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CIMM Committee Meeting

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Minutes of Proceedings

44th Parliament, 1st Session
Meeting 72
Monday, June 19, 2023, 5:16 p.m. to Wednesday, June 21, 2023, 7:46 p.m.
Webcast
Presiding
Salma Zahid, Chair (Liberal)

• Dave Epp for Hon. Michelle Rempel Garner (Conservative)
• Jasraj Singh Hallan for Larry Maguire (Conservative)
• Ruby Sahota for Arielle Kayabaga (Liberal)
• Sonia Sidhu for Shafqat Ali (Liberal)
Library of Parliament
• Julie Béchard, Analyst
• Philippe Antoine Gagnon, Analyst
• Andrea Garland, Analyst
As an individual
• Balbir Singh
• Lovepreet Singh
Canada Border Services Agency
• Aaron McCrorie, Vice-President, Intelligence and Enforcement
• Carl Desmarais, Director General, Enforcement
Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants
• Dory Jade, Chief Executive Officer
• Monica O'Brien, Education Manager
Canadian Bureau for International Education
• Larissa Bezo, President and Chief Executive Officer
Canadian Federation of Students
• James Casey, Research and Policy Analyst
Government of Ontario
• Anna Boyden, Assistant Deputy Minister, Ministry of Colleges and Universities
Lehal Law Corporation
• Kamaljit Kaur Lehal, Barrister and Solicitor
Migrant Workers Alliance for Change
• Sarom Rho, Organizer
Sheridan College
• Dr. Janet Morrison, President and Vice Chancellor
• Rajan Sandhu, Vice President, Strategy and General Counsel
Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2) and the motions adopted by the committee on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, the committee resumed its study of the exploitation scheme targeting certain international students.

Aaron McCrorie made a statement and, with Carl Desmarais, answered questions.

Jenny Kwan raised a potential question of privilege regarding the committee’s issuing of a news release that altered the language of the motion adopted by the committee on Wednesday, June 7, 2023.

At 5:54 p.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 5:57 p.m., the sitting resumed.

RULING BY THE CHAIR

The Chair ruled that the matter does not relate to privilege.

Whereupon, Jenny Kwan appealed the decision of the Chair.

The question: “Shall the decision of the Chair be sustained” was put and the decision was overturned on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Shafqat Ali, Sukh Dhaliwal, Fayçal El-Khoury, Marie-France Lalonde, Ruby Sahota – 5;

NAYS: Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Jasraj Singh Hallan, Tom Kmiec, Jenny Kwan, Brad Redekopp, Michelle Rempel Garner – 6.

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

At 6:04 p.m., the sitting resumed.

The committee proceeded to the consideration of matters related to committee business.

Motion

Jenny Kwan moved, — 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.

Debate arose thereon.

At 6:15 p.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 4:50 p.m., on Wednesday, June 21, 2023, the sitting resumed.

The debate continued.

Motion

Sukh Dhaliwal 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: Sukh Dhaliwal, Fayçal El-Khoury, Arielle Kayabaga, Ruby Sahota, Sonia Sidhu — 5;

NAYS: — 0.

At 4:53 p.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 4:54 p.m., the sitting resumed.

As an individual
• Balbir Singh
• Lovepreet Singh
Canada Border Services Agency
• Aaron McCrorie, Vice-President, Intelligence and Enforcement
• Carl Desmarais, Director General, Enforcement
Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants
• Dory Jade, Chief Executive Officer
• Monica O'Brien, Education Manager
Canadian Bureau for International Education
• Larissa Bezo, President and Chief Executive Officer
Canadian Federation of Students
• James Casey, Research and Policy Analyst
Government of Ontario
• Anna Boyden, Assistant Deputy Minister, Ministry of Colleges and Universities
Lehal Law Corporation
• Kamaljit Kaur Lehal, Barrister and Solicitor
Migrant Workers Alliance for Change
• Sarom Rho, Organizer
Sheridan College
• Dr. Janet Morrison, President and Vice Chancellor
• Rajan Sandhu, Vice President, Strategy and General Counsel
Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2) and the motions adopted by the committee on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, the committee resumed its study of the exploitation scheme targeting certain international students.

Balbir Singh, Lovepreet Singh and Sarom Rho made statements and answered questions.

At 5:54 p.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 6:02 p.m., the sitting resumed.

Larissa Bezo, James Casey and Janet Morrison made statements and answered questions.

At 6:47 p.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 6:54 p.m., the sitting resumed.

Anna Boyden, Dory Jade, Kamaljit Kaur Lehal and Monica O’Brien made statements and answered questions.

At 7:46 p.m., the committee adjourned to the call of the Chair.



Keelan Buck
Clerk of the committee