:
Good morning, everyone. Welcome to meeting number seven of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration.
Members and witnesses may speak in the official language of their choice. Interpretation services are available for this meeting. You have the choice, at the bottom of your screen, of floor, English or French. If interpretation is lost, please inform me immediately and we will ensure interpretation is properly restored before resuming the proceedings. The “raise hand” feature at the bottom of the screen can be used at any time, if you wish to speak or alert the chair.
Today we are resuming the study on recruitment and acceptance rates of foreign students.
On behalf of the committee, I would like to welcome the Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship.
Welcome, Minister. Thanks for coming for the second time this week.
The minister is joined by officials from the IRCC. I would like to welcome Marian Campbell Jarvis, senior assistant deputy minister, strategic and program policy; Daniel Mills, senior assistant deputy minister, operations; Corinne Prince, acting assistant deputy minister, settlement and integration sector; and Pemi Gill, director general, international network.
I would like to make a few comments for the benefit of our witnesses today.
Before speaking, please wait until I recognize you by name. When you are ready to speak, you can click on the microphone icon to activate your mike. As a reminder, all comments should be addressed through the chair. Interpretation in this video conference will work very much like in a regular committee meeting. When speaking, please speak slowly and clearly. When you are not speaking, your mike should be on mute.
Witnesses will have five minutes for opening remarks. During the rounds of questions, I will raise coloured time cards to the screen to indicate when one minute is remaining, then 30 seconds, and then a stop sign asking you to wrap up.
With that, I would like to welcome Minister Fraser. He will begin our discussions in this panel with five minutes of opening remarks, followed by a round of questions.
Welcome, Minister. The floor is yours.
:
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Good morning, everyone. It's good to be back and to be back so soon.
I will have a particular focus on francophone international students during my remarks, but I'm happy to take questions on whichever issue you'd like.
I would like to begin by acknowledging that I'm joining you here from the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe people.
[Translation]
Francophone international students are a key source of talent to help support Canada's future economic growth and counteract the country's aging demographic and shrinking labour markets. They also strengthen our ongoing efforts to reach the target of 4.4% French‑speaking immigrant admissions by 2023.
[English]
Our efforts to open doors to francophone international students are part of a larger study to increase opportunities for French-speaking and bilingual newcomers to settle in and contribute to our communities throughout the country.
[Translation]
Francophone and bilingual immigration is key to our future, and we advance this priority at every opportunity. In 2020, French‑speaking admissions represented 3.6% of all immigrants admitted to Canada outside Quebec, in comparison with 2.8% in 2019.
[English]
We're actively pursuing now the 4.4% target for French-speaking immigrants outside of Quebec. We have introduced targeted measures, such as awarding more points for francophone candidates in the express entry system, investing in francophone settlement services to support attraction and retention, and developing an uncapped stream for French-speaking essential workers and students in last year's temporary resident to permanent resident program, which resulted in 7,000 applications.
Immigration is a shared jurisdiction, and at least seven different jurisdictions have a francophone target or a provincial nominee program stream specifically dedicated to attracting francophone and bilingual talent.
[Translation]
International students are excellent candidates for permanent residency. We have increased our targeted efforts overseas to promote and attract francophone students and immigrants to Canada.
[English]
We've also launched the student direct stream, which offers an expedited study permit process in countries such as Morocco and Senegal. We're also looking into expanding this program to more countries—where we are able to—to make easier the process of applying to become an international student in Canada.
Our efforts are starting to have an impact, but I'm going to be the first to acknowledge that we're always going to have more to do. I'm currently examining additional ways to improve pathways to permanent residency, as was required by my mandate letter, for international students and for francophone candidates, including by developing more flexible selection tools through the express entry system.
[Translation]
It is enormously important for potential students—and for our country—that the Government of Canada and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, or IRCC, ensure that each application is treated fairly and without discrimination.
[English]
I want to assure members of this committee that applicants are always given the opportunity to provide documents and any other relevant information to support their application. A decision is made only after all of the factors have been considered.
