Public Safety Committee on April 30th, 2026

[Rhonda Kirkland, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

Thank you, Ministers, for being here today.

I appreciated your five-minute introductions. You said some things that were very important.

Minister Anandasangaree, you talked about your commitment to things being fair, and you talked about transparency. I think you know that's why we're asking all of these questions today.

Minister Diab, you said that the responsibility of IRCC is to keep out those who could do harm. You said that responsibility starts from the moment people apply.

You've been asked this several times, and you said that you did not specifically sign off on the temporary resident permit for Mr. Taj. I think you know that the buck stops with you. Were you briefed at all on Mr. Taj's case at any point prior to the decision to grant him a TRP?

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

I'm going to answer in the following way and say that—

[Rhonda Kirkland, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

I just want to know if you were briefed on it.

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

—Canada does have a robust system that is coordinated—

[Rhonda Kirkland, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

I'm sorry, Minister, but that is not my question. I'd appreciate you answering the question I asked.

The question I asked was, were you briefed at all on Mr. Taj's case at any point prior to the decision of him being granted a TRP? Were you briefed beforehand, yes or no?

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Let me just say that I will not comment on the individual, but I didn't know—

[Rhonda Kirkland, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

I don't want you to comment on him.

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

—the name of the individual either. It was not that—

[Rhonda Kirkland, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

Can I ask you or the public safety minister...? Did either of you personally intervene in this case?

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Again, the system is robust, where officials—

[Rhonda Kirkland, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

Yes, I know that. The system is robust. I know that people are working hard. That's not my question.

My question is this. Did either of you intervene at any point in the process? You said in your testimony that there are safeguards at several stages. I would hope that some of those safeguards would mean speaking to the ministers themselves. That's my question.

Did either you or Minister Anandasangaree personally intervene in this case? You don't have to say anything about the case, just whether or not you personally intervened.

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Scarborough—Guildwood—Rouge Park, ON]

If I may just clarify, the process of issuing a TRP is not within the purview of the Minister of Public Safety.

[Rhonda Kirkland, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

So, no, you didn't, because it's not in your purview.

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Scarborough—Guildwood—Rouge Park, ON]

No. However, the safeguards that are in place, because there are safeguards in place, as President O'Gorman spoke about.... Once an individual, in broader, general terms, is in Canada, the CBSA has broader authorities to intervene. If the individual is inadmissible or does not have the proper documentation, they are able to refer the matter to the IRB.

[Rhonda Kirkland, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

I'm going to interrupt, because I think we have that point.

Did you hear if any of your officials advised against him getting a temporary...? Hopefully, you've looked back at this file and at this case. At any point did anyone advise against granting him the temporary resident permit before he got it?

Ms. O'Gorman, do you think CBSA at any point advised the ministry that he should not be granted a temporary resident permit?

[Erin O'Gorman]

CBSA officers make a recommendation. The IRB will determine inadmissibility in cases, depending on the circumstances, at the port of entry.

[Rhonda Kirkland, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

Okay, thank you.

I respect the work of CBSA officers. I think everyone in this room knows that. I know that they work hard. They work very hard. Very often, they make recommendations, and they have guidance on what is permitted.

I'd like to know how often IRCC fails to follow CBSA's guidance, Minister Diab. How often would you say that your ministry fails to follow the guidance of CBSA?

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

We work together. IRCC, CBSA, CSIS and the security system team domestically work together in a very coordinated fashion.

[Rhonda Kirkland, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

Okay. That's great. You work together. It sounds wonderful to say—

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

In fact, with Bill C-12 and other measures—

[Rhonda Kirkland, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

It sounds wonderful to say—

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

—there will be a lot more info sharing.

[Rhonda Kirkland, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

I'm sorry, ma'am, just wait one moment.

I have spoken to many CBSA officers over the course of the last six months. I can tell you that more often than not, I hear stories that when they see a danger, they get a call from someone in the ministry—either public safety or immigration, but usually IRCC—overruling their wise decisions. Why does that happen?

[The Chair, Liberal, Jean-Yves Duclos]

I'm sorry to cut you off. We need to move to MP Powlowski for five minutes, please.

[Marcus Powlowski, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Rainy River, ON]

Well, let me start off by saying that the Conservatives are asking rat-tat-tat questions and not giving you a lot of time to reply.

Is there anything further that you'd like to add to your previous replies, Ministers?