CIM#104: Pension Transferability and Access to MPF, and Delays in PR and Visas for Hong Kongers

Thank you very much. Your time is up.

Now we will go to Madam Kwan.

Madam Kwan, please go ahead for two and a half minutes.

Thank you for that.

I may add that we should actually be calling for the release of all political prisoners in Hong Kong in relation to the national security law and the most recent article 23. I hope the officials will bring that back to the minister as well.

I want to follow up with the IRCC officials, in particular Ms. Snow, on her comment that the average processing time is now eight months. There are about 10,000 people waiting for PR applications to be processed from Hong Kong at the moment. That's as of March 2024.

Can you confirm, then, that those individuals will get their PR applications processed in eight months?

How many per month are being processed right now for Hong Kongers?

I would like to get monthly statistics. Also, on the question around statistics, I asked at the Gaza meeting for the breakdown of the immigration level numbers related to the variety of different special immigration measures. That was on May 27, so by the end of this week it will have been two weeks.

Can we actually get that information by next Monday? It pertains to this study as well

Can I get a confirmation for that?

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I would actually raise this as a motion and have the committee call on the officials to provide that document. I'd like to get this before we actually adjourn this sitting of the House and still have enough time to go back to it, if necessary.

Mr. Chair, can you confirm if I need a motion to request that undertaking or can direction just be given?

You can give the direction and I will ask the questions of the officials—if they can. Otherwise, we can always pass this motion.

I will go to Mr. McNamee, Madam Snow or Madam Mascoll, if they want to respond.

I have stopped the watch because your time is already almost up. Let me figure it out.

Madam Kwan, your time is up

Are you satisfied with that or do you want to address this?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I appreciate that, especially in light of the fact that we know that people's pension funds are being withheld until the application can be processed.

We just heard from Ms. Snow that the immigration levels plan is going to impact processing in terms of people getting their PR. I think this is all related and the committee members need to have that information.

I would like to ask for the support of the committee members to ensure that we get that information back from officials by next Monday.

Do we have the unanimous consent of the committee?

Is it yes?

Mr. Chiang, do you want to speak to that?

I will defer to our departmental official if that's an appropriate time or if they might need more time.

Okay.

There is the question now and I will give Mr. McNamee the floor.

Mr. McNamee, do you want to respond to Mr. Chiang's question?

Basically, Mr. McNamee, you are saying that you would not be able to produce it by Monday.

Is that correct?

I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.

I too have a point of order, Mr. Chair.

No, Madam Kwan, you know that your time is up, but I still entertained the question, so there's no....

I have Mr. McLean on the speaking list and I will put you on the speaking list as well.

Mr. McLean, did you want to speak?

Yes. Thank you.

I'm sorry, we're talking about some readily available data here. Are you saying we can't get it in a day or two?

Mr. McNamee.

Well, of course, we're not looking for personal identification; we're looking for numbers. You should have a database of this, and it should be readily available to be able to handle it in a few hours, quite frankly, so I'm challenged by why this can't be produced very quickly here.

We're not all experts. I will leave it to the officials to respond.

Madam Kwan, please go ahead.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

I'm just trying to get clarity here with respect to that. Just to be clear, the request for that data was made on May 27, so by next Monday it will have been two weeks—not just a couple of days—for this data to be made available for this committee. It's the same data that we requested be sent to our committee. It's been two weeks, and time is of the essence here.

Am I hearing, then, on the unanimous consent motion that you asked committee members about, that Mr. Chiang is voting no, or is there unanimous consent? I'm just not clear.

No, nobody's voting “no” yet. It's only debate right now.

Now, Madam Kwan, the members have questions to ask the officials, and that is fully appropriate. As I said, I'm giving this additional time to discuss it. There's no vote, and no one has said that they don't support it. They were just asking the question to make sure that the officials have the appropriate time.

Every member has the right, as I said, and I have not called the vote yet.

Go ahead, Madam Dzerowicz.

Since we're still in debate—

I'm sorry—

Yes, go ahead, Madam Kwan.

In the debate, Mr. Chair, I was just going to ask officials how much time they felt they needed, whether they felt they needed one extra week or a couple of extra days. I wanted to see where they were at.

That will be appropriate, Mr. McNamee, if I see consensus in the committee.

Mr. McNamee, what do you feel? Whatever you feel confident in, just give the answer. If I need to go to a vote, then I will. If I see the consensus in the committee, then that will work.

Okay, Madam Kwan and other other members, I think it's appropriate. I see heads nodding, so we'll give the IRCC time to produce the requested information by next Wednesday.

Thank you very much, Madam Kwan. Your time has long been up, so we will go to—

It's approved—unanimously agreed.

We have Mr. Kmiec for five minutes.

Please go ahead.

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6:30 p.m.

 

The Chair Sukh Dhaliwal
Liberal

Ms. Kwan, please go ahead.

 

Jenny Kwan Vancouver East, BC
NDP

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

I think committee members are correct to say that it's not up to us to determine the minister's availability. All we can do, of course, is ask. The minister will say, “No, I'm sorry. I can't come, but here's an alternate date.” I think we should really just make the ask and see what the minister comes back with. This is normal practice.

We try to get the supplementaries done as soon as we can, and we have already had to delay that timeline because of other urgent studies, such as the Gaza and Sudan situations. When the minister showed up last time, we talked about that.