[Translation]
Among the requirements, study permit applicants must show that they have the financial resources to pay for their studies and support themselves in Canada. Applications from non‑genuine students and the submission of fraudulent documents are also major concerns.
[English]
We've been taking steps to address this issue. IRCC engages in outreach with partners and at public events around the world to better explain our visa requirements. In particular, we've been working closely with the Quebec bureau in Senegal and Morocco, which I mentioned previously, to promote studies in Quebec for prospective students from West Africa and the Maghreb.
[Translation]
Although acceptance and refusal rates can fluctuate, I can say that the refusal rates for study permits issued to francophone candidates dropped in 2021 compared with the previous year, both within and outside Quebec.
[English]
We have a proud tradition of welcoming students in our country, and we're working to improve programs and application outcomes for students.
In several of my conversations with Minister Boulet in Quebec in particular, and indeed with several members of this committee, we've had the opportunity to discuss some of the issues, such as compliance reporting and proof-of-funds requirements. I'm always open to feedback and ideas on how to identify roadblocks—and to identify solutions as well—in order to achieve our goals more effectively.
[Translation]
To conclude, I want to again assure members of the committee that the government is committed to an equitable application of immigration procedures, in all of our programs. We will continue to assess all study permit applications from around the world against the same criteria, on the individual merits of each case.
[English]
I very much look forward to receiving the recommendations from this committee to inform the work that we're undertaking and to attract and retain French-speaking students, which is an important component of our broader strategy to grow francophone immigration and better protect the demographic weight of francophones in Canada.
Thank you, Madam Chair. My colleagues from the department and I would be pleased to answer the committee's questions.
[Translation]
Thank you very much.
:
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Minister, for showing up here in person. I appreciate that.
I first want to raise with you the case of Edward Galabaya, who is in my riding. I've written on an urgent basis to your colleague, the , who has issued a deportation order to Uganda for Mr. Galabaya. Mr. Galabaya is a gay man, and because he is gay, he faces an arrest warrant upon his immediate return to Uganda next week. He will go to prison.
Your government expresses compassion for gay and lesbian refugees, so I would implore you to talk directly to your colleague, , on this for me. Can you commit to doing everything within your power? I have a file here for you to look at.
:
Madam Chair, I have one minute. If this comes up again, and I expect it may, I can elaborate more.
I do follow the committee very closely. I thank you for your work and for highlighting this. I have two points. One, we have to make a decision on whether we're going to embrace digital technologies in the immigration system. I think we should. Then I think we should take great care to make sure those are deployed in an effective and equitable way.
The Chinook system, however, is not a very complicated system that uses artificial intelligence; it's a spreadsheet. It's a Microsoft Excel-based visual aid that provides the same information that IRCC officers would otherwise have to dig into in either a paper file or eight different windows on a computer. We've seen an increase in productivity of 18% to 30% based on the ability to have all the same information on one screen.
To be absolutely clear, it's a human being, an officer, who still makes the decision on the basis of the same information they would have with or without Chinook.
:
Thank you for the question.
This is necessary to increase the number of francophone newcomers, in my opinion. I think that we can increase the number of international students if we have a strategy for international students from Africa.
[English]
When I look at the numbers, I think we have an opportunity to welcome more people who can bring talent and make immense contributions to Canada as students and frankly as permanent residents. When I look at some of the numbers, one thing I want to point out is the difference between students who come from African nations to Quebec and those who do not go to Quebec. There's a 2% gap. They're similar. Between students who come from French-speaking nations in certain regions of Africa and anglophone students who come from similar regions in Africa the gap is small, but it is about 5%.
There's an issue we can look at. It's not as big as I originally thought when I first read coverage on this, but when I look at it, I think we can make massive improvements, because the experience.... I mentioned Morocco and Senegal during my opening remarks not by coincidence. When we introduced the student direct stream, we saw a significant increase in the approval rates for students who came from those west African French-speaking nations.
When I talk to Minister Boulet or my francophone colleagues, they want me to do more because we have to protect the demographic weight of Quebec in Canada, francophones in Canada, and this is a grand opportunity for us to advance those ends.
