Official Languages Committee on Feb. 28th, 2022

[Michèle Kingsley]

Thank you for that question, Mr. Chair.

The acceptance rate for study permit applications varies widely from year to year and country to country. Sometimes we see discrepancies. Our analysis shows that the discrepancies have been quite minor to date, if you compare certain African countries.

However, the idea that there might [Technical difficulty—Editor] discrimination or unconscious bias is an important matter for the department, and it is taking measures to address racism, discrimination and unconscious bias in all its areas of activity.

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

Thank you for that answer.

I have a final question.

We hope to see a change on the department's part regarding this potential systemic discrimination.

I also want to emphasize that I cited the commissioner's words in my question. This is a serious issue.

Lastly, my final question concerns the shortage of francophone immigration personnel.

I've previously spoken in this committee about francophone child care facilities and educational institutions experiencing acute staff shortages. French-language services are deficient in many regions, including my own, and the lack of educators hurts francophone communities. This is where immigration could really change the situation.

How will the Department of Citizenship and Immigration assist the communities in providing those services, by, for example, facilitating recruitment of qualified francophone educators?

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Joël Godin]

You have 20 seconds for your answer.

[Corinne Prince]

Mr. Chair, I'd be pleased to take that question.

Thank you for your question, Ms. Ashton.

Yes, the department has been working with its missions overseas, particularly our mission in Paris, which is in charge of selection from all francophone countries, to encourage French teachers, French immersion teachers, early childhood educators and health workers—

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Joël Godin]

Ms. Prince, I must unfortunately interrupt you. Perhaps someone else will ask you the same question later on.

I now give the floor to Mr. Gourde for five minutes.

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thanks to the witnesses for being with us today.

I've been a member for 16 years. In my early years, 2006 and 2007, we had to handle 50 to 60 immigration cases in the riding every year. Today there are between 500 and 700. That's more than 10 to 12 cases a week. People deal with problems every day. Members' offices have become service points of the Department of Citizenship and Immigration, but we don't have the staff we need. Helping you takes up 60% to 80% of my employees' time. It's very frustrating. My employees are exhausted.

What do you intend to do to help us? People try to reach your department by telephone to see where their cases stand, but they never get an answer. So they go through their MPs' offices. However, we're very limited in what we can do. We try to follow up their files and locate bottlenecks in the process. Then we call your department. We used to have direct lines and could get an answer in 24 hours. Now it can take up to two weeks in some cases. We aren't allowed to inquire about more than seven cases at a time. These days it takes two months to provide people on the waiting list with the information they've requested. It makes no sense.

What measures can you take to help us?

[Corinne Prince]

I'd like to thank Mr. Gourde for his question.

The department does in fact work closely on an everyday basis with members' offices to answer any questions received…

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

More people need to be available. We can't wait two weeks for an answer to a question. It now takes two to three weeks. In 2007, 2008 and 2009, we would get an answer in 24 hours. And now we're talking about three weeks. In the long run, it will take a month or a month and a half. That's too long.

Do you, or do you not have a staffing problem?

[Corinne Prince]

Thank you for that question.

In every immigration levels plan, IRCC increased the number of employees available to answer questions from citizens.

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

How many employees do you have available to answer questions from the 338 members of Parliament who, day after day, call upon the services of the Department of Citizenship and Immigration?

[Corinne Prince]

Mr. Chair, I don't have the exact number at hand. We could provide it to the committee after today's meeting. However, I can tell you that we've set up a call centre…

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

Excuse me, but your call centre doesn't work. The wait times have got considerably longer. This service is really very disappointing.

At our end, we get discouraged people in tears. Some have paid a fortune to lawyers to immigrate to Canada. In many instances, services could have been provided free, but the department refused to answer their questions. These people give up on settling in Canada because it's too expensive. I've seen horror stories, amounts from $50,000 to $60,000 that very poor people obtained by mortgaging everything they had. They had borrowed money from their family to come to Canada, but couldn't get an answer. Their file was not moving. I've seen people wait four or four and a half years only to be told in the end that their application was being refused.

Would it not be possible to provide more services, more quickly. Otherwise, it will become a national scandal.

[Corinne Prince]

Mr. Chair, as I mentioned earlier, the department has continued over a period of many years to provide services to MPs, Canadians and those who have submitted an application to the department.

Perhaps I can give the floor to…

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

Excuse me. Did the government ask you to speed up or to be more efficient in processing all the applications that have been held up for so long?

Have you been directed to work more quickly?

[Corinne Prince]

Mr. Chair, I can clearly state that our employees are working hard, particularly given the crises around the world, in Afghanistan and in Ukraine. We have set up a call centre that operates 18 hours a day, and on weekends.

Honestly, it's an outstanding service. There are not many countries around the world that operate a call centre on weekends and for extended hours every day.

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

Excuse me, I have a final question.

I've been told that many people start out working at your department and use it as a springboard to move on to other departments, and that you have a lot of employees who don't stay because they find it too difficult to work at IRCC.

Is that part of the problem? Are there employees who only stay for five months and then find a job in another department?

[Corinne Prince]

Mr. Chair—

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Joël Godin]

Briefly please, Ms. Prince.

[Corinne Prince]

Mr. Chair, I can tell you that I have worked with this department since December 2008, and when I arrived at IRCC I found employees and colleagues who have worked at this department their entire career. I would say that it's a department that is an exciting place to work, and we get to work on issues that are important not only for Canadians but internationally as well.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Joël Godin]

Thank you, Ms. Prince.

I am now going to give the floor to Ms. Lattanzio for five minutes.

[Patricia Lattanzio, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

My questions are going to be centring around the Canada-Quebec accord. I'd like to ask either Ms. Prince or whoever can answer the question as to what are the Quebec government's immigration priorities today, in 2022.

[Corinne Prince]

Mr. Chair, thank you very much for the question.

I honestly think it would be best if you asked our colleagues in the province of Quebec in the immigration department to appear before the committee to share with you their priorities. I could tell you about federal priorities.

[Patricia Lattanzio, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

Can you tell me your priorities vis-à-vis the Quebec-Canada accord?

[Corinne Prince]

The federal government entered into the Canada-Quebec accord in 1991 and has worked closely with the Province of Quebec to ensure the entrance of francophone newcomers to the province. Under the accord, the federal government provides an annual grant to the Province of Quebec to cover the cost of settlement services provided within the province.

We work with our colleagues in Quebec every year to do a comparative study looking at the services provided by the Province of Quebec in comparison to the services that the federal government provides to all newcomers outside of Quebec. It has been a very positive relationship over the years and continues to be.

[Patricia Lattanzio, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

I understand that in your preliminary remarks you stated that the Quebec government issues an annual report. Has the annual report changed much in its priorities? Or what have you noticed has changed in the last 10 years?