I think it's fair to make this request of the minister, and then they'll come back to us and tell us about his availability.

 

The Chair Sukh Dhaliwal
Liberal

There's a date attached to the motion. I would ask the clerk to read this motion just to make sure the members are very clear on what Mr. Redekopp is asking for.

Mr. Clerk, please go ahead.

 

The Chair Sukh Dhaliwal
Liberal

Thank you.

I have Mr. Ali, Mr. El-Khoury and Ms. Dzerowicz.

Go ahead, Mr. Ali.

 

Shafqat Ali Brampton Centre, ON
Liberal

Thank you, Chair.

I agree with everything, but I just want to give an option to the minister, if it's not possible for him until June 21, to give an alternate date when he would be appearing before the committee, as Ms. Kwan has suggested.

I think if we can add that into it, it would give him leverage so he's aligned with our—

 

The Chair Sukh Dhaliwal
Liberal

I can entertain it only if there is an amendment to the motion. You've got to say that the motion is amended. Otherwise, I will call this a discussion.

I cannot propose it myself. If one of the honourable members asks to amend, just like Mr. Chiang earlier requested of Mr. Redekopp, the amended motion should be on the floor. Only then can I go to the amendment.

Mr. Ali, you still have the floor. I will go to Mr. El-Khoury afterwards.

 

Shafqat Ali Brampton Centre, ON
Liberal

Can we suspend for one minute so we can talk? If it's a friendly amendment, we could work together on this.

 

The Chair Sukh Dhaliwal
Liberal

I will suspend for a few minutes.

 

The Chair Sukh Dhaliwal
Liberal

We are back to business.

I have a speaking list.

Mr. Ali, you have the floor, and then Madam Dzerowicz, Mr. El-Khoury and Mr. Kmiec. I have four on the speaking list.

Oh, Mr. El-Khoury is off, so the person I have is Mr. Ali.

Mr. Ali, go ahead. The floor is for you.

 

Shafqat Ali Brampton Centre, ON
Liberal

Thank you, Chair.

I suggested that I move a friendly amendment. At the end of the motion, add, “or an alternative date that the minister is available.”

 

The Chair Sukh Dhaliwal
Liberal

Mr. Redekopp, do you accept the friendly amendment?

 

Brad Redekopp Saskatoon West, SK
Conservative

Yes, I do, but with one condition that we finish the Liberal, Bloc and NDP round as planned. I'm done with my time.

 

The Chair Sukh Dhaliwal
Liberal

Sure.

All those in favour of the amendment?

(Amendment agreed to)

(Motion as amended agreed to)

We are going to Mr. Redekopp. No? We are going to Mr. Ali. No?

Look at how generous both the Conservative and Liberal friends are for Mr. Brunelle-Duceppe.

Mr. Brunelle-Duceppe, we are skipping the Conservatives and the Liberals, and we are going to give you and Madam Kwan the last round before we adjourn the meeting.

Mr. Brunelle-Duceppe, you have a quick two and a half minutes.

 

Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe Lac-Saint-Jean, QC
Bloc

 

The Chair Sukh Dhaliwal
Liberal

Mr. Brunelle-Duceppe.

 

Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe Lac-Saint-Jean, QC
Bloc

I'm glad to hear that answer.

Thank you, Ms. Chen.

I'll yield the floor over to whoever wants to take it.

 

The Chair Sukh Dhaliwal
Liberal

I took the time, without the consent from Mr. Chiang. Mr. Chiang, can I give two and a half minutes to Madam Kwan, and then come back to you? I know I am going out of order, but hopefully you will entertain my request as the chair.

I see consent. Okay, thank you.

Madam Kwan, you have two and a half minutes before I go to Mr. Chiang, because I just went off the track.

Madam Kwan.

 

Jenny Kwan Vancouver East, BC
NDP

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

I just want to be sure, and the question is for GAC.

Of course, yesterday was the 35th anniversary of the Tiananmen massacre, and 30 years ago the national security law and the protests came about. Many people will say that what's happening right now in Hong Kong is basically Tiananmen massacre 2.0.

Just this past week we had a situation where what's called the "Hong Kong 47" are under arrest and charged with being in violation of the national security law and also article 23.

My question for GAC is this. What is the minister doing in relation to that? Is she actually calling for the release of these political prisoners and for the Hong Kong authorities to stop prosecuting these individuals?

 

The Chair Sukh Dhaliwal
Liberal

Madam Chen.

6:55 p.m.

NDP

Jenny Kwan Vancouver East, BC
NDP

I'm sorry. I was asking very specific question.

Is the minister calling for the release of these political prisoners and for the Hong Kong authorities—the Chinese government—to stop prosecuting political prisoners? It's a yes-or-no question.

 

The Chair Sukh Dhaliwal
Liberal

If you can, be brief in your answer.

 

The Chair Sukh Dhaliwal
Liberal

Thank you.

Mr. Chiang, I'm sorry. I just saw the hand from Mr. Ali. I thought Mr. Ali was giving me the go-ahead to go to the other parties. You have my apologies.

Mr. Chiang, you have the floor.

 

Click this link to read the full transcript of the committee meeting:

https://openparliament.ca/committees/immigration/44-1/104/?singlepage=1