CIMM – Intelligence Dashboard – May 27, 2024
Committee & Appearance Overview
Committee Mandate
The Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration (CIMM) studies matters related to immigration, citizenship and federal multiculturalism policy.
The committee has oversight of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and the Immigration and Refugee Board.
Appearance Background
After the Minister’s March 20 appearance at CIMM, the committee adopted a motion to re-invite him for two hours to provide an update on the temporary immigration measures initiated in response to the ongoing conflicts in Sudan and Gaza. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) officials have been invited to return for a third hour.
The motion was adopted by the Committee on March 20, 2024:
That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the committee invite the Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada, to return to the committee for two hours to discuss the temporary immigration measures initiated in response to the ongoing conflicts in Sudan and Gaza, that this ministerial appearance be prioritized above all other appearances, and further, that officials be invited to return to this committee for one hour.
The meeting is scheduled for May 27, 2024, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Minister will deliver a 5-minute opening statement, followed by rounds of questioning from committee members. Officials will remain for a third hour.
The following officials will support the Minister:
- Dr. Harpreet S. Kochhar, Deputy Minister
- Jennifer MacIntyre, Assistant Deputy Minister, International Affairs and Crisis Response
- Karim Virani, Director General, International Crisis Response
Recent Committee Business
Studies
A list of studies the committee has moved to undertake in the 44th Parliament can be found here.
The most recent studies include, Persons with Temporary Status and Undocumented Individuals and Government's Response to the Final Report of the Special Committee on Afghanistan. CIMM also concluded a study on Conditions Faced by Asylum Seekers in 2023.
Reports
A list of reports the committee has presented in the 44th Parliament can be found here. Most recently, is Report 18 - In Demand Yet Unprocessed: Endemic Immigration Backlogs.
Environmental Scan
Key departmental issues relevant to this appearance include
- family reunification / definition of extended family
- processing of applications for people in the two regions
- collaboration with other departments and security partners
- settlement services
- refugee support
It is anticipated that questions will focus on the above issues, with likely emphases on
- the family reunification of persons in exceptional circumstances, such an those orphaned by conflict
- details on the execution of the announced special immigration measures for the respective regions
- cases of persons “falling through the cracks” of the announced measures, given the complexity and volatility of the conflicts in the respective regions
Committee Membership
Sukh Dhaliwal (Surrey-Newton, BC)
Chair of CIMM
Brad Redekopp (Saskatoon West, SK)
Vice-Chair of CIMM; Associate Shadow Minister for Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship
Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe (Lac-Saint-Jean, QC)
Second Vice-Chair of CIMM; Vice-Chair of SDIR; Critic for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship and Human Rights
Shafqat Ali (Brampton Centre, ON)
Salma Zahid (Scarborough Centre, ON)
Fayçal El-Khoury (Laval—Les Îles, QC)
Member of the panel of chairs for the legislative committees
Arielle Kayabaga (London West, ON)
Member of LANG
Tom Kmiec (Calgary Shepard, AB)
Shadow Minister for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship; Member of CACN
Jenny Kwan (Vancouver East, BC)
Caucus Chair; Long-standing Critic for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship; Critic for Housing
Paul Chiang (Markham-Unionville, ON)
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
Larry Maguire (Brandon-Souris, MB)
Greg McLean (Calgary Centre, AB)
A list of relevant departmental correspondence on this topic can be found here.
Conservative Party Of Canada
CIMM Members
Tom Kmiec (Calgary Shepard, AB)
Shadow Minister for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
Larry Maguire (Brandon-Souris, MB)
Greg McLean (Calgary Centre, AB)
Brad Redekopp (Saskatoon West, SK)
Deputy Shadow Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
Topics of Interest
- Fiscal matters and the economy
- Equalization
- Foreign affairs and international development
- Rare diseases
Other Active Members
Pierre Paul-Hus (Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC)
Québec Lieutenant; Former Shadow Cabinet Minister for Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Relevant Party Issues
The Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) has been vocal in support of Israel in its conflict with Hamas. Its interventions on the situation in Gaza have tended to demand the government stand unequivocally with Israel. The party has expressed support for humanitarian measures to help Palestinians impact by the conflict, but has not focused on immigration measures.
On Sudan, the CPC have not been vocal with respect to immigration measures.
Recent Party Activity
- March 20 – CIMM: Asked what the Canadian government has done to coordinate with Egypt on the issue of passports of people coming from Gaza (Redekopp)
- March 20 – CIMM: Asked if there are Canadian personnel on the ground in Egypt working to help people leave Gaza (McLean)
- March 20 – CIMM: Asked how many individuals have come to Canada through the Gaza and Sudan programs (Kmiec)
- October 16 – Debates: Voiced support for a humanitarian pathway for Gaza and called for the evacuation of foreign nationals (Poilievre)
- October 16 – Debates: Argued Hamas has historically discouraged the thorough implementation of humanitarian interventions for Gaza for political reasons (Genuis)
- September 27 – Petitions: Heartily endorsed a petition calling on the government to expedite immigration applications for residents of Sudan (McLean)
New Democratic Party
CIMM Member
Jenny Kwan (Vancouver East, BC)
Caucus Chair; Long-standing Critic for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship; Critic for Housing
Topics of Interest
- Rights, safety and precariousness of caregivers and other migrant workers
- Processing capacity and backlogs
- Extending the definition of family for reunification
- International students impacted by fraud
Other Active Members
Alexandre Boulerice (Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie, QB)
Deputy Leader; Critic for Labour; Deputy Critic for Climate Change, Official Languages
Randall Garrison (Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke, BC)
Critic for Justice, 2SLGBTQI+ rights; Deputy Critic for National Defence
Relevant Party Issues
The New Democratic Party (NDP) has frequently called upon the government to condemn Israeli actions in Gaza. Of all the opposition parties, the NDP has been the most vocal in its support for immigration measures for the people of Gaza.
