Debates of May 24th, 2018

Department of Citizenship and Immigration—Main Estimates, 2018-19

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, York South—Weston, ON]

Mr. Chair, if spending more money on border security operations and faster processing of refugee claims is doing a bad job, then I am guilty as charged.

The fact is that we are making the necessary investments, after the horrendous cuts made by the Harper Conservatives, in border security operations and in faster processing of refugee claims. We are reuniting more families than ever. We are providing refuge to those who are persecuted around the world. We are bringing talent to Canada.

We understand, unlike the Harper Conservatives, that investment follows talent, to grow our economy and create jobs for Canadians. That is why we are seeing a growth in the express entry system. That is why we are seeing a 33% growth in the provincial nominee program, which spreads the benefits of immigration all across the country.

[Alice Wong, Conservative, Richmond Centre, BC]

Mr. Chair, he is spending more money, but doing much worse. That is a job done badly. There are so many Ukrainians being persecuted. It is so bad for them, they need to come to Canada, too.

Why is the unfair minister sending his staff and all other resources to process illegal border crossers from the safe United States instead of helping persecuted Ukrainians?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, York South—Weston, ON]

Mr. Chair, the fact of the matter is that we have doubled the number of resettled refugees compared to the Harper Conservatives. We have quadrupled the number of privately sponsored refugees compared to the Conservatives' numbers. We have reduced the processing time of privately sponsored refugees by 25 months. We are reuniting more families than ever under our spousal sponsorship program. We have doubled the number of spaces available for parents and grandparents because we value family reunification.

[Alice Wong, Conservative, Richmond Centre, BC]

Mr. Chair, there are so many international students from China who want to come to Canada for their education, but the unfair minister is sending his staff to process illegal border crossers from the United States. This is crazy.

Toronto mayor John Tory says illegal border crossers are filling Toronto homeless shelters. Why is the unfair minister prioritizing illegal border crossers over students and the homeless?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, York South—Weston, ON]

Mr. Chair, we have welcomed more international students than ever before. Every year, we see growth in the number of international students coming to Canada. We have opened more pathways for international students to become permanent residents and are giving international students more points under the express entry system because we value their talents, skills, and keenness to become future Canadian citizens. We are the first government in Canadian history that is not only telling international students to come to study in Canada, but also telling as many as possible to stay.

[Alice Wong, Conservative, Richmond Centre, BC]

Mr. Chair, so many people who have legally come to Canada through the temporary foreign worker program are waiting such a long time to become permanent residents. Then they see the unfair minister sending staff to give work permits and benefits to illegal border crossers. This unfair minister is not being fair to the people who run our farms. Why is the unfair minister being so unfair?

[The Assistant Deputy Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I want to remind hon. members that this is between the hon. minister and the hon. member for Richmond Centre. There are a couple of people getting involved. The only people who are to give advice are the people in front of the minister. If members want to go outside to talk, that is fine.

The hon. minister.

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, York South—Weston, ON]

Mr. Chair, we are proud of the fact that we have an immigration system that welcomes the best and the brightest from around the world. That is why we prioritize client service and faster processing of applications. We have made it a priority to eliminate backlogs. We are proud of having the best record in terms of family reunification. We have doubled the number of resettled refugees and provided a home for the most vulnerable people in the world, including Yazidi women and girls and other survivors of Daesh, something that the party opposite could not do in 10 years in power.

[Alice Wong, Conservative, Richmond Centre, BC]

Mr. Chair, the system should be planned and orderly. This unfair minister has broken the system. Is he proud of allowing illegal immigrants to cross the border easily and illegal immigrants to wait?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, York South—Weston, ON]

Mr. Chair, the fact of the matter is that it is the long processing times and huge backlogs that frustrate potential immigrants, which is precisely what we inherited from the Harper Conservatives. The fact of the matter is that we have made faster processing of immigration cases our priority and have delivered with respect to the spousal program. I will give an example. The live-in caregiver program went from five to seven years to 12 months under our government.

