:
I call this meeting to order.
Welcome to meeting number five of the Special Committee on Canada-China Relations. Pursuant to the motion adopted on Wednesday, September 23, 2020, the committee is meeting on a study of Canada-China relations.
[Translation]
Today's meeting is in hybrid format, pursuant to the motion adopted by the House on September 23, 2020. The meeting is also televised and will be available on the House of Commons website.
[English]
To ensure an orderly meeting, I would like to outline a few rules to follow.
Members and witnesses may speak in the official language of their choice. Interpretation services are available for this meeting. You have the choice, at the bottom of your screen, of floor, English or French. Before speaking, please wait until I recognize you by name. If you are participating by video conference, please click on the microphone icon to unmute yourself.
For the benefit of witnesses—the minister would know this—if one of the members is asking you questions, you don't have to wait for me to introduce you or recognize you at that point, but at some point I will cut it off when their time is up.
[Translation]
As a reminder, all interventions by members of the committee and witnesses must be directed through the chair. Please speak slowly and clearly.
[English]
When you are not speaking, your mike should be on mute.
I would now like to welcome the Minister for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, the Honourable Marco Mendicino. We also have with us Natasha Kim, associate assistant deputy minister, strategic and program policy; as well as Dr. Nicole Giles, associate assistant deputy minister, operations.
Thank you all for being here. We will now go to the minister for his opening remarks.
:
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
[Translation]
Good evening, everyone.
[English]
It is an honour to be with you all today. Thank you as well, Mr. Chair, for dispensing with the introductions of my two colleagues, Dr. Giles and associate assistant deputy minister Natasha Kim.
Let me begin with the substance of my remarks, and then I'll be happy to take questions from our colleagues on the committee.
Canada remains deeply concerned about the imposition of the new national security law on Hong Kong, including recent developments in the legislative council. This country shares many close ties with Hong Kong, and we continue to stand with the people of Hong Kong.
[Translation]
Canada remains deeply concerned about the imposition of the new National Security Law on Hong Kong, including recent developments in the legislative council. This country shares many close ties with Hong Kong, and we continue to stand with the people there.
[English]
Accordingly, as Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, I continue to work with all of my cabinet colleagues, and indeed all members of the House, especially , to address the situation and coordinate any responses we may consider.
We have recently announced our new levels plan for the next three years, which will continue to attract the best and the brightest from around the world to help accelerate our economic recovery and drive Canada's prosperity going forward.
Over the course of Canada's history, immigration has helped us not only to grow but also to create jobs. In fact, one in three businesses with employees in Canada is owned by an immigrant.
As we've fought back against this pandemic, Canadians have been grateful for the service and sacrifices made by newcomers, who have played an outsized role in our response. A third of health professionals in key roles, like family doctors and pharmacists, come from abroad.
As we look to recovery and building the workforce that Canada needs for a prosperous future, we will continue to look for highly skilled people from around the world. In this context, I recently announced a number of measures for students and youth from Hong Kong, as well as a number of enhancements to Canada's existing immigration programs, which remain available to those living in Hong Kong and can provide pathways to settling in Canada.
There are three areas that I would like to highlight. First, we will seek to attract recent Hong Kong graduates and workers with the skills that we need to support our economy today and going forward. Second, we will prioritize existing immigration routes for family members, students and workers. Third, we have introduced several targeted measures to enhance the protections that are offered by our asylum system.
In totality, these measures support the objectives of our new levels plan as we seek to attract the world's best and brightest.
[Translation]
These measures support the objectives of our new levels plan, as we seek to attract the world's best and brightest.
[English]
To attract Hong Kongers from abroad, we are going to fast-track work permits for those with recent graduate experience who wish to come to Canada to work or continue their studies. This will allow recent graduates in Hong Kong to apply for an expedited open work permit valid for up to three years. Eligible applicants must have graduated from a recognized Canadian or overseas post-secondary learning institution in the last five years. If approved, their spouse or partner, as well as their children, will also be eligible to apply for a study or work permit.
Of course, we don't just want them to work or study in Canada temporarily. We also want them to consider staying on, which is why we will create two new permanent resident pathways under this initiative. I will highlight them now.
The first stream is open to Hong Kong residents in Canada who have graduated from a recognized Canadian learning institution in the last three years, having completed at least 50% of their courses in Canada. The second stream will apply to Hong Kong residents who are in Canada and who have graduated with a degree from a Canadian learning institution or a recognized post-secondary learning institution abroad in the last five years, and who have one year of full-time work experience in Canada within the last three years.
