Citizenship and Immigration committee  Yes. In terms of how the department goes to market, you have to appreciate that with the increase in application fees, especially citizenship fees now being at $630, I can almost guarantee that if you pulled apart the numbers, you would discover that the department is a profit ce

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Yes, I do.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Actually, I want to make a comment about something that's beyond statistics. One thing we have always heard from clients who did get hold of the call centre is, when they tell us what they were told, they were given patently wrong advice. That's a bigger issue than whether the ca

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I'd like to make a follow-up comment. What drives business to us is every time IRCC tries to simplify the process, simply the form, simplify the website and they say, “You don't need to hire representatives; it's all here and it's in plain English.” That's like saying, “If yo

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I would agree with you. A lot of that mandate falls on the shoulders of the department itself.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I think that Andrew's point earlier was that this is the first time that the existing regulator is going to be given the authority and the teeth to be able to fulfill the proper mandate. What this committee has done is actually created a structure—you've allowed a structure to g

Citizenship and Immigration committee  We have made submissions on behalf of clients who have suffered under former counsels' misdirection. By the way, that includes both lawyers and consultants. We have asked the department to review and reconsider. We try to make the submission as soon as the client retains us, maki

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Yes.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Would it be fair to share how I got there?

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I joined a firm that was 25 years old. It was founded by a former immigration officer with the government, someone who had been in the department for 18 years. When I sat in on my first client meetings, I knew nothing. I was answering the phone. I couldn't answer any questions. A

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Okay. I do 50 hours of CPD every year and I attend every immigration law conference going.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I was leading a tribunal downtown when there was a consultant in the room, prior to my refugee hearing—it was an overlap in occupying the room— and he was being given a dressing-down by the IRB member, who then informed him that he was going to be reported to ICCRC. So I am awar

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I hear you loud and clear. My comments were to focus on what was realistic. My comment about overseas activities was to focus on the fact that there shouldn't be unrealistic expectations about the reach of the regulator. I am aware of the fact that there are legitimate complaint

Citizenship and Immigration committee  —hoping the other person suffers pain. I have faith that you will not be fooled. Honourable members, Madam Chair, I thank you for allowing Honourable Minister Hussen's recommendations in Bill C-97 for the formation of the college to come to fruition. In 222 years from now, all

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Thank you, Madam Chair and honourable members. It is a privilege and honour to have been invited here today, and I am very grateful for this opportunity to talk to you today. For the past 17 years, I have had the opportunity to help thousands of immigrants come to Canada to s