Citizenship and Immigration Committee on Oct. 23rd, 2025

[The Chair, Liberal, Julie Dzerowicz]

Thank you, Mr. Bellissimo.

Thank you, Mr. Redekopp.

Mr. Fergus, you have three and a half minutes.

[Greg Fergus, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

One of the things I really like about sitting on a committee as an MP is that we get evidence and updates. Thank you, Mr. Martel, for providing us with the data for the first two quarters of 2025, because I had only the data for the first quarter.

According to the numbers I had, the Canadian population grew by a little more than 20,000 people in the first quarter, and Statistics Canada says that immigration is responsible for almost all that growth. Is that correct?

[Laurent Martel]

Yes. During the period of high growth, more than 99% of that growth came from immigration. Growth is now declining. In the last quarter, so the data that we published on September 24, immigration accounted for approximately 72% of population growth.

[Greg Fergus, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

How many people does that amount to?

[Laurent Martel]

I don't have that number with me.

[Greg Fergus, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Then I will rephrase my question.

Statistics Canada has estimated that the Canadian population grew by 20,000 people in the first quarter, so from January 1 to March 31, and says that almost 100% of this growth is due to immigration. Am I wrong?

[Laurent Martel]

Considering that the population growth was 0.1% and that 0.1% of 41 million is about 20,000, yes, that's possible. Actually, it's close to what's called population stagnation.

[Greg Fergus, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Could Statistics Canada provide us with the most recent data on fertility in Canada?

[Laurent Martel]

The most recent data we have were published a few months ago and showed that, over the past seven years, the fertility rate of Canadian couples has been on the decline. We have now reached 1.25 children per woman. The 2024 data on fertility are available on Statistics Canada's website.

[Greg Fergus, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

It's 1.25 then.

[Laurent Martel]

Yes. That is the total fertility rate, so the number of children per woman.

[Greg Fergus, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

I imagine the replacement rate for an industrialized country is about 1.5 or 1.7.

[Laurent Martel]

It's actually 2.1 children per woman.

[Greg Fergus, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

How do immigrants and permanent residents help mitigate the impacts of a low fertility rate in Canada?

[Laurent Martel]

Without immigration, there would be a decline in Canada's population. It's been true for a while, because Canada has not reached the replacement rate since the mid-1970s. It's obvious that immigration is the main driver of population growth. Without immigration, the Canadian population would've been declining for decades now. That's exactly what other countries, including Japan, are going through.

[Greg Fergus, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

I understand my questions are a little more prescriptive in nature, but what variables do you think the government should focus on when trying to balance immigration with social needs, such as infrastructure, housing and essential services?

[Laurent Martel]

Here's what I will say. We know that a 3% population growth rate means the population will double in about 25 years. That is a very high growth rate and would give rise to many infrastructure challenges.

[Greg Fergus, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

That's not what I asked.

[Laurent Martel]

That's how I would answer your question. Back when population growth was 3%, those working in demographics considered immigration levels to be very high. Returning to a growth rate closer to 1%, for example, would allow us to adapt our infrastructure better.

[The Chair, Liberal, Julie Dzerowicz]

Thank you, Mr. Martel.

Thank you, Mr. Fergus.

I want to thank the witnesses for their time and for their excellent testimony today, as well as their patience in answering all of our questions.

We are going to suspend for about five minutes, so the witnesses can leave, and we'll come back with the second panel.

[The Chair, Liberal, Julie Dzerowicz]

Welcome back. I would like to make a few comments for the benefit of our new witnesses. We are continuing in a hybrid format.

Kindly wait until I recognize you by name before speaking. If you are participating by Zoom, and we do have one person participating by Zoom, please click on the microphone icon to activate your mic. Please mute yourself when you're not speaking. At the bottom of your screen you can select the appropriate channel for interpretation: floor, English or French. A reminder to everyone that all comments should be addressed through the chair.

I would now like to warmly welcome our witnesses for the second panel. From Rainbow Railroad, we have Rabab Al Khatib, deputy head of programs. From Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project, we have Mehmet Tohti, executive director, and Zaimira Dilimulati, project manager, M-62.

Welcome, everyone. Thank you for being with us today. Up to five minutes will be given for opening remarks for Rainbow Railroad and Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project, after which we'll proceed with rounds of questions.

We're going to start with Rainbow Railroad and Ms. Al Khatib, thank you.

[Rabab Al Khatib, Deputy Head of Programs, Rainbow Railroad]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Members of the committee, thank you for inviting Rainbow Railroad to deliver testimony during the study of Canada's immigration system. My remarks will focus on ways to improve the order, fairness and effectiveness of the asylum system.

Rainbow Railroad is one of the few non-profit organizations operating globally at the intersection of forced displacement and the persecution of LGBTQI+ people. We provide direct services in the form of access to asylum mechanisms, cash assistance, critical information and service referrals, and post-relocation support.

Additionally, we engage in human rights advocacy with other non-profit organizations and governments, including the Government of Canada. We fund smaller organizations that serve LGBTQI+ people internationally. While over 123 million people are forcibly displaced globally, we estimate that between 8.6-12.3 million LGBTQI+ people are forcibly displaced.

Rainbow Railroad publishes data annually about the state of LGBTQI+ persecution and its correlation with forced displacement. This persecution varies in severity from discrimination up to death.

Chair, over 60 countries criminalize same-sex intimacy, and in countries such as Uganda and Afghanistan, it is punishable by death.

This year, Rainbow Railroad is projecting that we will receive a record number of requests for help from at-risk LGBTQI+ people. We are currently receiving one request every 26 minutes, and over 90% of those requests are for assistance with international relocation to Canada. Within this context, access to asylum pathways remains critical.

