Citizenship and Immigration Committee on June 1st, 2026

[Adam Bercovitch Sadinsky]

Yes, absolutely. There are concerns.

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

Do you think it would make sense for immigration consultants to be required to work underneath immigration lawyers?

[Adam Bercovitch Sadinsky]

I know that's a position the Canadian Bar Association has taken. Our organization doesn't have a policy one way or another, but that certainly would be a way to ensure some supervision.

That said, there are immigration consultants who do good work. I think that's an important consideration for further discussion.

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

I have 15 seconds left, so I am going to use every last second of my 15 seconds to say that I have no more questions.

[The Vice-Chair, Bloc, Alexis Deschênes]

I'll now give the floor to Ms. Lapointe for five minutes.

[Linda Lapointe, Liberal, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

I'd like to thank the witnesses for being with us today.

I'd like to thank the committee for allowing me to ask some questions. This isn't the committee I'm usually on, but I'm pleased to be here with you today.

In a constituency office, the work involved in handling immigration cases and asylum claims is quite demanding.

Ms. Sreenivasan, my first question is for you. You seem to have a very good understanding of community organizations.

For resettlement to be sustainable, it's not enough to simply move people from one province to another. They also need to have access, as you mentioned earlier, to services, housing, employment opportunities and community networks. You mentioned funding. I'd like to hear your thoughts on that.

You also mentioned predictability. You said there was an agreement lasting only three years. I'd like you to explain that in a bit more detail.

What factors do you think should be taken into account to promote the successful integration of asylum seekers in different regions of the country?

You also mentioned housing. Please note that I'm from Quebec, where asylum seekers have been a major issue for the past 10 years. I would also like you to discuss this further.

[Gauri Sreenivasan]

Thank you very much for your questions.

There are several factors.

When it comes to the funding structure, it is important that it last longer than three years to ensure greater predictability, as you mentioned. That is very important. It is true that the volume of asylum claims sometimes rises and falls. We've seen that it has decreased in recent years, but we need a system in place to be ready to handle the volume of applications we receive.

As we say in English, failure to plan is planning to fail.

In 2024, for example, significant investments were made in housing, which raised hopes and encouraged planning for new projects. Provinces, organizations and municipalities all submitted proposals to secure funding for housing construction, and many of them didn't receive it. This means that the interest is there, that we have the necessary space and even the capacity to build housing, but that funding is lacking.

At the last minute, in the 2026 budget, we saw that funding was renewed, but at an even lower level. I think it's about $188 million a year for three years. But this requires much longer-term planning. We can't plan funding for just three years and then renew it for another three years at the last minute.

These are the frustrations I hear from mayors in Edmonton, cities in Quebec and even cities in Ontario. The Federation of Canadian Municipalities has passed resolutions calling for longer-term and significantly higher funding. This is important so that we can establish temporary housing structures and reduce the pressure on them.

What was your other question?

[Linda Lapointe, Liberal, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

We talked about funding and predictability. How can we ensure that asylum seekers are successfully integrated into the regions?

[Gauri Sreenivasan]

In terms of eligibility for services, we have an excellent national resettlement service system for overseas refugees, but now asylum seekers are being told that they will not be eligible until they are declared protected persons. There are no services to help them in the two years when they need them most. However, we see that 80% of asylum seekers are refugees and that they will have access to these services in a few years. Therefore, it really makes no sense to set up this type of barrier to receiving services in the year following their arrival. It's not worth it. Changing the eligibility rules will also contribute enormously to their integration across the country.

[The Vice-Chair, Bloc, Alexis Deschênes]

That's all the time we have.

I want to thank the witnesses for their outstanding contribution, which will be useful to us as we write our report and continue our examination.

We will now suspend the meeting for five to ten minutes as we welcome the next witnesses.

[The Vice-Chair, Bloc, Alexis Deschênes]

I call the meeting back to order.

I want to thank and welcome the witnesses who are with us.

First of all, from the Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, we have Catherine Scott, assistant deputy minister, settlement, integration and francophone affairs; and Jason Hollmann, director general, asylum policy.

We will begin with opening remarks. You will each have five minutes for your opening remarks, after which we will begin the round of questions.

Ms. Scott, I invite you to make an opening statement of up to—

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

On a point of order, normally with the department, we have one round of five minutes for them. Is that not what we're doing today? They don't both get to speak; it's just one of them.

[The Vice-Chair, Bloc, Alexis Deschênes]

Yes, if both want to speak, they will have two and a half minutes each.

It looks like it's just going to be one of you.

Ms. Scott, you have the floor for five minutes.

