Evidence of meeting #9 for Citizenship and Immigration in the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was data.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Fred Davies Conservative Niagara South, ON
With the commitment for 10,000 people to come to Canada, we're looking right now at about 700 in the queue. I think that's what you said.
October 23rd, 2025 / 5:05 p.m.
Executive Director, Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project
Yes. Our uploading process continues. Those 770 plus are already—
Conservative
Fred Davies Conservative Niagara South, ON
I'm sorry to interrupt. Do you believe those are the ones who have been approved so far?
Executive Director, Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project
I don't know. We did not receive that information.
Conservative
Fred Davies Conservative Niagara South, ON
Do you have any exact information on the number of applicants who are in IRCC processes and waiting now?
Executive Director, Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project
Those 770 plus are already in their system, and 143 already arrived. Every day, people are still uploading files.
Conservative
Fred Davies Conservative Niagara South, ON
I don't have a whole lot of time. I'm sorry.
Less than 10% of the overall objective has been achieved by the end, likely, of this program.
Conservative
Fred Davies Conservative Niagara South, ON
I know you're trying to walk a fine line here to not be too critical of the government. On a scale of one to 10, how would you rate the government's performance on this policy?
Executive Director, Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project
The passage of the motion was parliamentary work. All parties and all MPs worked together. That is the solidarity of all political parties. For the government, and especially for the implementation, immigration is a huge issue for Canada and the government as well.
I am frustrated and disappointed.
Conservative
Fred Davies Conservative Niagara South, ON
Then you wouldn't really say that this program has been a successful one for Canadian government policy.
Executive Director, Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project
It was a big promise. Actually, when M-62 was passed in Parliament, all international media—the BBC and all western media—reported that it was huge news for international communities. They were praising Canada for how it reacted against China and for standing up for oppressed people. Now we've forgotten that momentum.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Julie Dzerowicz
Thank you so much, Mr. Davies.
We'll now turn to Mr. Fragiskatos for three minutes.
Liberal
Peter Fragiskatos Liberal London Centre, ON
Thank you, Madam Chair.
In light of the fact that the motion that led to what we're discussing today is largely Mr. Zuberi's, I'm giving him the time.
Liberal
Sameer Zuberi Liberal Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Mr. Tohti, are you familiar with the Wilson Center report entitled “Great Wall of Steel: China's Global Campaign to Suppress the Uyghurs”? Are you aware that from 1997 to January 2002, it noted there were 1,574 known documented cases of Uyghurs who were refouled back to China from third countries? The vast and overwhelming majority ended up in concentration and forced labour camps.
Executive Director, Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project
I'm aware. That was the number until 2021.
Bradley Jardine, the author of that report, who is my good friend, actually, also shared some information about that with the Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project .
Liberal
Sameer Zuberi Liberal Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC
Thank you. We have only two minutes.
The next thing I'd like to know from you is regarding your advocacy. Are the concentration camps still ongoing? Are people still in danger of being refouled from third countries back to China and into forced labour, resulting in serious crimes against humanity?
Executive Director, Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project
It is ongoing. That's the reason China's government does not allow any independent journalists into the region. Instead, it creates a Potemkin village and tells journalists to just go there and see.
Liberal
Sameer Zuberi Liberal Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC
Thank you.
Based upon this, would you recommend that IRCC, as a result of that, expedite the existing 740 applications, due to the grave and serious human rights concerns that each and every one of these applicants is going through right now in terms of potential refoulement back to China, to concentration camps?
Do you believe they should be expedited?
Executive Director, Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project
It should do that. If IRCC forgets, it should read the preamble of the M-62 motion. There are three lines, and they're still relevant.
Pierrefonds—Dollard, Lib.
Secondly, do you recommend that IRCC open up the portal? It's currently closed. Do you recommend that the portal be opened, so that the remaining applications you have in hand of equally vulnerable people who are at risk of refoulement to concentration camps, torture and other crimes against humanity...? Should that be reopened by IRCC?
Executive Director, Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project
The portal is open, but there is an annual quota. If there were no quota, we could upload those files.
Liberal
Sameer Zuberi Liberal Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC
I thought you.... The portal's open, but there's a quota.
Do you recommend that the quota be lifted to reach the 10,000 in question?
Executive Director, Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project
Of course, immediately, the quota should be lifted.