:
Before I answer, Madam Chair, there might be a bit of a problem with the sound that came through. I did hear the question, but vocally, not through the system. I'll answer the question, though, and if it's a problem, I'll let you know.
In the short term, I think this is something we need to be looking at to help contribute to the solutions to the labour shortage. We have not made an official decision, but I think we need all hands on deck to deal with the economic opportunity if we fill these jobs so we can have an even stronger economic recovery than we've already seen.
In the long term, I want to be careful, though, because it's really important that we issue study permits for people who are coming to study and not promote people who are seeking to use a study permit stream to come for economic purposes when there are streams that exist specifically for economic purposes.
There's a particular issue, though, that I'm deeply concerned about with students who might benefit from co-op placements or work-integrated learning placements. I don't want our rules around a limit on hours of work to jeopardize the learning opportunities through these institutions.
I do want to maintain a focus on study permits for students who are coming for the primary purpose of studying, but in the short term, I do think we need to look at every solution we can to help solve the labour shortage. I very much appreciate this particular proposal you've raised, but I need to do a little more thinking on it before we make a final decision.
:
Minister, I must interrupt you.
There is proof about francophone foreign students, particularly those from West Africa. You mentioned students from Senegal and Morocco, but you could have included those from French‑speaking Cameroon and Côte d'Ivoire, who have been given various grounds for refusal, application after application. One of the common grounds for refusal is the fear that the student will not return to their country of origin after finishing their studies.
I know that you want to do as much as possible, but it's a major challenge for these students right now. It hurts francophone educational institutions in Quebec, but also those outside of Quebec, which are fighting to bring over students and would love to have them stay in their communities after finishing their studies.
In short, I think that we will need to work together on this.
You said that you have followed the committee sittings attentively and you are eager to hear our recommendations. I believe that you are sincere in this regard.
That being said, a dozen or so witnesses have told us that they would welcome the creation of an ombudsman position at IRCC. I asked you the question last Tuesday. I don't know whether you have had time to reflect on the idea in the meantime.
Do you support the creation of this position, yes or no?
:
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you to the minister for coming to our committee.
On pages 11 and 12 of the Pollara report on anti-racism, it indicates that there is “[w]idespread...reference to certain African nations [by officials] as 'the dirty 30'...[s]tereotyping Nigerians as particularly corrupt or untrustworthy.” On page 13 of the report, there are concerns that racism impacts the outcome of decisions on immigration applicants by officers. It cites “discriminatory rules” of assessing immigration applicants that are different from those of other nations. Additional financial requirements for Nigeria are one example that was cited.
Based on this, is the minister concerned that the Canada student direct stream requires students to have a guaranteed income certificate of $10,000, but the new Nigeria express program requires a student to have $30,000 in their account for six months?
:
Thank you for this important question.
First of all, any sort of systemic racism or bias within any government operation is completely unacceptable. The results of that Pollara study are deeply concerning to me. They were the result of a proactive exercise from the department to figure out whether there was internal discrimination, and we're doing what we can to root out racism within the department—not just internal to the department, but as the effect of our policies, which is what your question touches on.
When I learned of this issue, I was quite concerned, but I've received an answer that is satisfactory to me. In Nigeria, the higher threshold is actually a lower total than students from other nations are required to provide. Though it's $10,000, they also need to make good on proof of funds for the cost of their tuition, the average of which—my officials can correct me if I'm off—is a total of $43,000. However, the issue is that we don't necessarily have financial partners on the ground in Nigeria, so having the proof of funds of $30,000 is more equitable when you look across the requirements in other countries, where you have not only $10,000, but also the proof of funds to cover the cost of an international student's tuition.
I looked into this when I learned about it, because I was quite concerned, but I saw that it wasn't quite the problem that I thought it was when I first learned of the details.
:
Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
Minister, I'd like to pick up where Ms. Kwan left off.
