Official Languages Committee on June 9th, 2023

[Olivier Jacques]

Yes.

There's an area director for—

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

That's all right, Mr. Jacques, I just wanted to make sure that someone was looking after the other part of Africa. It's very kind of you to complete the answer.

I don't know whether I should be addressing you or Mr. Desruisseaux, but would it be possible, instead of showing us the organization chart and explaining the process from top to bottom, towards the immigrant, to explain it to us from the student's point of view, as my colleague Mr. Samson alluded to earlier?

Let's put ourselves in the shoes of an immigrant student from Gabon. What's the first step he has to take before getting an answer? How long does the process take? Where is the application processed? What is the process? Can either of you give us an overview of the process, from the beginning to the good news of admission and the arrival of the French-speaking immigrant in Canada?

[Alain Desruisseaux]

I'll give the floor to Mr. Jacques.

[Olivier Jacques]

A Gabonese who wants to emigrate abroad would start by getting informed. He'd start by searching the web for information on immigration to Canada. He would find that there's a wide range of programs—

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Mr. Jacques, please be succinct in your answer. I simply want you to describe to me, in a Cartesian manner, the process followed when a citizen of Gabon submits an application for admission as a student in Canada in a French-speaking region such as Quebec, from the moment the application is received to the moment an answer is given. Then, where are the documents processed and how long does it take?

[Olivier Jacques]

A Gabonese applying for immigration will gather the documents and, once his application is sent, he may be drafted by the system. If he's invited to submit his application, it will be processed in less than six months so that he can immigrate outside Quebec. Once the visa has been issued and the biometric data provided, the Gabonese can register for an information session, fly to Canada to settle in Toronto, Calgary or Moncton, for example, and start looking for a job quickly. Once in Canada, he can turn to settlement services and take language courses, if necessary, to integrate properly—

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Excuse me, Mr. Jacques. As I understand your answer, it's a matter of luck. The Gabonese registers and, if he's lucky, he's drafted, as you put it. Then, if everything is in order, it takes six months. However, there is an abundance of choice. Once he's here in Canada, does he have to choose where he's going, or is that decided within those six months?

[Olivier Jacques]

Let me reassure you: it's not a matter of luck, it's a matter of criteria. Once people are in the express entry pool, those who are the most qualified and have the most points will be drafted. Once you invite someone to apply and they're approved, they can indicate where they want to go. They're free to go anywhere in Canada, except Quebec, because Quebec chooses its own immigrants.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Okay.

In fact, what I understand is that the immigrant has to wait six months, and after that, his score allows him to be drafted, as you said, to enter the pool. Now, don't you think the criteria are too demanding? Shouldn't we make them more flexible, in an economic situation where we're constrained by a lack of manpower? I don't want to propose anything that goes against safety. I think it's a very important element for Canada. But is it just a question of security? Should the criteria be relaxed in order to speed up the process?

I'd also like to take this opportunity to ask for your comments on two article headlines in French-language newspapers concerning Quebec immigration. The English translation of the first is, "Half of Quebec applications rejected by Ottawa", and the second, "Ottawa accused of delaying francophone immigration". Could you comment on that, please?

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

That's an excellent question, Mr. Godin, but you're well over your time.

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

[Arielle Kayabaga, Liberal, London West, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

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

The Government of Canada has invested a historic $4 billion in the new action plan for official languages. As you know, this plan has four pillars, the first of which is francophone immigration. These investments will make a real difference in halting the decline of French in Canada, and francophone immigration is one of the ways we can do this.

Can you tell us how the investments in this action plan will help organizations on the ground to increase francophone immigration? Secondly, how will it help retain residents of francophone communities?

[Alain Desruisseaux]

Several measures have been announced in the plan, a number of which will enable the department to further integrate this priority into all its programming and policies. There will be a targeted expansion of promotion and recruitment support, and we're encouraging community involvement in these efforts.

What does this mean for communities? Increased engagement will allow them to better communicate their needs, including their workforce, to our recruitment efforts. Olivier Jacques mentioned the presence last year of a delegation of 20 community representatives at Destination Canada. This is an approach we intend to pursue.

Another important measure I should mention is the strengthening of the francophone integration pathway, which is essentially based on the “by and for francophones” model, and so in very close co-operation with our francophone immigration networks and the welcoming francophone communities initiative. It really is an essential complement to current settlement programming. It's important to have direct settlement services available and adapted in French to meet the needs of communities and, of course, newcomers.

We are pursuing two objectives: the success of our newcomers and the restoration of the francophone demographic weight, and therefore an increase in admissions. Community vitality remains a central objective, and all our measures will enable us to achieve it.

The Centre for Innovation in Francophone Immigration is a measure that will enable the development of partnerships and greater mobilization of partners. The department's efforts will also be directed towards provincial and territorial partners, who have an essential role to play. So this is an important table, and there's already a work plan in place, which we want to revitalize and strengthen with our partners. Some provinces are already very committed, and there are others we'd like to see even more so. When we look at the provincial nominee program, in recent years we've seen a very significant increase in several provinces, including some that traditionally don't prioritize francophone immigration as much as others. So there have been improvements.

Otherwise, language training is still very important. Measures are planned in this area. I'm talking about language training and, obviously, training in French, but also training in English to ensure that people have the necessary tools to meet the needs of the labour market.

[Arielle Kayabaga, Liberal, London West, ON]

You've also partly answered my other question, which concerned the retention of French-speaking immigrants in these communities. However, I'd like to ask you a question about application processing. I'm also on the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, and we've talked a lot about the Chinook tool, which we've heard is causing difficulties. Some people think it's discriminatory. So I'm wondering if this system puts francophone applicants at a disadvantage, and what we can do to change that.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Thank you, Ms. Kayabaga. You're well over your time. Hopefully, you'll be able to get an answer in the next few questions, but just before going—

[Arielle Kayabaga, Liberal, London West, ON]

Maybe they can table the response.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Yes. You know that I have to keep everyone's speaking time so that everyone can ask their questions. So, if there are any unanswered questions, I would ask the witnesses to please send their answers to the clerk.

[Arielle Kayabaga, Liberal, London West, ON]

To the question I asked, I'd like to have an answer that—

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Yes, Ms. Kayabaga, I can confirm that your question will be answered in writing and sent to the clerk.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Mr. Chair, I rise on a point of order.

I agree entirely with my colleague Ms. Kayabaga. I asked a question earlier about the application process and processing times, and I'd like to know if the department can provide a reverse table for the six main categories of applicants.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Mr. Desruisseaux and Mr. Jacques, is it possible to provide us with this information?

[Alain Desruisseaux]

We'll see what can be done.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Ha, ha! You're a real politician.

[Alain Desruisseaux]

That's a question I'll pass on to my internal partners.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Thank you very much.

Ms. Ashton, I see you've reconnected to the meeting from your constituency office. We hope your connection is good.

[Niki Ashton, NDP, Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, MB]

This is the House of Commons connection. If it's not working properly, I don't know what else we can do. Fortunately, Thompson is a small town.