Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for the question and for her concern about immigration processing times.
IRCC looks at the processing times from the outset of when the application is actually filed. It is important to track that, because this is something that has been identified by the minister as a serious issue that he is devoting his priorities and his time to addressing. He described this in the House in his original response to my friend's question a few months back as a “mess” that was left as the legacy of the previous government, because it basically depleted the resources of the department, allowing waiting times to mushroom and balloon such that we are now in a situation where they have ballooned to the point where families are being unjustly treated. What we are trying to do is bring down those waiting times, and we are doing that in a number of respects.
In the first instance, we have a government that has tabled our immigration levels and we are responding to the levels by beefing up the number of family class applicants that can come in. It used to be at a 5,000-applicant level, and we have increased that to 10,000 applicants per year. That is particularly for parents and grandparents. It goes to some of the concerns that have been expressed by the opposition critic for the NDP, because it relates to the need to address family reunification as an important priority.
In that regard, we understand that families need to be reunified, because it is morally correct but also because it is an economic imperative. That is why we made that commitment during the campaign, and we have upheld that commitment already. We realize that people who come in as part of the family-reunification category both represent caregivers to children who might exist in those families and also represent a means of economic liberation for other people who are within those families. In providing care, a grandparent allows the mother or father in a family unit to, for example, seek work on his or her own. We also recognize that people who come in under family reunification, and come in quickly, are able to participate in the workforce themselves.
We recognize this, as a government. Groups around the country, including people and agencies in the member's riding of Vancouver East, recognize this. People in my riding of Parkdale—High Park recognize this. People like those at the Polycultural Immigrant and Community Services, at Kababayan Multicultural Centre, and at the Canadian Ukrainian Immigrant Aid Society on Bloor Street West are all working hard to get people here quicker in terms of family reunification, and to integrate them once they have arrived. It is a very important objective.
On another front, we are addressing the need for family reunification and the processing times, by addressing the need for further work permits. There is a pilot project that has been in place to allow open work permits for all eligible applicants under the spousal category. We have renewed that pilot project, again recognizing that not only do we need spouses to be here, but we need to give them a vehicle for working.
The last point is that we are also working on citizenship applications and the processing times that relate there too. We are committing to new applications. New applications are currently being processed within a 12-month time frame. That is because our view of citizenship is that we should facilitate it, rather than create obstacles toward citizenship.
It is a complete divergence of views from the previous government, because we believe the ultimate integration and success of newcomers, including the family members of those newcomers, is signalled by their attainment of citizenship. It produces better economic outcomes and better health outcomes, is better for the newcomers, and is better for Canada.