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CIMM Committee Meeting

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Minutes of Proceedings

44th Parliament, 1st Session
Meeting 89
Tuesday, December 12, 2023, 3:50 p.m. to Monday, February 5, 2024, 1:01 p.m.
Webcast
Presiding
Sukh Dhaliwal, Chair (Liberal)

Library of Parliament
• Philippe Antoine Gagnon, Analyst
• Andrea Garland, Analyst
• Martin McCallum, Analyst
The committee proceeded to the consideration of matters related to committee business.

At 3:59 p.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 4:00 p.m., the sitting resumed.

It was agreed, — That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the committee conduct a study into the Home Child Care Provider Pilot and the Home Support Worker Pilot programs to examine if these programs are achieving the policy objectives stated by the government and are meeting the needs of both caregivers and employers, including if the program structure is protecting caregivers from exploitation and allows for family reunification, and the implications for caregivers to only have temporary status in Canada, and make recommendations for how future caregiver programs can be improved based on lessons learned; that the study should also consider out-of-status caregivers and how they could potentially be regularized; that the study should consist of not less than four meetings with witnesses; that the committee report its findings and recommendations to the House; and that the committee request that, pursuant to Standing Order 109, the government table a comprehensive response to its report.

It was agreed, — That the committee give precedence to its business in the following manner:

1) hearing final testimony, namely from the United Nations Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, for the study of closed work permits and temporary foreign workers, provided that all briefs be submitted to the committee no later than 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, December 31, 2023;

2) giving drafting instructions for a letter to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship in relation to the study of the government’s response to the final report of the Special Committee on Afghanistan;

3) submitting lists of proposed witnesses for the study of persons with temporary status and undocumented individuals and commencing that study; and that the committee give precedence, above all other business, to appearances by ministers, provided that the committee give first priority to the appearances of the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship and the Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs, pursuant to the motion adopted by the committee on Thursday, November 30, 2023.

At 4:29 p.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 4:46 p.m., the sitting resumed in public.

Motion

Jenny Kwan moved, — That the committee resume consideration of the motion of Jenny Kwan moved on Monday, June 19, 2023, which read as follows:

That the committee report to the House of Commons the potential breach of privilege resulting from the issuance of a press release by the committee on June 14, 2023, which altered the language that was adopted in the motion unanimously on June 7, 2023, by editorializing the content of the motion, adding additional information that was not part of the original motion, and outright omitting information, including the specific call to waive inadmissibility on the basis of misrepresentation; the motion specifically instructed the committee to issue a news release to “condemn the actions of these fraudulent ‘ghost consultants’ and call on the Canada Border Services Agency to immediately stay pending deportations of affected international students, waive inadmissibility on the basis of misrepresentation and provide an alternate pathway to permanent status for those impacted, such as the Humanitarian and Compassionate application process or a broad regularization program” and this was not accurately reflected in the content of the issued press release.

The question was put on the motion and it was agreed to on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Shafqat Ali, Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Paul Chiang, Francis Drouin, Fayçal El-Khoury, Arielle Kayabaga, Tom Kmiec, Jenny Kwan, Larry Maguire, Greg McLean, Brad Redekopp — 11;

NAYS: — 0.

The committee resumed consideration of the motion of Jenny Kwan moved on Monday, June 19, 2023, which read as follows:

That the committee report to the House of Commons the potential breach of privilege resulting from the issuance of a press release by the committee on June 14, 2023, which altered the language that was adopted in the motion unanimously on June 7, 2023, by editorializing the content of the motion, adding additional information that was not part of the original motion, and outright omitting information, including the specific call to waive inadmissibility on the basis of misrepresentation; the motion specifically instructed the committee to issue a news release to “condemn the actions of these fraudulent ‘ghost consultants’ and call on the Canada Border Services Agency to immediately stay pending deportations of affected international students, waive inadmissibility on the basis of misrepresentation and provide an alternate pathway to permanent status for those impacted, such as the Humanitarian and Compassionate application process or a broad regularization program” and this was not accurately reflected in the content of the issued press release.

The debate continued.

At 4:56 p.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 5:00 p.m., the sitting resumed.

The debate continued.

At 6:01 p.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 11:05 a.m., on Monday, February 5, 2024, the sitting resumed.

The debate continued.

Motion

Arielle Kayabaga moved, — That the debate be now adjourned.