Canada has developed a strong global reputation for the advancement of 2SLGBTQIA+ rights, including creating pathways to protection for LGBTQI+ refugee claimants, which contributes to its soft power. This reputation is the direct result of a compassionate policy that leads to life-saving programs for LGBTQI+ people fleeing persecution. One such program is the government-assisted refugee partnership with Rainbow Railroad, which offers end-to-end LGBTQI+ competent humanitarian protection for queer and trans refugee claimants overseas.

Chair of the committee, we offer the following recommendations to improve fairness and efficiency based on our experience working with LGBTQI+ refugee claimants.

Hire and train more decision-makers and introduce fast track procedures for clear-cut SOGIESC cases, which will expedite processing and reduce the current backlog without sacrificing fairness.

Ensure the consistent application of guideline 9 on SOGIESC-related IRB proceedings among decision-makers.

Study Rainbow Railroad's verification protocols. They offer nuance and years of expertise in credibility determination of SOGIESC claims, which can reduce fraudulent claims and the costs associated with denying legitimate claims.

Expand regional access and increase funding for the GAR partnership with Rainbow Railroad to accommodate more overseas LGBTQI+ refugee claimants.

Remove the proposed provision in Bill C-12 that renders refugee claimants ineligible if they entered Canada after June 24, 2020 and made the claim more than one year after the day of their entry.

Expedite the processing of refugee claimant work permits to reduce reliance on social services while they wait.

Ensure universal access to legal aid for inland refugee claimants.

Partner with 2SLGBTQI+-competent organizations to develop and deliver trauma-informed care, support and services for LGBTQI+ refugee claimants.

Given the limited time, we will submit a brief to the committee that provides additional context.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Julie Dzerowicz]

Thank you so much. Thank you for being brief as well.

Mr. Tohti, you have five minutes, please.

[Mehmet Tohti, Executive Director, Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

My name is Mehmet Tohti, and I serve as the executive director of Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project, URAP. URAP is a leading Canadian organization that works closely with the Government of Canada to strengthen the national response to forced labour, foreign interference and transnational repression, which can be defined as a state-led effort to silence, intimidate and control individuals abroad.

Today, I would like to focus on URAP's role as a referral partner to IRCC for the M-62 program, through which Canada has committed to accepting 10,000 Uyghur refugees by 2026.

This motion, passed in 2023 with unanimous support, represents a historic commitment. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the members of Parliament present today and their respective leaders. Thank you to all for your vote and for your leadership and for the recognition of the Uyghur genocide through your unanimous vote on the resettlement of Uyghur refugees into Canada.

The recent refoulement of 40 Uyghurs to China by Thailand is a shocking reminder that China's pursuit of Uyghur deportation remains active and that upholding Parliament's will, therefore, is crucial.

Despite international condemnation from the UN and dozens of governments, the concentration camps in the Uyghur region remain active, holding up to millions of Uyghurs. Beyond these camps, forced labour, mass surveillance, forced sterilization and the separation of families and children continue to define life in the region.

Even those who have fled remain unsafe. Around the world, Uyghurs continue to be targeted through transnational oppression and forced deportation, as refoulement remains an ongoing threat.

I speak today not only as an advocate but as a victim of transnational oppression myself, as 36 of my family members remain disappeared since 2016. Five have died, including my mother and two of my sisters. I learned of their deaths just two weeks before the projected vote on M-62 on January 16, 2023, when I received the call from the Chinese state police, who tried to threaten me by telling of the tragic death of my family members, implying that there would be more to come if I do not stop what I'm doing.

However, my situation is not unique. It is shared by thousands of Uyghur refugees, who look to Canada to uphold the parliamentary will to protect this vulnerable population.

Reaching the target of 10,000 refugees by 2026 is still achievable, but as we have had around 140 arrivals, significant challenges remain ahead. M-62 is facing processing delays and maintains a limited annual quota and allocation in the immigration levels plan, making it difficult to meet that 10,000 target.

I'm aware that immigration remains a complex issue for both Canadians and our government. It is essential that we ensure that our infrastructure and resources remain sustainable amid a growing influx of newcomers, yet we must balance these practical concerns with Canada's core value of humanitarian protection.

The M-62 program is an exemplary demonstration of this balance, offering a model of managed humanitarian resettlement of vulnerable Uyghur refugees with the best talents and professional credentials that contribute directly to Canada's development. To explain how, I would like to introduce briefly my colleague, the project manager of the M-62 program, who will share how the incoming refugees represent the best talents that Prime Minister Carney identified in his mandate letter in May, addressed to cabinet to strengthen the Canadian economy.

[Zaimira Dilimulati, Project Manager, M-62, Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project]

Good afternoon. My name is Zaimira, and I have been serving as the project manager of M-62 since July 2024. In this role, I work closely with both case workers and administrative staff to ensure the successful execution of the refugee referral process.

Uyghur refugees are not only survivors of internment camps, systematic oppression spanning decades and pervasive surveillance. They are also resilient individuals who have rebuilt their lives after fleeing persecution.

Of the 770 applicants we have referred so far, more than half hold higher education degrees in skills such as business, science, skilled trades, STEM and social sciences. Over 80% are of working age, ready to transfer their skills and expertise to Canadian businesses and institutions. Additionally, a significant number of them are bilingual in Canada's official languages and possess competency in several others.

Lastly, on behalf the new arrivals, I would like to express their sincere gratitude to the Canadian government for establishing the successful program, the only resettlement program in the world that offers Uyghur refugees a lifeline and the opportunity to live in freedom. We call on Parliament and the IRCC to increase the allocation of Uyghur refugees under the immigrations levels plan, to expedite arrivals and ensure that those most at risk can find safety in Canada without further delay.

Thank you, Madam Chair and honourable members. We would be pleased to take your questions.