PACP Committee News Release
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Standing Committee on Public Accounts |
HOUSE OF COMMONS CHAMBRE DES COMMUNES OTTAWA, CANADA K1A 0A6 |
Comité permanent des comptes publics |
For immediate release
NEWS RELEASE
SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS ARE NEEDED IN SERVICE DELIVERY AT CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION CANADA
Ottawa, March 25, 2011 -
Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) must address a large backlog and long processing times in its Citizenship Program because some new Canadians must wait many months before having the opportunity to exercise important rights, such as the right to vote, according to a report of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts presented to the House of Commons today.
A Fall 2010 report by the Office of the Auditor General found that CIC had implemented service standards for only 4 of its 35 services. Given the breadth and importance of the work to be carried out by the Department, the Committee requests that CIC provide it with an annual progress report until all service standards have been developed and all elements of its action plan have been implemented. The Committee also believes that CIC must specify what concrete actions it will take to address the backlog and lengthy processing times for its Citizenship Program.
Further, the Committee recommends that CIC study the workload of immigration cases handled by MP constituency offices and that they present a plan to reduce the need to seek help from MPs with respect to the department’s services.
Finally, while CIC is aiming to establish more online relationships with applicants, the Department should ensure that all applicants have equal access to its services, especially those that do not have access to the internet.
The Committee will be monitoring the government’s action on these recommendations and will report further, if required.
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