[Catherine Scott, Assistant Deputy Minister, Social Programs, Department of Citizenship and Immigration]

Thank you.

Good afternoon.

Thank you for the opportunity to discuss the provincial distribution of asylum claimants in Canada.

With the recent passing into law of the Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders Act, Bill C-12, the government is introducing targeted reforms to strengthen how we protect people in need, manage migration responsibly and maintain Canadians' trust in a system that works for everyone. This means a system that protects the vulnerable, attracts needed talent and prevents misuse.

Asylum claimants are already in Canada and seek our protection. We know that the higher numbers of claimants arriving since 2021 have created pressures for our partners, provinces, municipalities and civil society organizations.

We are now seeing decreases in the number of asylum claims thanks to our efforts to strengthen integrity and fairness in our asylum system. As of March 31, 2026, asylum claims have dropped 35% compared to the same period last year and 59% since 2024.

We know that claims continue to be made disproportionately in Ontario and Quebec. Since 2021, high volumes of asylum claimants have placed additional strain on those provinces’ emergency shelters and support services, leading to calls for federal support. We take this situation very seriously.

Through the interim housing assistance program, the government has invested about $1.9 billion since 2019. This has resulted in more sustainable, cost-effective housing solutions for asylum claimants. By funding spaces like reception centres and transitional housing, this program has reduced reliance on emergency shelters and hotels while helping claimants find stable housing faster.

We are taking a collaborative approach that encourages relocation of claimants and ensures that provinces that receive the asylum claimants have the capacity to welcome them.

In 2024, The Forum of Ministers Responsible for Immigration established a working group to look at practical ways to manage the flow of asylum claimants across Canada. IRCC carried that work forward, holding direct conversations with provinces and territories interested in voluntary relocation.

These conversations led to agreements with New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador to assist with the voluntary relocation of asylum claimants. Over the next two years, these provinces committed to welcoming 290 and 400 claimants respectively. These relocation efforts aim to help support the housing independence of claimants and fill labour market gaps. As of March 31, 2026, over 290 claimants have voluntarily relocated there.

IRCC continues to engage with provinces and territories to encourage additional voluntary relocation agreements.

I want to emphasize that these agreements do not amount to mandatory distribution or federal imposition. Any relocation depends entirely on the willingness of claimants and the receiving jurisdictions, based on local capacity, available support and labour market needs.

The Government of Canada appreciates the significant role that provincial and municipal partners, along with civil society organizations, play in providing temporary shelter and support services to asylum claimants. We strive for a sustainable approach that works across all orders of government and with all partners.

Thank you. We look forward to your questions.

[The Vice-Chair, Bloc, Alexis Deschênes]

Thank you, Ms. Scott.

We will now move on to the question period.

Mr. Redekopp, you have the floor for six minutes.

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

Thank you to the witnesses for being here.

Last week, we heard from Kailee Brennan of Matthew House, who told the committee that when she was with the Nova Scotia provincial government, she participated in a working group within IRCC to plan for moving asylum seekers. I assume that's what you were talking about on the voluntary thing.

Are specific contingency plans that are not voluntary currently in place to move asylum seekers from Quebec and Ontario to other provinces?

[Catherine Scott]

The approach we've taken is a collaborative one. I mentioned the two jurisdictions with which we have an agreement: New Brunswick and Newfoundland. Through those agreements, they have worked very closely with IRCC, initially to move asylum claimants who were in federal hotels, but have also worked with some of the municipalities to voluntarily remove—

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

I'm sorry to interrupt, but I have very limited time.

Those are voluntary, then. Have there been discussions with other provinces, or are there any plans to talk within the department, about the involuntary movement of people?

[Catherine Scott]

From the department's perspective, any movement of asylum claimants needs to be voluntary and is focused on ensuring that there's an ability to receive asylum claimants in the receiving jurisdiction as well.

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

Mr. Hollmann, in March, you confirmed to this committee that this type of thing was going on. What direction has the minister given you on this?

[Jason Hollmann, Director General, Asylum Policy, Department of Citizenship and Immigration]

I'm sorry, but could you just clarify that you mean with regard to the movement of claimants?

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

Yes.

[Jason Hollmann]

As my colleague just said, the department's position is that the movement of claimants is required to be voluntary. It has been the focus of our efforts to work with jurisdictions that are interested in receiving additional claimants to support their movement.

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

What happens in jurisdictions that aren't interested in voluntarily taking asylum claimants?

[Jason Hollmann]

Claimants are free to move across the country as they wish once they're here. We try to provide work permits to claimants as quickly as possible to ensure that they can support themselves while their claims are pending. This means that they are also able to seek out employment opportunities that match their skills and experience.