Once eligible under the three-year open work permit, Hong Kongers may then qualify under stream one or two or other existing PR programs. These measures represent an exciting opportunity to welcome Hong Kongers who can help to build our country going forward. We plan to welcome the first eligible applicants under this program in early 2021.
[Translation]
These measures represent an exciting opportunity to welcome Hong Kongers who can help to build our country going forward. We plan to welcome the first recent graduates under this program in early 2021.
[English]
Foreign nationals, including Hong Kong residents in Canada, continue to have access to our asylum system. All eligible asylum claimants are afforded due process and the opportunity to make their case for needing Canada's protection. In addition, due to changing conditions in Hong Kong that could put some individuals at greater risk, we have implemented an exemption to the 12-month bar on a pre-removal risk assessment, or PRRA, for Hong Kong nationals. Under normal circumstances, individuals who received a negative decision on their refugee claim or on a previous PRRA application would not be eligible to apply for a PRRA for at least 12 months.
Hong Kong residents at risk of persecution who have fled to another country may also be eligible under Canada's existing resettlement programs, including the private sponsorship of refugees program and the government-assisted refugees program.
Canada supports the right to peaceful protest, freedom of expression and freedom of assembly. Taking part in peaceful protests is not considered an offence in Canada. As such, arrests or convictions outside of Canada for taking part in peaceful protests are not grounds for inadmissibility to Canada. No one will be disqualified from making a legitimate asylum claim in Canada by virtue alone of having been charged under the new national security law, and neither will they be hindered in any way from availing themselves under any other immigration route.
As you know, the has committed to a whole-of-government response to China's national security law in Hong Kong. The measures I recently announced complement measures the government previously announced. By introducing new immigration measures that also complement the efforts of our international partners, as well as building on our existing programs and pathways, we are providing options and opportunities for Hong Kong residents that are going to support Canada's economic growth and prosperity.
[Translation]
By introducing new immigration measures that also complement those of our international partners, as well as building on our existing programs and pathways, we are providing options and opportunities for Hong Kong residents that support Canada's economic growth.
[English]
We will continue to support the many connections and ties between Canada and the people of Hong Kong.
Thank you for asking me to join you today. I will be very happy to take your questions.
[Translation]
Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Minister. Personally, I'm very happy you're here. As you probably know, we began this segment of our study on Hong Kong with a sense of urgency, given the application of the National Security Law in Hong Kong. This law means that democracy advocates in Hong Kong are now at risk and are looking for ways, if necessary, to find refugee somewhere.
The plan you announced fills a gap that had been identified. The British have put in place a number of measures to welcome people from Hong Kong who were present at the time of the handover. This excludes all the young people who were obviously not born at the time of the handover, who cannot take advantage of these mechanisms that have been put in place to find refuge in the United Kingdom.
By the 's own admission, the measures aimed at welcoming young and qualified nationals from Hong Kong are not humanitarian measures, since they leave out many young people who are not necessarily qualified or, as our colleague said earlier, perhaps slightly older defenders of democracy.
What do you have in mind for these younger or older people who aren't currently covered by the measures that you've just told us about?
Minister, you just said something interesting. You said, “it has never been easier for families to reunite.” I'm wondering if the protesters outside of your office might disagree with that.
Anyway, Minister, you've also said repeatedly during this committee today, and also previously, that no one will be prohibited from claiming asylum or applying to any other immigration program solely by virtue of having been charged under China's national security law. We know that there are only a few dozen people who have been charged under the national security law, but over 10,000 were arrested and 2,000 charged for protesting, which many believe is politically motivated from the Communist Party of China.
Will those charged under other protest-related charges, excluding the national security law, be permitted to come to Canada, as per your announcement last week?
:
I think that's fantastic.
Here, in Truro, Nova Scotia, when I was growing up there were really only three families who were Chinese. Now we have many young women, young girls, including my niece, who are from China, and they grew up together in the system and had each other to fall back on. They have integrated so well and they are very welcome. More Chinese people are welcome here. We love seeing them. Many of them are working and it's really fantastic. We also celebrate the Chinese new year and have lots of festivities like that, which is good for Nova Scotians who are not used to Chinese customs as well.
Your department did unveil a very ambitious and, I would say, historic levels plan to make room for higher target numbers of newcomers into the country, which we obviously need because we are an aging society. Here in Nova Scotia we are definitely aging and we need immigrants.