When you look at rejection rates.... In particular, I'm going to talk about Nigeria. The approval rate was 40% in 2015. It's now at 12% in 2020. Today, you said you thought things were getting better. For people in Nigeria, in fact, it's getting much worse. When we look at the fact that the Chinook tool came in in 2018, this acceleration of rejections seems to have increased. Earlier today in your testimony, you said you're doing what you can to try to fix this. I think you might be trying, but it's not working.
I want to understand, and this committee needs to understand for this report, exactly what the Chinook tool does. We have had people come to this committee saying they're trying to figure out what it does, but they're not 100% sure. Will the minister, today, commit to tabling a document that explains exactly how the Chinook tool works, what it assesses, what key terms or key flags are used, and if the department has studied whether or not rejection rates have continued to increase since the implementation of Chinook?
:
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Mr. Minister, thank you for your generosity in agreeing to come to testify before us and to elucidate the situation for all the members of the committee.
Canada is recognized for processing any kind of file. We do not consider skin colour, religion, or country of origin. I was very pleased to hear you confirm that a few minutes ago.
First, I know that it is an absolute priority for you, as Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, to make sure that all officers in all embassies adhere to that principle. It is Canada's priority too.
Second, my colleagues have raised the issue of financial considerations in connection with applications from foreign students. One of the criteria for accepting an application for a student visa is about the financial wherewithal.
So that the matter is very clear, could you explain, once and for all, the way in which the department manages and analyzes the financial criterion and does not discriminate against students from Africa?
:
First, Mr. El-Khoury, thank you for describing the reputation and attitude that I think Canadians have taken, but it's not enough that we don't see the colour of another person's skin. We need to understand, by looking at the fact that people who don't look like me are treated differently, that we have to put in unique measures to prevent that systemic discrimination.
I think it's really important that we actively consider how people who may live with different intersectionalities are discriminated against in a different way, introduce policies that overcome that discrimination, and not assume that the exact same treatment treats everyone the same, because we know it does not. That's why we have to introduce particular measures to prevent this kind of systemic discrimination in every department in the Government of Canada.
With respect to your question about the proof of funds for students who are coming from Africa, we work with provinces to identify what proof of funds they will need in order to get by within their community. We need to know that they can cover their tuition and expenses in a way that allows them to live. We don't want to create a system that promotes people to come to Canada only to see them fail when they get here.
The methods we use vary by country, based sometimes on the relationship we have with financial institutions in those countries. We've seen massive success with the student direct stream, because it allows for quicker and more accurate verifying of the financial capacity of students who are coming here. Those who can meet those eligibility criteria have their applications approved more quickly.
Partnering with financial institutions in countries where we don't have as strong a relationship.... It can significantly delay the process of application and lead to a higher refusal rate if we don't have certainty that people have the means to succeed once they land in Canada.
:
This is really important. I'm glad you brought your personal experience to bear. I think it illustrates the question that I wrestle with every day on this particular issue.
The purpose of a study permit is to bring people who want to study at a legitimate learning institution so that they can develop their skills and potentially even apply to become a permanent resident subsequently. If we increase or remove the cap on hours altogether through a study permit, I expect that we would see a lot of people then try to come in not for the purpose of studying but for the purpose of working. We have other immigration streams that are designed specifically to allow for people to come here to work.
I do think that because of the urgent nature of dealing with the labour shortage, we need to look at all options to get people to work in the short term, but I think we have to maintain our focus to ensure that whatever we do on the limit of hours worked, it's to promote that person's ability to gain a quality education in Canada so that we can protect the integrity of the international student program. In particular, I have concerns on work-integrated learning opportunities—
The Chair: I'm sorry, Minister. I have to interrupt.
Hon. Sean Fraser: I'm being cut off, but you can tell this is an issue I have a lot to say about.
Thank you so much.
:
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Madam Chair, through you, I wanted to touch on a point that Ms. Kwan brought up and continue with it. It's something that I hear about all the time. I get thousands of emails about trust and leadership within this minister's department.
There was a report that came out last year about racism. We haven't heard much about any action being taken on it.