On Sudan, the NDP have pointed to the country’s people as one in need of urgent assistance.
Recent Party Activity
- May 3 – Oral Questions: Noted the government promised 1,000 visas for Gaza and has only issued 100 (Boulerice)
- May 1 – CIMM: Stated the urgency of discussing the Gaza and Sudan immigration measures and stated she knows of family members who submitted their application and since that time, have already lost their loved ones (Kwan)
- April 29 – Petitions: Called the government to immediately create direct pathways for the emergency travel of Palestinians to Canada and establish a pathway for permanent residence for immediate and extended Palestinian family members in Canada (Kwan)
- March 18 – Debates: Said the temporary resident visa program for extended family members was a tremendous failure (Desjarlais)
- March 18 – Oral Questions: Asked why Canada can’t get people across the border from Gaza when other countries can (Kwan)
- February 27 – Oral Questions: Asked the Minister to lift caps on the special immigration measures for Gaza and Sudan so no Canadians with families in war zones are discriminated against (Kwan)
- June 13 – Debates: Argued in favour of accepting more LGBTQ refugees from several conflict zones, including Sudan (Boulerice)
- May 3 – Correspondence: Wrote to the Minister advocating that special immigration measures be implemented to reunite Sudanese impacted by the conflict with their families in Canada (Kwan)
Bloc Québécois
CIMM Member
Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe (Lac-Saint-Jean)
Second Vice-Chair of CIMM; Critic for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Human Rights
Topics of Interest
- Francophone immigration, including international students from French-speaking countries in Africa
- Immigration measures for Afghanistan
- Taking a stand against China in relation to the Uyghur genocide
- Quebec interests and protection of the French language
- Human rights conflicts
- Processing delays
- Family reunification
Other Active Members
Christine Normandin (Saint-Jean, QC)
Former Critic for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship; BQ Deputy House Leader
Yves-François Blanchet (Beloil-Chambly, QC)
BQ Party Leader
Relevant Party Issues
The Bloc Québécois (BQ) has regularly intervened in the House of Commons on the situation in Gaza. Their principal concerns are the establishment of a humanitarian corridor, the declaration of a humanitarian ceasefire, and hate crime incidents inspired by the war in Gaza. They have not been vocal on immigration matters related to the conflict.
On Sudan, the party has not recently been vocal, but have called for immigration measures in the past.
Recent Party Activity
- April 27: Oral Questions: Called on the government to cease asylum claimant deportations to Sudan on compassionate grounds (Brunelle-Duceppe)
- April 25 – Debates: Expressed support for expediting immigration applications for Sudanese nationals but remarked skeptically on the government’s capacity to execute on this measure (Brunelle-Duceppe)
- March 20 – CIMM: Asked which Gaza authorities are responsible for authorizing extended family members to leave the Gaza strip (Brunelle-Duceppe)
- March 18 – Debates: Raised concerns that Palestinians who leave Gaza will never be able to return and said we should prioritize the repatriation of Canadians citizens and family reunification (Bergeron)
Liberal Party Of Canada
CIMM Members
Sukh Dhaliwal (Surrey-Newton, BC)
Chair of CIMM
Shafqat Ali (Brampton Centre, ON)
Salma Zahid (Scarborough Centre, ON)
Fayçal El-Khoury (Laval—Les Îles, QC)
Member of the panel of chairs for the legislative committees
Arielle Kayabaga (London West, ON)
Member of LANG
Paul Chiang (Markham-Unionville, ON)
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
Topics of Interest
- International students
- Parents and grandparents sponsorship
- Family reunification
- Settlement and integration
Party Position
The Liberal Party of Canada (LPC) outlines their immigration commitments in their 2021 Platform.
Recent Party Activity
- May 3 – Oral Questions: Stated the Government continues to work hard to get people out of Gaza and over 100 visas have been issued, but Canada does not control exits at Rafah (Minister Miller)
- March 22 – Petitions: Tabled a petition calling the government to extend the same special immigration measures that were granted to Ukrainians to Palestinians (Naqvi)
- March 20 – CIMM: Asked how some people can pay to cross the border from Gaza to Egypt, but the government can’t get Canadians’ families out and why Canada hasn't been able to get the same access to the list of people permitted to exit Gaza as other countries (Ali)
- March 20 – CIMM: Asked what effect federally funded settlement services will have on people coming from Gaza or Israel (El-Khoury)
- March 18 – Debates: Welcomed that the 1,000 visas for extended family members in Gaza was a target and not a cap and stated Palestinian refugees should have the same support as Ukrainian refugees (Zahid)
- February 12 – CIMM: Asked how family reunification measures will help when offices in Sudan have been closed and said it is the government’s responsibility to bring Canadians stuck in Gaza home (Kayabaga)
- February 9 – Statements by Members: Argued Canada has a moral obligation to respond to the conflict in Sudan, specifically referencing refugees and proposing a special envoy be appointed (Arya)
- December 5 – CIMM: Asked if the Minister of IRCC will expand the definition of immediate family to facilitate helping more Palestinians in Gaza reach Canada (Zahid)