Finance committee  I don't have statistics with respect to a per-immigrant cost. I can address the issue with respect to our objective. Our objective is as framed in those levels exercises, and that is to maximize the number. The minister talked about the acute demographic challenges we're facing as a nation.

Finance committee  --and we do have an obligation to ensure that by 2012 we have enough numbers to respond to the labour force, because immigrants will be the sole source of our labour force growth.

Finance committee  It is not. That particular clause you are citing is not a blanket prohibition. When considering that particular amendment and H and Cs, humanitarian and compassionate applications, we did distinguish between those made in Canada and those abroad. The reason the legislation expressly prohibits the instructions applying to those in Canada is that some unique circumstances may arise with respect to those people who are affected by it--they are established here, they have children here, occupations, etc.

Finance committee  It's not a prohibition. What the legislation does is give visa officers the discretion to deny this in circumstances, so it's not an outright prohibition. But it could apply in those circumstances where it might otherwise be used as a way to circumvent the priority occupations list.

Finance committee  Certainly, the intention of that particular provision is not to deny H and C access to those deserving of H and C. Those people deserving of it will continue to have their applications heard in the normal manner and normal fashion.

Finance committee  I can't comment on the specific legal drafting. I can say, certainly, that the advice from our counsel was that this was an appropriate way to draft the language so as to accord the discretion to the visa officer and so as not to impose an outright prohibition.

Finance committee  What we have, in the context of the amendment, is the overall parameters, in terms of the authorities that can be exercised. The instructions, once they're issued, are going to elaborate on a number of things. One will be those priority occupations—the numbers permitted, the disposition of various applications, issues such as H and C applications—so that people abroad will have a clear sense as to what the rules of the game are going to be.

Finance committee  That's correct. We're operating as well within a framework that you're familiar with, in terms of the overall levels we need to attain each year, and that is set out in the annual plan. So everything we do in terms of the exercise of these instructions must be seen in the context of those overall levels.

Finance committee  It does not give the minister that sort of unfettered discretion at all. It is framed by a number of important realities, which I will just go through very quickly, if I may. One of them is the annual levels exercise, so whatever we do on the instructions must be consistent with the overall levels the Government of Canada will have determined, and those are published every year and tabled in the House of Commons.

Finance committee  Actually, if you go to the CIC website, you'll find a good deal of that information up there. Some of the rationale for the amendments, for the budgetary investments, and indeed for the kinds of things the minister was talking about this afternoon form the basis of the analysis we did that appears on our website.

Finance committee  I'm not going to get into breaching confidence in terms of advice to ministers. One of the factors we looked at very seriously was the consequence of doing nothing over the next few years. With the prospect of having the backlog grow from its current size, which is already fairly daunting, up to over 1.5 million potential applications, with wait times associated with them of some 10 years, that was a fairly motivating factor in identifying a solution that would help the government begin to tackle the backlog and make the system more competitive with some of the other countries that are currently having more success in terms of newcomers.

Finance committee  There are always other options one can examine. As I said, I'm not going to disclose ministerial confidences in this forum. But certainly if you look at some of the academic papers or at what some other countries have done, they may or may not necessarily be portable to the Canadian scene and respond to some of the Canadian demands.

Finance committee  I can only really speak to what the intent is from an official's perspective. Our primary concern is ensuring that the system operates as efficiently and responsibly as it can. Our view is that the sorts of amendments that have been put forward, most notably the fact that we no longer would be required to process all applications, will give us that agility to make the system more modern and more responsive to deal with labour market pressures, but also ensuring and applying the human capital model that we have over the longer term, the sorts of skill sets that Canada will need in the coming years.

Finance committee  I don't know that I would necessarily say trump. I think what the process provides for is a final decision by the Governor in Council.

Finance committee  Yes.