[Pam Damoff, Liberal, Oakville North—Burlington, ON]

Mr. Chair, I am glad to add my voice to the ongoing debate in this House on Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada's main estimates for 2018-19. I am going to deliver a 10-minute speech and then ask a few questions.

One of the most important and notable responsibilities of this department, particularly over the past few years, lies in supporting Canada's strong and long-standing humanitarian tradition of resettling vulnerable people from around the world who have been persecuted and displaced, and who seek our country's protection. Indeed, maintaining that humanitarian tradition and ensuring that Canada continues to provide protection to those in need around the world is one of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada's central mandates.

This mandate is particularly prominent at a time when record numbers of people around the world are being displaced, be they refugees, asylum seekers, or internally displaced persons. In fact, there are more than 62 million displaced people in the world right now. Although the ultimate objective of these displaced people may be to return home in peace and safety, unfortunately, that is all too frequently not an option. The objectives of Canada's resettlement program are to save lives, to offer protection to the displaced and persecuted, to meet our country's international legal obligations with respect to refugees, and to respond to international crises by providing assistance to those in need.

Canada's commitment to providing protection to the world's most vulnerable people is fundamental to our country's identity, as well as our international reputation. In that spirit, Canada's private sponsorship of refugees program was recently identified as a model for other countries, and a potential key element in an international effort to address migration crises and situations of conflict around the world.

Through this program, refugees are sponsored privately by civil society groups and groups of ordinary Canadians. These refugees are supported in addition to those supported by the government. Since it was established in the late 1970s during the crisis faced by the Vietnamese boat people, the program has allowed Canada to offer protection to many more people than we could have otherwise helped. In fact, more than a third of the 51,000 Syrian refugees resettled to Canada since November 2015 were privately sponsored, and last year, more than two-thirds of refugees of all nationalities resettled in Canada were privately sponsored.

I was pleased to play a small part in sponsoring a family through Terra Firma Halton, and to get to know Ranim, Sidra and Tarek, welcoming them to their new home in Oakville and watching them grow and succeed in their adopted country.

I was encouraged to see that the government, in collaboration with several partners, launched a new initiative aimed at helping interested countries study and adopt Canada's private sponsorship model. The Canadian model of resettlement works, at least in part because it mobilizes citizens in direct support of refugees, and those who sponsor and welcome refugees become advocates for diversity and understanding. These sponsors are also invaluable resources for ensuring that refugees integrate successfully to Canadian society.

Canada's humanitarian commitment to protecting vulnerable people, including women and girls, sometimes extends beyond refugees and asylum seekers. A significant example of this lies in our country's recent attempts to help Yazidis, one of Iraq's oldest minorities, who are mostly concentrated in northern Iraq. Almost two years ago, a United Nations commission report concluded that abuses of Yazidis by Daesh amounted to crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Several months later, in October of 2016, the House of Commons voted unanimously in support of a motion that the Government of Canada provide protection to Yazidi women and girls who are fleeing genocide. The Government of Canada committed to resettling 1,200 survivors of Daesh, including vulnerable Yazidi women and children, as government-sponsored refugees, by the end of 2017.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada worked closely with the United Nations Refugee Agency, the International Organization for Migration, and resettlement assistance program service provider organizations, and other partners to meet this commitment.

The UNHCR helped to identify vulnerable Yazidi women and children and other survivors of Daesh and their family members both inside and outside of Iraq. With the help and advice of German and Kurdish authorities, as well as Yazidi leaders, the government determined that the focus of these efforts should be on helping the most vulnerable individuals, rather than on a large-scale resettlement. The government also facilitated the private sponsorship of individuals who fall within this vulnerable group, so more Yazidi women and girls, as well as other survivors of Daesh, could arrive in Canada as privately sponsored refugees.