The question was put on the motion and it was agreed to on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Shafqat Ali, Paul Chiang, Fayçal El-Khoury, Arielle Kayabaga, Jenny Kwan, Salma Zahid — 6;

NAYS: Tom Kmiec, Larry Maguire, Greg McLean, Brad Redekopp — 4.

Motion

Brad Redekopp moved, — That, given that:

a. the current Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities was the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship when record high immigration targets were set, and that he has now admitted that those immigration targets helped to fuel the housing crisis, in a press conference on January 15.

b. the current Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship admitted that his department was responsible for fuelling the housing crisis when he admitted that his department is running a "system that’s run a bit rampant for far too long and is causing an impact that is not unappreciable,”

c. the Premier of Quebec has described the immigration system as putting Quebec “very close to the breaking point due to the excessive number of asylum seekers arriving in Quebec month after month [and that] the situation has become unsustainable;”

the committee invite the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship and the Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities to appear separately for two (2) hours each to explain their remarks, within 14 days of the passage of this motion.

Debate arose thereon.

At 11:26 a.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 11:29 a.m., the sitting resumed.

Amendment

Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe moved, — That the motion be amended by adding after the word “unsustainable” the following: “d. newcomers are not responsible for the housing crisis in Quebec and in Canada”.

The debate continued.

The question was put on the amendment of Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe and it was agreed to on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Tom Kmiec, Jenny Kwan, Larry Maguire, Greg McLean, Brad Redekopp — 6;

NAYS: Shafqat Ali, Paul Chiang, Salma Zahid — 3.

The motion, as amended, read as follows:

That, given that:

a. the current Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities was the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship when record high immigration targets were set, and that he has now admitted that those immigration targets helped to fuel the housing crisis, in a press conference on January 15;

b. the current Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship admitted that his department was responsible for fuelling the housing crisis when he admitted that his department is running a "system that’s run a bit rampant for far too long and is causing an impact that is not unappreciable;”

c. the Premier of Quebec has described the immigration system as putting Quebec “very close to the breaking point due to the excessive number of asylum seekers arriving in Quebec month after month [and that] the situation has become unsustainable;” and

d. newcomers are not responsible for the housing crisis in Quebec and in Canada;

the committee invite the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship and the Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities to appear separately for two (2) hours each to explain their remarks, within 14 days of the passage of this motion.

The debate continued.

Motion

Brad Redekopp moved, — That the debate be now adjourned.

The question was put on the motion and it was negatived on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Tom Kmiec, Jenny Kwan, Larry Maguire, Brad Redekopp — 4;

NAYS: Shafqat Ali, Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Paul Chiang, Fayçal El-Khoury, Arielle Kayabaga, Greg McLean, Salma Zahid — 7.

At 12:22 p.m., Brad Redekopp took the Chair.

At 12:25 p.m., Sukh Dhaliwal took the Chair.

The debate continued.

The question was put on the motion, as amended, and it was negatived on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Tom Kmiec, Larry Maguire, Greg McLean, Brad Redekopp — 5;

NAYS: Shafqat Ali, Paul Chiang, Fayçal El-Khoury, Arielle Kayabaga, Jenny Kwan, Salma Zahid — 6.

At 12:29 p.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 12:31 p.m., the sitting resumed.

Motion

Greg McLean moved, — That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the committee undertake a study of pension transferability and access to Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) for Hong Kongers now residing in Canada; that the committee allocate one meeting to pursue this study; that the committee invite representatives of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, representatives of Global Affairs Canada, Manulife Financial, SunLife Canada, immigrants from Hong Kong that have tried to move their funds from the MPF, as well as any other witnesses the committee deems relevant; and that the committee report its observations and recommendations to the House.

Debate arose thereon.

Amendment

Tom Kmiec moved, — That the motion be amended by adding after the words “Global Affairs Canada” the following: “and Finance Canada,” and by adding after the words “SunLife Canada,” the words “and financial institutions,”.

The debate continued.

Motion

Arielle Kayabaga moved, — That the committee do now adjourn.

The question was put on the motion and it was agreed to on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Shafqat Ali, Paul Chiang, Fayçal El-Khoury, Arielle Kayabaga, Jenny Kwan, Salma Zahid — 6;

NAYS: Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Tom Kmiec, Larry Maguire, Greg McLean, Brad Redekopp — 5.

At 1:01 p.m., the committee adjourned to the call of the Chair.



Rémi Bourgault
Clerk of the committee