Citizenship and Immigration Committee on Oct. 30th, 2025

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

I'm not sure I would be able to answer that question.

Jason, do we have...?

[Jason Hollmann]

We can't quantify that, in large part because the time is also contingent on the number of claims that come in. As the minister explained, we're changing the period at the intake when people apply. We're changing how we review those claims to make sure the IRB can get the information and process the hearings faster. We're also trying to give authorities to clear out and complete claims from the system so that we're not spending time looking at documentation that's incomplete.

As well, we are changing the ability for people to access designated representatives. This is for people who don't understand the claim process, like minors, so that they can have that support through the system to ensure that they have fairness and get their claims through faster as well.

[The Chair, Liberal, Julie Dzerowicz]

That is time. Thank you.

I'm calling this a two-hour session. I wonder if everyone would approve a five-minute break. We will extend the whole meeting time by five minutes, so no one is losing any time.

I'm just asking if it's okay if we take a break.

Ms. DeBellefeuille, would you like a break?

Would you, Mr. Ma?

Go ahead, Mr. Fragiskatos.

[Peter Fragiskatos, Liberal, London Centre, ON]

We always take a break to transition over. There's no transition here, but I don't think it's unreasonable to have five minutes, and then we make it up—

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

No. It is unreasonable. There's no protocol for this.

[The Chair, Liberal, Julie Dzerowicz]

I know there's no protocol. We're just asking the question, and we're not losing time. We would extend it by five minutes, Ms. Rempel Garner.

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

We're okay to keep going. It's up to the committee, obviously.

[The Chair, Liberal, Julie Dzerowicz]

Mrs. DeBellefeuille, what do you think?

[Claude DeBellefeuille, Bloc, Beauharnois—Salaberry—Soulanges—Huntingdon, QC]

Madam Chair, I think it would be a good idea to take a few minutes so that our interpreters can have a quick break. However, I don't agree with extending the meeting by five minutes. As Mr. Fragiskatos said, we often change panels without extending the meeting. We should allow our excellent interpreters, who are enabling me to participate fully in today's meeting, to take a short five-minute break.

[The Chair, Liberal, Julie Dzerowicz]

Thank you.

Go ahead, Ms. Rempel Garner.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Why are we doing this? This never happens. It's a two-hour committee meeting. Does the minister need a break?

[The Chair, Liberal, Julie Dzerowicz]

Ms. Rempel Garner, I'm asking you and everyone else here if we could take a five-minute break. If you are against it, that's okay. You have said no, so we will continue. Despite everybody else saying yes, we will continue.

We now have Ms. Rempel Garner starting the fourth round for five minutes.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Thank you. I'm here to work, Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Julie Dzerowicz]

So are we. Thank you.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Thank you, Chair.

Minister, I just want to be clear. There are presently, per your testimony, no asylum claimants in any hotel or temporary accommodation in Canada.

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

I said that there are no asylum claimants in hotel accommodations. No, there aren't. Obviously municipalities have places, but they're not in hotels that are paid for by the federal government or anyone else. That's correct.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

You're not paying for those asylum claimants who were in hotels to be in other places right now, in any way, shape or form?

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

We have transferred funding to municipalities, but there are no asylum claimants in hotels.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Okay, so basically what you guys have done is remove the hotel line item, forcing people out on the streets, while transferring more money to municipalities. Is that about right?

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

I didn't say that.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Okay. Thank you.

I would like to go back to the section on mass cancellations.

Just to re-emphasize what you said, you said that this section doesn't apply to asylum claimants. Is that correct?

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

That is correct. These powers are used in exceptional cases for fraud purposes, health crises like pandemics and safety and national security, but not for individual asylum claimants.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Fraud is not once mentioned in Bill C-12. The section that gives you power to cancel immigration applications, including permanent resident visas, doesn't include fraud. The public interest isn't defined.

You weren't able to give a specific example of where you would use this. I'm just puzzled why you would be asking Parliament to grant you authority to cancel somebody's permanent resident visa without going through Parliament if you can't name an example.

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

As I said earlier—and I am happy to repeat—these are not meant to be used for individual cases.

These powers are intentionally.... Public interest is not defined in the legislation to allow flexibility for government to respond to various measures that are not individual cases.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

You talked about some of these examples being during the pandemic, when there were a lot of fraudulent letters issued to students.