As of March 30, 2018, Canada has welcomed more than 1,300 survivors of Daesh, including 1,216 government-supported and 88 privately sponsored refugees. Of those who have arrived, close to 85% are Yazidi. Once in Canada, these survivors of Daesh continue to receive the necessary supports required, through both private and public organizations. The government has committed to continue to accept and even fast-track the private sponsorship of refugees who are survivors of Daesh. That is why I am shocked and disappointed to hear members of the official opposition continually accuse the government of failing to support Yazidi women and girls. This government has demonstrated its commitment to these survivors time and again, and we will continue to do so. We know that many survivors have experienced significant mental and physical trauma. To assist service-provider organizations with the settlement and integration needs of this population, migration officers and physicians with the International Organization for Migration have identified the specific medical and resettlement needs of each individual. As well, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has developed and circulated a Yazidi population profile, detailing demographic and health characteristics, as well as cultural considerations, for this vulnerable population.

To support their successful settlement and integration, all government-assisted refugees, including the survivors of Daesh, receive settlement services pre- and post-arrival. As such, the International Organization for Migration delivered orientation-to-Canada training to all survivors of Daesh before their departure from the Middle East. Coordination with the settlement community in Canada continues to ensure that their settlement services, including psychosocial and mental health supports, are available to meet the very acute needs of the survivors of Daesh as we resettle and welcome them to Canada. Like all resettled refugees, these individuals receive coverage for physician services and mental health supports, including clinical psychologists, psychotherapists, and counselling therapists as well as prescription-drug coverage. In addition, given the unimaginable trauma that many survivors of Daesh may have experienced, some individuals may have unique medical needs. As such, an assessment has been conducted for each individual to identify their needs and to connect survivors with medical and psychosocial support services post-arrival. Officials meet regularly to discuss how these individuals are adapting and to ensure that the appropriate settlement services are in place.

The Government of Canada's efforts to resettle survivors of Daesh, including vulnerable Yazidi women and girls, is just the latest example of our country's long-standing humanitarian approach to the world's most vulnerable groups. Canadians can continue to take pride in this great tradition.

We know that these women and children have suffered severe trauma from Daesh in their countries of origin, and we know that they need a great deal of support when they arrive here in Canada, which I know is a priority for our government despite of what some members of the opposition have claimed. Once again, today at the status of women committee, the plight of these women was politicized with claims being made that we are doing nothing to support them, when in fact the very program being used to provide mental health supports is one that the Harper Conservatives cut and our government reinstated. Can the minister expand on what Canada is doing to help them once they are here?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Chair, the hon. member's question with respect to Yazidis is an important one.

Our government has proven itself to be a world leader in welcoming refugees fleeing war and persecution.

We have now provided a new home to over 1,300 women and their families who endured the brutality of Daesh, 85% of whom are Yazidis. We are not stopping there. We will continue to expedite the privately sponsored applications of survivors of Daesh and support family reunification.

These women and girls have endured and survived unimaginable trauma and face long journeys toward healing and rebuilding their lives right here in Canada. Make no mistake; we will support them every step of the way. We have mobilized settlement organizations and community partners to provide extensive specialized services tailored to their specific needs. These supports include counselling and mental health services provided through the very refugee health care program the Conservatives cut when they were in power.

We made sure that we paced the arrivals of the survivors of Daesh, learning from the German example and advice, to make sure that each group of about 50 survivors would have supports in place before their arrival so they could be assisted in their long journey of restarting their lives in Canada. Second, we have ensured that there are enough translators and community representatives to assist them in their integration. We have ensured that survivors of Daesh atrocities are spread across many communities in Canada, which have more than welcomed them with open arms.

Our government's commitment to supporting vulnerable women and girls is unwavering, and we are continuing down the road with further funding of $20 million, announced in budget 2018, to expand our refugee program to target vulnerable women and girls. In addition to that, we are proud of the fact that our global leadership in resettling women and girls and other survivors of Daesh led to Canada being recognized by the United Nations for this great work. In addition, we will, of course, continue to expedite privately sponsored applications for survivors of Daesh atrocities and facilitate family reunification.

