Evidence of meeting #23 for Citizenship and Immigration in the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was claim.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Vincent Ho Conservative Richmond Hill South, ON
Assuming those numbers are correct, because the numbers were provided by the CBSA to the Globe and Mail, why is the enforcement rate so low?
Director General, Immigration and Asylum Policy, Canada Border Services Agency
We have to keep in mind that the whole system is predicated on due process. We start with an allegation and then we write a report. It's reviewed by a senior officer to decide if there's enough evidence to refer it to the board for a determination of admissibility. It would then go to the board to be scheduled for a hearing.
I can't speak to the processes at the board. My colleagues can. If it is decided that individuals are inadmissible, then, of course, different review mechanisms exist for people. Once those are all taken care of, we would remove them from Canada.
Conservative
Vincent Ho Conservative Richmond Hill South, ON
What exactly is preventing the CBSA from removing individuals who have already gone through the IRB due process that exists and have already been ordered deported?
Director General, Immigration and Asylum Policy, Canada Border Services Agency
If they've been ordered deported, you get into the mechanisms of having to be able to remove them. I can tell you that one of the big problems today, on today's date, is access to flights into Iran.
Conservative
Vincent Ho Conservative Richmond Hill South, ON
Given the escalating instability in the Middle East and the regime's global activities, is your agency concerned at all that these regime officials may attempt to seek safe haven in Canada?
Director General, Immigration and Asylum Policy, Canada Border Services Agency
I think we have to take a step back and look at what mechanisms have been put in place. Global Affairs has mechanisms to sanction Iranian officials. The government has also put in place two measures under our minister's authority. There's the listing in the Criminal Code of the IRGC as a terrorist organization and then there is the designation of the regime, which your colleagues asked about previously.
All of those mechanisms exist, so when—
Conservative
Vincent Ho Conservative Richmond Hill South, ON
Are you satisfied with those measures? You listed a lot of measures. Are they rigorous enough, in your view?
Director General, Immigration and Asylum Policy, Canada Border Services Agency
If you're asking for my personal opinion, that doesn't really matter for the purposes of this conversation, but a number of mechanisms exist, including—
Conservative
Vincent Ho Conservative Richmond Hill South, ON
You see a lot of this stuff. You would have an opinion. We're asking you because you see a lot of the stuff on the ground. We're asking you. Do you think there are measures that could be updated?
Director General, Immigration and Asylum Policy, Canada Border Services Agency
If you're asking me whether I personally believe the—
Director General, Immigration and Asylum Policy, Canada Border Services Agency
—the admissibility regime is intact to find people inadmissible to come to the country, yes I do.
Conservative
Director General, Immigration and Asylum Policy, Canada Border Services Agency
I didn't say that. You're asking me about the Iranian situation and senior officials.
Conservative
Vincent Ho Conservative Richmond Hill South, ON
If the laws were updated, would it make your job easier? Would removals be quicker, in your view, if we were to change the laws?
Director General, Immigration and Asylum Policy, Canada Border Services Agency
The hypothetical would depend on what changes you are looking to make.
Conservative
Vincent Ho Conservative Richmond Hill South, ON
There could be some changes to speed up removals.
Lastly, I'm going to ask this question: Has Iran's deputy interior minister, who was found in Canada—Seyed Salman Samani—been removed yet?
Director General, Immigration and Asylum Policy, Canada Border Services Agency
I honestly don't know.
Conservative
Vincent Ho Conservative Richmond Hill South, ON
He was ordered deported a couple of years back, and he's a pretty high profile figure. It's all over the news. Has he been deported?
Director General, Immigration and Asylum Policy, Canada Border Services Agency
I think I just answered that question, Madam Chair. I don't know.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Julie Dzerowicz
Thank you, Mr. Bush.
Thank you, Mr. Ho. That's your five minutes.
Next, we have five minutes for Mr. Fragiskatos.
Liberal
Peter Fragiskatos Liberal London Centre, ON
Thank you very much.
Mr. Bush, I'll continue with you, sir.
You just said, and I'm quoting you directly, Canada's “admissibility regime is intact”. You have confidence in this. Can you expand on it?
Director General, Immigration and Asylum Policy, Canada Border Services Agency
Asking me for my personal opinion is one thing...versus where the government sits.
Liberal