In my books, immigration has always been the right choice, and having more people in Canada will strengthen our communities. Can you explain how these measures for residents of Hong Kong actually fit into your levels plan?
We know, and the government knows, that China is conducting covert and subversive influence operations here in Canada and in other democracies, some of which involve the monitoring and direction of Chinese students on visas.
Minister, you said earlier in your appearance in front of our committee that Canada has a rigorous screening system for approving visas for students studying here in Canada. Several incidents last year in the greater Toronto region belie that assertion, one at the University of Toronto, Scarborough campus, and the other one at McMaster University.
At U of T Scarborough, Chemi Lhamo, a Canadian of Tibetan origin, received death threats from Chinese visa students studying at U of T Scarborough, simply for being elected as U of T Scarborough student president, causing her to worry about her safety and prompting the University of Toronto to take measures to protect her.
Have any of those students had their visas revoked?
I want to thank the minister, as well, for his graciousness.
We know that under the rules of committees, there are two things: the requirement of a witness to answer questions, and, quoting from Mr. Bosc in the manual, it says very clearly that members are also “urged to display the 'appropriate courtesy and fairness'”, which I think has been missing from time to time in this meeting.
That being said, there was an intimation by one of the members of the committee that people who are accused of or guilty of human rights abuses would be allowed to come into Canada. My understanding, first of all, is that it is not the responsibility of the Minister of Immigration to do security checks. That is the responsibility of the public safety department.
However, is there any credible understanding that you will be allowing people into this country who do not pass security checks?
Thank you, Ms. Kim and Dr. Giles, for staying with us at this late hour. We really appreciate it.
As I mentioned to the minister during our last exchange, obviously there are still elements that need to be developed, and I'm convinced that you're working on it. You'll probably get recommendations that you can work on later. However, one element has been raised by my colleagues and myself so far.
While there is great willingness to welcome human rights advocates, journalists and humanitarian workers who would be concerned for their own safety in light of the application of the National Security Law, at this time, there is nothing in place in the department to deal with an extraordinary and unexpected influx of refugee protection claims from Hong Kong. I asked the minister this question just a few moments ago, because the Consul General in Hong Kong was asked this question.
Is work currently being done in government offices to respond to what may become a greater demand from refugee claimants who are not necessarily Canadians, but who actually wish to seek refuge in Canada?
:
Thank you for the question.
I'll start by saying that, again, there are many pathways when it comes to Canada's immigration system. For the protection pathways that are available, as highlighted, there are the resettlement pathways. Based on our legal framework, which models the UN convention on refugees, if someone has no other durable solution and has fled their home country, they would be eligible for resettlement, either by referral by the UNHCR or by private sponsors who have agreed to sponsor them. That is Canada's general framework when it comes to the resettlement of refugees.
For the in-Canada asylum process, someone who's in Canada can apply for asylum. Those protections exist here, and that process is there by the IRB, the Immigration and Refugee Board.
In addition to that, the other economic streams, as well as family reunification streams and the new measures that were announced last week, would be there to provide pathways for those who are in Hong Kong to come to Canada as well.
:
Thank you, Ms. Dancho. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
First, I have a comment that I don't expect any response to.
Based on the testimony we've heard today, the announcement last week by Minister Mendicino doesn't seem commensurate to the deteriorating situation in Hong Kong, nor does it seem commensurate to the response of our allies. For example, the United Kingdom provided a pathway for residency and citizenship for anyone in Hong Kong holding a British national overseas passport. The U.K. Home Office estimates that there are 2.9 million people, almost half of Hong Kong's population, who would be eligible for this pathway to residency and citizenship. I want to put that on the record as a commentary on last week's announcement.
I'd like to move on to the issue of granting visas by the IRCC. We all know that China is conducting covert and subversive operations in Canada. According to The Globe and Mail, agents from China's security services have travelled to Canada on tourist visas to engage in activities that are a threat to Canada's national security.
In addition, last March, the Government of Canada's National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians said that China is “target[ing] ethnocultural communities, seek[ing] to corrupt the political process, manipulat[ing] the media” here in this country, and that it “poses a significant [threat] to the rights and freedoms of Canadians”. It also said that the Canadian National Security and Intelligence Committee, including the IRCC, is insufficiently coordinated in its response to the threats.
My question is simple. Has the IRCC made any changes since last March in how it is coordinating with other entities in Canada's national security and intelligence community?