There are no caps on group of five sponsorships. That is why Canadians can continue to exercise their generosity in welcoming these highly vulnerable individuals into our communities so that we can assist them to re-establish their lives in Canada, recover from the unimaginable trauma they have been exposed to, and contribute to Canadian society in the short and long term. In fact, to achieve those outcomes, we have more than quadrupled the number of privately sponsored refugees. This is because we value and support Canadians' generosity and are committed to upholding Canada's humanitarian tradition. We would not have been able to meet these targets had it not been for the overwhelming outpouring of generosity by Canadians.

In keeping with our humanitarian tradition, keeping family members together is very important for our government, and when separation occurs, due to whatever reason, every effort is made by our government to facilitate family reunification as soon as possible. For example, when a family member is released from captivity when the rest of the family has already settled in Canada, we facilitate that reunification. We will continue to facilitate, specifically in this case, family reunification for those whose family members are still in Daesh captivity.

In addition to that, we have ensured that we keep working and engaging with the Kurdish Regional Government, as well as the UNHCR and neighbouring countries that have populations of survivors of Daesh atrocities, including Yazidi women and girls, to highlight their plight, to make sure we prioritize their cases, to refer them from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, and also to refer them to private sponsors right here in Canada.

The interim federal health program, which we restored as a government, and which we will continue to fund, is exactly the program that is providing mental health and other health care supports to this highly vulnerable group of people, as well as other refugees.

I am most proud, as are all members in the House, of the response Canada had in responding to create a new home for the 1,300 women and their families who endured the brutality of Daesh atrocities, 85% of whom are Yazidis. We learned from the German example, which advised us to make sure we paced the arrivals. We made sure that we expedited family reunification privately sponsored applications, and we made sure that we had the necessary wraparound supports once these individuals got here.

From the lessons we have learned through this experience, we have made sure to provide further funding in our immigration levels planning. As part of budget 2018, the government announced an additional $20 million so we can respond quickly again to make sure that we provide a home for other vulnerable women and girls.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Mr. Chair, I will use all my speaking time for questions. Before I begin, I would like to ask the minister the following question.

He keeps saying “Under our watch, we did all this, we did all that.”

He says the Liberals are doing excellent work, so why does he need to go to Nigeria to tell Nigerians not to come to Canada through the United States?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, York South—Weston, ON]

Mr. Chair, the fact of the matter is that our outreach program is critical to the work we are doing to address the issue of irregular migration. We have outreached to communities in the United States and beyond, including Nigeria. I am proud of the work we are doing to engage with senior officials and civil society in places like the United States, but also in Nigeria and domestically, to make sure that people understand our immigration system and our asylum system. Senior government officials, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, have assured me that Nigeria will work closely with Canada to address the issue of irregular migration to Canada in co-operation with our government.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Mr. Chair, the images people see on television really affect them. People in my riding talk to me about this all the time. Instead of fixing the problem with the safe third country agreement, the minister is recasting the RCMP as hotel porters to welcome illegal immigrants pulling their suitcases up Roxham Road. Recently they even set up a shuttle service to transport people from Quebec to Ontario or any other Canadian province of their choice.

Why is the minister wasting so much money encouraging people to enter Canada illegally while other people in other countries are waiting their turn to come here?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, York South—Weston, ON]

Mr. Chair, that is simply inaccurate. We have not spent money to encourage people to cross our border irregularly. That is simply not the case. What we have done is engage in a very aggressive and sustained outreach program to diaspora communities in the United States and beyond to make sure that we engage with diaspora communities, stakeholders, officials, diplomatic representatives, and non-governmental organizations so we can educate people on the extent of our immigration system and our asylum system. Those who are determined to need Canada's protection are allowed to stay in Canada, and those who are not deemed to need Canada's protection are removed from Canada.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Mr. Chair, the minister is giving people who enter this country illegally access to health services across Canada and is fast-tracking their claims. That is the reality. That is what we are currently dealing with every day. Illegal migrants know that they have access to free health care in Canada while they await their asylum hearing, no matter what the outcome of their hearing may be.

