Citizenship and Immigration Committee on June 1st, 2026

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

That brings up a question about mobility rights, because there is some confusion, I think. Some witnesses have told us that asylum seekers don't have mobility rights, and others have told us that they're guaranteed the rights. Has the department sought a legal opinion from Justice Canada on mobility rights for asylum claimants?

[Jason Hollmann]

The department has looked at the mobility rights issue. We understand some of the comments around section 6 of the charter specifically governing mobility rights, and it's true that that section applies only to citizens and permanent residents. The issue becomes that any movement of individuals that is non-voluntary brings up other aspects of the charter, including in relation to the right to liberty, which is covered under section 7, and, depending on other circumstances, potentially the implication of section 9 around detention.

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

I guess you're implying that the decision to focus only on the voluntary redistribution of people is partly driven by charter considerations.

[Jason Hollmann]

Yes.

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

In other words, if there were an attempt to redistribute people involuntarily, that would be a violation of the charter, in the department's opinion.

[Jason Hollmann]

I'm not an attorney, so I wouldn't want to go too far in specifying that, but the current—

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

Tell me what you understand.

[Jason Hollmann]

From what I understand, the current legal framework also does not allow for that.

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

Okay.

Instead of shuffling people around, the government could actually remove people as it has committed to. Minister Diab confirmed at committee of the whole last week that the assumption in the planning is that two million temporary residents need to leave Canada this calendar year, and the math makes that about 160,000 people a month.

Can you confirm that this is the magnitude of number that the department is working with?

[Jason Hollmann]

I don't have numbers with me in relation to the volume of temporary residents whose permits are ending.

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

Do you have any idea? Is it 10, 100, 1,000 or 100,000? Is there a magnitude that you can convey?

[Jason Hollmann]

If those are the numbers the minister used, then those would be the numbers I would comment back as well.

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

I think that number came from the desire to remove two million people from the country, which works out to about 160,000 a month.

Do you see any evidence in the department that those volumes of people are actually leaving Canada?

[Jason Hollmann]

People leave Canada all the time. What we want to encourage is that people follow the conditions of whatever permits they came into Canada on. When their authorized stay ends, we expect them to leave.

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

Does the department have a way of tracking when people leave?

[Jason Hollmann]

I believe this committee has heard from CBSA before in relation to some of the entry and exit mechanisms.

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

Does IRCC know when people leave?

[Jason Hollmann]

We rely on some of the information that's shared in the electronic system with CBSA.

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

Does IRCC have any idea whether people who are supposed to leave have left?

[Jason Hollmann]

I believe the process today is a bit more manual in terms of the availability of that type of information.

[The Vice-Chair, Bloc, Alexis Deschênes]

Mr. Chang, you have the floor.

[Wade Chang, Liberal, Burnaby Central, BC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you to the officials for being here today.

There have been growing concerns about individuals with criminal records or those charged with serious offences in Canada using the asylum system to delay a removal or avoid consequences. Can the officials explain what happens when an individual facing criminal charges applies for the asylum system, and what safeguards are in place to protect the integrity of the system?

[Jason Hollmann]

The asylum system is not a way to avoid criminal proceedings. When claimants are charged with an offence, they have their claims put on hold. If convicted of serious criminality, they are found inadmissible and are unable to proceed with their claim.

[Wade Chang, Liberal, Burnaby Central, BC]

There has been some confusion regarding IRCC's use of hotels for temporary asylum accommodations. Can the department clarify whether IRCC is still directly funding hotel stays for asylum seekers and what the current report is for emergency housing support?

[Catherine Scott]

I can answer the question.

Between about 2019 and 2025, IRCC used hotels to support both Ontario and Quebec, given the large volume of asylum seekers arriving, as well as during the pandemic when there were quarantine measures in place. Those hotels have all been closed as of September 30, 2025, so the department is no longer directly funding hotel stays for asylum seekers.