provided a letter to the minister about their case back on February 12, and again on February 27. She has a TRV already.

My question to the minister, and my question to you, is why is it that she's not been able to get out with a TRV already?

[Dr. Harpreet S. Kochhar]

Mr. Chair, if the person has a TRV and they are outside Gaza....

[Mike Morrice, Green, Kitchener Centre, ON]

She's in Gaza.

[Dr. Harpreet S. Kochhar]

For a TRV to.... I'm sorry, but I'll just—

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

I'll stop the watch if you want to....

[Dr. Harpreet S. Kochhar]

I want to make sure that I understand the question. The TRV in Gaza is probably not through the public policy. It is that they have a TRV as such.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

Is that the intention?

[Mike Morrice, Green, Kitchener Centre, ON]

It's a temporary resident visa issued by the Government of Canada—

[Dr. Harpreet S. Kochhar]

Yes, absolutely.

[Mike Morrice, Green, Kitchener Centre, ON]

—with confirmation from IRCC officials already. I'd like to understand if it is—as you just responded to my colleague, Mr. Erskine-Smith—that we need to get her onto the COGAT list. Does she need to get onto an evacuation list? What list do we need to advocate for her to get on, given she already has a TRV?

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

I'll start the watch.

Deputy Minister, go ahead, please.

[Dr. Harpreet S. Kochhar]

The COGAT list, to very clearly point out, is the one that is under public policy; however, the work has to be done through the Israeli authorities to actually allow her to come here.

[Mike Morrice, Green, Kitchener Centre, ON]

Is that including for those who, at the end of the access code process, ideally, would get a TRV? This person already has that TRV. That remains the case for her as well, and everyone else in her same position too?

[Dr. Harpreet S. Kochhar]

Absolutely. As I mentioned, Mr. Chair, our span of control, our reach, does not go into the country itself. It is under the Israeli command that they would be allowing them to come. TRV guarantees her entry into Canada, but a TRV does not guarantee an exit from the place where she is.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

Honourable member, you have 20 seconds.

[Mike Morrice, Green, Kitchener Centre, ON]

I suggest that's where we need to place far more effort, in that case, given that we're giving out these access codes, and even if they're successful with the access codes, we have no way of getting people out even if they are successful in finally getting a TRV, which we've learned is extremely difficult already.

I'd like to follow up on Sudan as well, but maybe we could have a conversation after this, because I just ran out of time.

Thank you.

[Dr. Harpreet S. Kochhar]

Absolutely.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

Thank you, Mr. Morrice.

I'll go to Madam Kwan.

You have two and a half minutes. Please go ahead.