Citizenship and Immigration committee  —which we did not do before this year.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  It's about the same.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I don't know, but I'll find out and get back to you.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  The entire construct of IRPA is to set out a framework that allows the government of the day to deal with the ebb and flow of demand for immigration. The fact that the government of the day has to table in the House every year the projected numbers that are going to be admitted is a good example.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I think broadly speaking it is. A couple of provisions in the act now allow the minister to issue instructions. Those are specified in the law, and they're a large area of the administration of the act that is simply done administratively. So it is consistent with the broad construction of the act.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Mr. Chairman, there are two components to my answer. One is that we have to be careful about whether we're talking about landings or visas issued. The government does not determine when people come to Canada. Last year, we issued something in the order of 251,000 visas, which is within the range the minister tabled in Parliament.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Yes.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I meant that just because a visa is issued on a particular date doesn't mean that people will get onto a plane the next day and come to Canada.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  That's correct. Some come immediately; some take a year.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I understand Mr. Telegdi's concern, but I do not agree with his premise that the bureaucracy has set up and dealt with the point system by itself. The point system is subject to ministerial review. It has been talked about in this committee. It was changed once or twice when the Liberal government was in power.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Mr. Chairman, I think it's fair to say that the current system doesn't contain a great deal of flexibility at all. We have to process every application we receive in the order in which it's received, although there are some exceptions to that. Given that that's the case, somebody who may have applied four years ago, thinking that he or she might have a connection with the Canadian economy, by the time the four years go by there's no real connection.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I'd be glad to, Mr. Chairman.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  No, I read a summary.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I saw references to that, Mr. Chairman.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I think that's correct, Mr. Chairman. The basic control mechanism, other than the constitutional ones, is that the instructions that are issued by the minister have to be consistent with the annual plan the government tables in the House of Commons. That is the plan that indicates each year how many people are going to be admitted to Canada in the three categories of federal skilled workers, family reunification, and humanitarian entries.