Citizenship and Immigration Committee on March 20th, 2024

[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.

[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?

[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.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

Thank you, Minister, and Mr. Kmiec.

We will go to Madam Kayabaga for six minutes, please.

Go ahead.

[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.

[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.

[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?

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

These people got out by their own efforts.

[Arielle Kayabaga, Liberal, London West, ON]

It was not from this program, then.

[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.

[Arielle Kayabaga, Liberal, London West, ON]

It's fair to say that nobody has come through with this program.

[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.

[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?

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

I'm sorry. What requirement...?

[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.

[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—

[Arielle Kayabaga, Liberal, London West, ON]

What is the rationale behind the code?

[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.

[Arielle Kayabaga, Liberal, London West, ON]

Is this a code that we've used before?

Maybe the officials can help with the answer.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

Honourable Deputy Minister Kochhar, please go ahead.

[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.

[Arielle Kayabaga, Liberal, London West, ON]

Just in the interest of time, if I cut you off, I apologize ahead of time.

[Dr. Harpreet S. Kochhar]

No worries.

[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.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sukh Dhaliwal]

We have the honourable deputy minister.