Citizenship and Immigration Committee on Sept. 23rd, 2025

[Salma Zahid, Liberal, Scarborough Centre—Don Valley East, ON]

What tools do the provinces have for making these designated learning institutions more accountable? Has Ontario used them?

[Soyoung Park]

As I mentioned, it is under the authority of provinces and territories to decide which institutions to designate. They do have ultimate authority over the education sector.

[Salma Zahid, Liberal, Scarborough Centre—Don Valley East, ON]

Could you outline the specific tools Ontario had at its disposal, such as regulating private colleges, setting enrolment caps especially, or tightening the quality assurance that could have been used to manage the growth responsibly?

[Soyoung Park]

If you're referring to the situation before the reforms, I think there were a lot of long-standing funding challenges in the education sector, which ultimately led a lot of institutions to recruit in large volumes before the caps were introduced.

The federal government then proceeded to introduce the caps, but as I mentioned earlier, each province and territory gets an allocation based on the overall numbers, and it is up to them to determine which institutions get their allocations. The only caveat we put on that is a certain percentage being reserved for graduate students, just to make sure that we continue to welcome talent.

[The Chair, Liberal, Julie Dzerowicz]

Thank you, Ms. Park.

Thank you, Ms. Zahid.

Mr. Brunelle‑Duceppe, you have the floor for two and a half minutes.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Ms. Zafar, to clarify, do you think it's acceptable that your department's spokesperson blamed universities and the Government of Quebec for a very serious flaw in a program that you alone are in charge of?

[Aiesha Zafar]

With regard to the international student compliance program and the student program, it's a joint responsibility. There are absolutely measures that IRCC is responsible for—

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Sorry to interrupt, but let's clear something up. Is the Government of Canada's international student program run by the Government of Quebec and universities? No, it is run by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, IRCC, and nobody else. Some responsibilities are shared, but, at the end of the day, IRCC is in charge of this program.

An investigative report exposed serious flaws within your program. One of your spokespeople blamed universities and the Government of Quebec and did not even apologize on behalf of IRCC. Do you think that's acceptable?

[Soyoung Park]

I would like to clarify a few things.

As I've said, the federal government is not the only one in charge. Yes, we grant visas, but the provinces and learning institutions decide who—

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Sorry to interrupt.

I understand, but we need to be clear that the federal government is the only authority that can determine who gains entry to Canada and who does not. Don't try to tell me a learning institution can decide who comes in and who doesn't. That is the federal government's exclusive responsibility.

Are you able to say something that's incredibly easy to say? Every country in the world works this way. Can you say, “Yes, it's our exclusive responsibility.”?

[Soyoung Park]

When it comes to borders and who's allowed in, we've already said that it's the federal government's responsibility.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

So how are universities responsible for one of the programs you're in charge of?

[Soyoung Park]

I tried to explain that learning institutions and the provinces are the ones that invite students. That's step one of the process.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Do you know the word “accountability”?

It is up to the federal government alone to decide who enters Canada and who doesn't. How could your departmental spokesperson blame universities and the Government of Quebec?

[Soyoung Park]

Madam Chair, I've tried to explain that it's a multi-step process. The federal government alone cannot decide to have a program for international students.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Then I suppose university professors are also to blame for crime rings.

[The Chair, Liberal, Julie Dzerowicz]

Thank you, Mr. Brunelle-Duceppe.

Thank you, Ms. Park.

We are still in the second round. We have Mr. Menegakis for five minutes.

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

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you to our officials for being here with us today and sharing all the information with us.

It would be helpful if you could provide us with a table of the different immigration streams, by year and by stream, for, say, the last 10 years. I'd like to see where that has gone in order to be able to understand what you're saying. If you're seeing improvements and so forth, I'd like to see where it's gone over the last 10 years, given the fact that we've had seven different immigration ministers over the last 10 years.

Would you undertake to provide that to us, please, within the next, say, 28 days?

[Soyoung Park]

I'd just like to confirm the request. Are you referring specifically to student programs?

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

I'm referring to all the streams—economic, family, compassionate and all the streams—by year for the last, say, 10 years.

[Soyoung Park]

What exactly...? There is a lot of data.

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

Just the total number from each stream with percentages.... Back in the day, we had measures for that. Sixty-five per cent would come through our economic streams—

[Soyoung Park]

Was that according to the levels plan?

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

—and the levels and so forth. I'd like to see where that has gone over the last 10 years. I know there's some information available on the website, but if you can provide the committee with that graphic, I think that would be very useful for us.

[Soyoung Park]

You would like, for each year, what the levels plan has been for immigration.