Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm joined today by Jacques Cloutier, Vice-President of the Intelligence and Enforcement Branch of the CBSA. He will assist me in answering any questions members of the committee may have.
I would like to begin by acknowledging the findings of the 2019 spring report of the Auditor General of Canada concerning the in-Canada asylum system. Before I get into some of the details, I would like to quickly provide you with some context, specifically on our current operating environment.
As stated previously by my colleagues, Canada has seen high volumes of asylum claimants since 2017. On average, there are more than 50,000 claims per year.
All persons who seek entry to Canada, including irregular migrants, must be afforded due process under the law and must demonstrate they meet the admissibility requirements. The CBSA ensures that both immigration and customs legislation are applied and that international obligations are respected.
As a result of the Auditor General's findings, the CBSA and the IRCC initiated a comprehensive review of security risk and serious criminality cases. We concluded that in cases showing evidence of criminality at the time the individual made a refugee claim, officers were aware of that information and factored it into their decision-making. We can confirm that none of these individuals represented a threat to Canada and Canadians.
Individuals who enter Canada irregularly are arrested by the RCMP or local law enforcement and brought to either the nearest CBSA port of entry or an inland CBSA or IRCC office for an immigration examination.
To determine the admissibility of claimants, measures such as criminality checks, biographic and biometric verifications and health screenings are applied.
ln addition, front-end security screening is mandatory for adult refugee claimants. lt begins at that point of entry and it must be completed by the time of the IRB hearing date. Various factors such as the complexity of the case, the level of detail provided in an application and responses from CBSA's security screening partners may impact the time required to complete this process.
I should point out that biometrics are primarily used for identity management and verification with our Five Eyes partners, and not only for criminality. Criminality can and is checked through various means, including biometric and biographic checks.
This brings us to the Auditor General's findings and recommendations, which we accept.
The first recommendation, allowing greater flexibility to better respond to the fluctuating volume of claims, is an approach we agree with and have been working towards improving. The CBSA, IRCC and IRB continue to utilize existing funding mechanisms and are working together to explore potential flexible funding approaches to meet current and projected intake.
ln view of the fact that refugee intake has doubled since 2016, our agency, the IRCC and the IRB have already taken a number of innovative approaches to improve the effectiveness of the in-Canada asylum system.
An example of this, addressed in the Auditor General's report, is the reallocation of resources to areas with a higher influx of asylum seekers. This significantly improved the timeliness of security screening.
The Government of Canada has also allocated additional resources to temporarily increase the capacity for refugee intake and for refugee protection decisions.
With regard to the second recommendation, more proactive sharing of information, I can tell you that the CBSA, IRCC and IRB are committed to doing just that.
The CBSA is seeking to provide its partners with timely notification of its intention to either intervene or not in a claim. We remain committed to proactively sharing information, such as previous visa applications and biometrics, with partner countries, all while respecting privacy legislation and information-sharing agreements.
The Integrated Claim Assessment Centre pilot project illustrates our commitment to speed up claims processing and demonstrates effective and proactive information sharing in support of program integrity. We will continue to test innovative approaches to further streamline procedures in an effort to avoid duplication and reduce overall processing times.
The third recommendation is for the three organizations to collaborate on finding ways to more efficiently and securely collect and share refugee claims, with a focus on digital. Again, we are in full agreement.
The CBSA continues to work with the IRCC and the IRB to establish a clear understanding of what, when and how claimant-specific documents are to be shared. We are establishing a quality assurance program to identify unnecessary delays or errors, and we will monitor overall compliance with this approach. Issues such as missing, delayed, incomplete or illegible claimant information are being identified and addressed in a timely manner.
The newly created Asylum System Management Board will ensure effective coordination in the delivery of the asylum system. We will work to implement a horizontal and integrated management approach of the asylum system as a whole. In addition, we will work together with central agencies to identify options and potential mechanisms to further develop IT capabilities in support of improved interoperability, information sharing and client service. Further improvements will be made to existing digital interfaces to provide for the exchange of real-time information among the organizations and to support the shift to a digital processing environment.
Mr. Chair, we firmly believe that people seeking asylum in Canada must be treated with compassion and be afforded due process under the law. We will continue to do so, all while applying the necessary policies and procedures to promptly remove failed refugee claimants, protect our border and respect our domestic and international obligations. The resources identified in the 2019 budget will help enable the processing of additional refugee claims, strengthen processes at the border and accelerate the processing of claims and removals in a timely manner.
In closing, I would like to thank the Auditor General for taking the time to closely examine our current asylum system and for flagging important issues to be addressed in order to better maintain the integrity of our immigration system and the safety of Canadians. The CBSA is committed to working with its partners to further improve the process.
My colleagues and I would be pleased to answer any questions the committee may have.
Thank you.