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CIMM Committee Meeting

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Minutes of Proceedings

44th Parliament, 1st Session
Meeting 56
Monday, March 27, 2023, 3:42 p.m. to 5:43 p.m.
Presiding
Salma Zahid, Chair (Liberal)

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

It was agreed, — That the proposed budget in the amount of $7,250, for the study of Bill S-245, An Act to amend the Citizenship Act (granting citizenship to certain Canadians), be adopted.

It was agreed, — That the proposed budget in the amount of $1,500, for the study of Main Estimates 2023-24: Votes 1, 5 and 10 under Department of Citizenship and Immigration and Vote 1 under Immigration and Refugee Board, be adopted.

• Hon. Yonah Martin, Senator
• Jasraj Singh Hallan, M.P., Calgary Forest Lawn
Canadian Citizens Rights Council
• J. Randall Emery, Executive Director
Institute for Canadian Citizenship
• Daniel Bernhard, Chief Executive Officer
Lost Canadians
• Don Chapman, Founder and Head
The Canadian Bar Association
• Amandeep S. Hayer, Lawyer and Secretary, Canadian Bar Association, British Columbia Immigration Law Section
Pursuant to the order of reference of Wednesday, November 16, 2022, the committee resumed consideration of Bill S-245, An Act to amend the Citizenship Act (granting citizenship to certain Canadians).

Hon. Yonah Martin made a statement and, with Jasraj Singh Hallan, answered questions.

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

Tom Kmiec gave notice of the following motion:

That, the committee report the following to the House: that Russian opposition leader Vladimir Kara-Murza is facing political persecution in the Russian Federation including a show trial with high treason charges following his public condemnation of the unjustified and illegal war by Russia against Ukraine. That Vladimir Kara-Murza has survived two assassination attempts by poisoning including in 2015 and 2017, and that he is currently imprisoned in Russia and his health is failing. That Vladimir Kara-Murza is the recipient of the Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize awarded by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, and is a Senior Fellow to the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights. Therefore, the committee calls on the Government of Canada to grant honorary Canadian citizenship to Vladimir Kara-Murza and demand that the Russian Federation set him free.

Tom Kmiec gave notice of the following motion:

That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship and department officials be invited to appear before the committee to update it on the 2022 Additional Protocol to the 2002 Canada-U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement signed by the Government of Canada on March 29, 2022, by the Government of the United States of America on April 15, 2022, with a coming into effect on March 25, 2023.

At 4:51 p.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 4:56 p.m., the sitting resumed.

• Hon. Yonah Martin, Senator
• Jasraj Singh Hallan, M.P., Calgary Forest Lawn
Canadian Citizens Rights Council
• J. Randall Emery, Executive Director
Institute for Canadian Citizenship
• Daniel Bernhard, Chief Executive Officer
Lost Canadians
• Don Chapman, Founder and Head
The Canadian Bar Association
• Amandeep S. Hayer, Lawyer and Secretary, Canadian Bar Association, British Columbia Immigration Law Section
Pursuant to the order of reference of Wednesday, November 16, 2022, the committee resumed consideration of Bill S-245, An Act to amend the Citizenship Act (granting citizenship to certain Canadians).

J. Randall Emery, Daniel Bernhard, Don Chapman and Amandeep S. Hayer made statements and answered questions.

At 5:43 p.m., the committee adjourned to the call of the Chair.



Stephanie Bond
Clerk of the committee