Citizenship and Immigration Committee on March 23rd, 2026

[Costas Menegakis, Conservative, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON]

When will they be deported, Minister?

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

The CBSA will deport them.

[Costas Menegakis, Conservative, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON]

When?

[The Chair, Liberal, Julie Dzerowicz]

Thank you, Mr. Menegakis.

Thank you, Minister.

That is five minutes.

Next we have Mr. Zuberi for five minutes.

[Sameer Zuberi, Liberal, Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I want to thank the minister for joining us today.

Thank you to the officials for being here.

We just had the Auditor General's report issued. We have yet to hear, Madam Minister, a commentary from you on it.

I'd like to give you time to speak to the Auditor General's report, if you have some feedback. I understand that it was just released, so what you're saying right now is very preliminary, but if you have any initial feedback on that report, I'd like to hear it.

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

Thank you, Mr. Zuberi. I appreciate that.

I haven't read the report, but I have been given high-level information on it, and I also had, at the end of last week, an opportunity to speak virtually with the writer of the report. I thank her for her work. It's very important that these audits happen.

What I want to stress is that this is a preliminary look at the international student program. It covers 18 months of reforms out of a four-plus-year reform that IRCC has initiated, and for four months of that 18 months, I've been a minister.

We need to remember the context of these changes to the program. I know some of you were around in 2022. I was around, but I was not a member of this committee. You studied the international student program very intensely in 2022 and made several recommendations. My understanding is that you're doing that again this year, and we will welcome whatever recommendations you're going to come up with after the study here as well.

The context, though, is really important. Prior to the 2025 immigration levels plan, Canada did not have annual targets for temporary residents. That was under the Liberal government and the Conservative government. Those were the two political parties that would have been in power in the last decades.

In the postpandemic years, we saw a rapid, demand-driven increase in international students that quickly became unsustainable. We realized—the previous government, parliamentarians, Canadians, everybody—that could not go on, so beginning in 2024, the government made quick and significant changes, because Canadians told us it had to happen.

There were some big, disruptive pivots to reduce the numbers and strengthen integrity, and we're seeing results and seeing that it's worked. The international student population has dropped by a third since 2024. Student arrivals in 2025 dropped over 60% from 2024, and that trend continues in 2026. Pressure on housing and services has been reduced, and asking rents, as I said in the previous response, have dropped.

Following the first phase of the government reform, the sector responded with a plea for predictability. In fact, I held many meetings as the minister with many in the sector who said, “Please, the 2024 changes were so hard on us. We need predictability. We need to know what is happening.” I heard that, and I believe I have delivered a stable student target for 2026-28 in the levels plan.

The early audit cannot offer a complete picture of these reforms. It can inform, though, what we do on a go-forward basis, as can the report that you will be putting out. In the report, the Auditor General recognizes the progress we are making to reduce the student numbers, to diversify the student population and to improve the integrity of the program.

We agree with most of her recommendations, and if you'd like, I can tell you what we are doing to ensure what our actions are.

[Sameer Zuberi, Liberal, Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC]

I'm sure we'll be hearing more about this throughout the day.

In the last moment we have, can you talk about how confidence has been reinstilled in the system given the changes you personally and your ministry have been making?

[The Chair, Liberal, Julie Dzerowicz]

You have about 20 seconds.

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

We have seen confidence being restored in the immigration system not just because of the international student changes that have been made, but also because of the asylum numbers and many other things. With the tabling of our levels plan, we have a stable, transparent, sustainable and predictable plan so that Canadians know what their government will be following and people coming to Canada will also know.

[The Chair, Liberal, Julie Dzerowicz]

Thank you, Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Zuberi.

Mr. Deschênes, you have the floor for two and a half minutes.

[Alexis Deschênes, Bloc, Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine—Listuguj, QC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Minister, I would like to talk about the distribution of asylum seekers across Canada. As you know, Quebec takes in 37% of all asylum seekers, even though Quebeckers amount to 22% of the population.

Why should we accept this situation? Why not change it to ensure that each province takes in a fair share of the asylum seekers entering the country?

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

Thank you for your question. I'll answer it in English, if I may.

When I came in as minister, in my federal-provincial-territorial meetings, we discussed asylum claims. We discussed the fact that Quebec and Ontario have substantially a lot more than other parts of the country. Before I became a minister, the previous ministers had requested other provinces to take asylum numbers, and I am very much aware that New Brunswick and Newfoundland took the ministers up on that.

There are numbers there. I don't have them with me, but they have taken some number of—

[Alexis Deschênes, Bloc, Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine—Listuguj, QC]

For Newfoundland and Labrador, it's 59.

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

It's a bit more than 59.

[Alexis Deschênes, Bloc, Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine—Listuguj, QC]

There are currently 190,000 asylum seekers in Quebec. In comparison, 59 isn't much.

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

I know that it's more than 59. I've spoken with the ministers from New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador. It's a two‑year plan. I think that this is the first year. It's more than 59. I can give you the figures.

[Alexis Deschênes, Bloc, Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine—Listuguj, QC]

What will be done about the other provinces that aren't pulling their weight?

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

Fortunately, the number has dropped considerably since 2024. We'll keep working on it.

[Alexis Deschênes, Bloc, Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine—Listuguj, QC]

What steps will you take?

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

We'll lower the number even more.

[Alexis Deschênes, Bloc, Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine—Listuguj, QC]

Okay, but what will be done about the distribution?

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

As I said, two provinces agreed to take in asylum seekers.

[The Chair, Liberal, Julie Dzerowicz]

Thank you, Mr. Deschênes and Minister Diab.

Now we have five minutes for Ms. Rempel Garner.

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

Thank you, Chair.

Minister, the Supreme Court recently ruled in Kanyinda that pending asylum claimants in Quebec, many of whom illegally crossed the border at Roxham Road with your government's blessing, have the constitutional right to taxpayer-funded day care. Do you affirm Quebec's right to use the notwithstanding clause in this specific case, should it choose to do so?

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

I know that the government and the Minister of Justice are seized with that particular case, and they will have more to say on that. It's certainly not in my purview as the immigration minister.