Why is the minister using taxpayers' money to encourage people to enter Canada illegally to access treatment, while others are waiting abroad with no care?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, York South—Weston, ON]

Mr. Chair, again I want to correct the record. We are not spending taxpayer money to encourage people to cross the border irregularly. That is simply not true. Even though the member opposite continues to repeat that, it is inaccurate. What we are doing is engaging in a very aggressive and sustained outreach program to educate people in diaspora communities, as well as non-governmental organizations, about the extent of Canada's immigration program and so they have a true understanding of our asylum policies.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Mr. Chair, the minister said that he is expediting work permits for people who illegally enter Canada. Migrants know that they will have a work permit if they enter Canada illegally, no matter the outcome of their hearing. For example, if a claim takes two years to process, a migrant from Nigeria will have potentially earned more money in Canada, in just two years, than he or she would have earned after a lifetime of work in his or her home country.

Why is the minister still wasting money to encourage people to enter Canada illegally, while others must wait?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, York South—Weston, ON]

Mr. Chair, on the issue of work permits, the Province of Quebec approached the federal government through the intergovernmental task force on irregular migration and asked us to expedite work permits for asylum seekers as a way to minimize pressure on provincial social services. We responded positively to that request, reducing the processing time for work permits for asylum seekers from three months to three weeks, and we have issued over 13,000 work permits to asylum seekers in Quebec. This is important, because they can then support themselves while they await their hearings and therefore minimize pressure on provincial social services.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Mr. Chair, that leads me to my next question. What about people who are already here and have had to wait two, three, or sometimes four years for a work permit? I regularly get people coming to my office who entered Canada legally but cannot secure a work permit. Why are people who came here illegally being bumped to the front of the line for work permits?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, York South—Weston, ON]

Mr. Chair, the fact of the matter is that asylum seekers are processed separately, in a separate stream, through the Immigration and Refugee Board, whereas all the other immigration processes are done by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. I want to keep repeating that point, because the party opposite keeps trying to connect the two and is muddying the waters. The fact of the matter is that the processing in one stream does not affect the other.

On the issue of work permits, it is something that was brought forward by the Province of Quebec. The province asked us to deal with the issue of work permits and to expedite the issue of work permits to allow asylum seekers to support themselves while they await their hearings.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Mr. Chair, on May 8, the Minister of Transport said in Montreal that 90% of irregular migrants do not meet the criteria to claim asylum and must leave. However, that same day, Global News reported that of the 26,000 people who have entered Canada illegally since last year, only 1% have been removed. What happened to the other 89%? How much did it cost to remove them?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, York South—Weston, ON]

Mr. Chair, the Immigration and Refugee Board is responsible for hearing refugee claims. Those claimants who have a legitimate claim for refugee protection are granted refugee status, and they can stay in Canada, and those who are found not to have a legitimate claim for refugee protection are removed from Canada.

Our government has invested $74 million to ensure fast decision-making at the Immigration and Refugee Board so that refugee claimants can get decisions faster. That allows failed claimants to be removed from Canada quickly.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Mr. Chair, my riding supports orderly immigration, since its aging population means we are dependent on immigration to grow our economy. Just this week and last week, I have been contacted by companies complaining about delays in processing applications submitted by foreign workers and legal immigrants.

First of all, how many Immigration and Citizenship Canada employees have been taken off their regular duties and reassigned to process applications from migrants who entered Canada illegally? Second, why is the minister using taxpayer money to let people who came here illegally jump in front of those who, need I remind you, are waiting their turn?