CIMM Committee Report

Supplementary Report of Her Majesty’s Official Opposition
The Conservative Party of Canada (CPC)

David Tilson, Member of Parliament for Dufferin – Caledon

Michelle Rempel, Member of Parliament for Calgary Nose Hill

Bob Saroya, Member of Parliament for Markham – Unionville

Protecting the integrity of Canada’s immigration system is a key priority for the Conservative Party of Canada. With this in mind, the Conservative Members of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration offer the following supplementary recommendations to the Committee’s report Apply Without Fear: Special Immigration Measures for Nationals of Haiti and Zimbabwe.

Publicity

We commend Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for the success of previous outreach campaigns and are encouraged to see that level of success be built upon through the current outreach campaign. This was confirmed by Mr. Michel Dupuis (A/Assistant Deputy Minister, Operations, Department of Citizenship and Immigration) who noted, “[w]hen we look at the numbers we would say that the previous program was quite successful, when we go from 3,500 people to now approximately 1,000. We really want to continue the same thing, to make sure that we would allow as many people as possible to become permanent residents under this program.[1]”

With this in mind we offer our support for redoubled publicity efforts for the special immigration measure for nationals of Haiti and Zimbabwe.

Recommendation: See committee report.

Application Process

In regards to the Committee recommendation that IRCC consider alternate methods of verifying identity relationships, it is our strong belief that no changes or recommendations be made in the absence of evidence, facts or robust analysis of the potential ramifications. This includes, but is not limited to, the use of signed affidavits to verify identity and serve as a substitute for original documentation.

Recommendation: That the Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship conduct a thorough analysis of the potential implications of using alternate methods of verifying identity relationships, including analyzing the likelihood that the new documents being produced are fraudulent, and that this analysis be conducted prior to any change being made in the application process.

Collaboration with Community Organizations

Strong community relationships are of the utmost importance to the Conservative Party of Canada. Therefore, we support the recommendation that IRCC identify organizations that could help with completing applications under the special measure and that these arrangements be well publicized.

Recommendation: See committee report.

Cost

We cannot support the recommendation that IRCC reduce the cost of applying for permanent residence on humanitarian and compassionate grounds in association with this special measure until a full analysis has been done on the financial implications of this decision.

Recommendation: That IRCC do a full analysis on financial implications this decision might have, namely, on Canadian taxpayers and the precedent set by reducing fees below cost-recovery levels.

Administrative Burden of living under a temporary suspension of removal (TSR)

A TSR may be imposed on a country when the entire civilian population faces a generalized risk as a result of an armed conflict within a country or place; an environmental disaster resulting in a substantial temporary disruption of living conditions; or any situation that is temporary and generalized. Many individuals impacted by a temporary suspension of removals become established in Canadian society and are ultimately successful in applying for permanent residence on humanitarian and compassionate grounds. As highlighted in the committee report, “Officials from IRCC told the Committee that during the six-month period between 1 December 2014 and 1 June 2015 they received 1,700 applications for permanent residence on humanitarian and compassionate grounds under the special measure, covering 2,200 people. The vast majority (742 applications and 1,038 people) were approved in principle; only 67 applications were refused. This represents an approval rate of 93%, significantly higher than the 40% of applications for permanent residence on humanitarian and compassionate grounds usually approved.[2]”

Given the significantly higher approval rate of applications for permanent residence on humanitarian and compassionate grounds under the special measure, we would not support a further reduction in system processes or structure as it applies to individuals in this circumstance. We would further emphasize that a TSR is imposed due to exceptional circumstances, and corresponding special measures are not designed to be a regular immigration stream. 

Recommendation: That IRCC continue to advertise the high approval rate of applications for permanent residence on humanitarian and compassionate grounds under the special measure while similarly advocating and protecting regular immigration streams for those wishing to immigrate to Canada. 

Healthcare Services

Given the intricacies of the Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP), we would not be able to support any recommendation that would change the process for receiving IFHP services in the absence of a thorough analysis of healthcare services and their accessibility.

Recommendation: That IRCC work to ensure that relevant individuals are aware of the services offered to them under the IFHP, including being made aware of the eligibility requirements, structure of support and availability of these services.