One point that Ms. Kwan brought up is about the ignoring of emails and any contact with the minister or the department. We've heard from Afghans who have said the same thing. There are just ignored emails and autoreplies. Veterans groups and retired generals have been reaching out. Everything has been ignored when it comes to backlogs, and there is no real communication on what's going on.
I've raised questions in question period, Madam Chair, about the frustrations that my constituents and the people who have been contacting me have faced, and we've gotten replies from the minister that these are theatrics or this is just made up or a falsified kind of theatre that we're doing. What we're doing is actually venting the frustrations that we feel constantly because of the failure of leadership within the department of IRCC and any response from this minister.
I've gotten a few responses after seeing the minister's replies, even in question period. Those are the questions that I have to raise again. There's this anti-racism committee that we've heard nothing about and people are concerned. People are concerned that nothing is being taken seriously and it is being brushed off.
I will ask this question again, because I think it's very fair that people have lost faith in the Liberal government over the last six years when it comes to immigration. We've heard many times that money is being thrown at things, but things have not improved, and we can see that by the backlog being at almost two million now. People have serious questions that they are asking on how seriously this government takes racism when they could not address blackface from the himself and we are not seeing any changes from this anti-racism report that was already tabled.
:
Madam Chair, I take it that I have the remaining minute to answer this lengthy question.
First, on your question about people losing faith in the government over immigration, I'd point out that we have embraced immigration in a way that no government in Canada's history ever has. Literally on Monday of this week, I tabled the most ambitious immigration levels plan in the history of our government, and we're going to make good on it.
An hon. member: A plan to [Inaudible—Editor].
Hon. Sean Fraser: Madam Chair, I believe I have the floor, and I'd ask the honourable member to give me the opportunity to answer. I'll take the extra few seconds in which I've been interrupted.
On processing times and transparency, I literally made a public announcement just a couple of weeks ago to lay out in specific detail all of the measures. Your colleagues have thanked me here for showing up in person twice this week, and I believe I'm here on supplementary estimates in a couple of weeks again. I'm going to keep showing up in the spirit of transparency.
If you'll allow me the few extra seconds, I'll extend my stay to provide a fulsome answer, Madam Chair, because the member raises a real issue around dealing with racism in the department. I was really stunned by the results of that survey. It's deeply upsetting, because when we have—
:
Madam Chair, I can stay to finish the answer. I'm at the will of the committee if you'd like to hear the answer.
The Chair: Okay. Please go ahead.
Hon. Sean Fraser: Okay.
On this issue, I think it's important that we know where this came from. It's a real problem when I see statements that people have experienced racism from within the department. The study that people have referred to, the Pollara survey, came from a position where, after the murder of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis, the department wanted to do something to understand if they, too, had systemic discrimination. They put out the employee survey and they learned that there were very real problems. They established an anti-racism task force within the department.
It's clear that you have concerns and you'd like to have more details about what that task force is doing, and I think it's fair that we should provide those details when we have more than 30 seconds to get into them. This has to be addressed seriously, not just internal to the department, but the outward-facing politics. Internal to the department, if people believe they're going to have a culture where they can't be accepted, we are losing out on some of the best talent that Canada has to offer. It's not just unfair to those employees. It's also unfair to those employees that the work of the Government of Canada suffers if we don't have equitable places of work.
This is something that I am completely committed to. I have asked for regular updates from the department, and I would be happy to provide information in writing at some point to explain what—
:
I call the meeting to order.
For this panel, I would like to welcome officials from the Department of Citizenship and Immigration: Marian Campbell Jarvis, senior assistant deputy minister, strategic and program policy; Daniel Mills, senior assistant deputy minister, operations; Corinne Prince, acting assistant deputy minister, settlement and integration sector; and Pemi Gill, director general, international network.
On behalf of all the members, I would like to welcome the officials appearing before this committee for the second time in a week.
Our first round of questioning will start with Mr. Seeback.
Mr. Seeback, you have six minutes. Please proceed.
:
Thank you, Madam Chair, for the question.
The department is very much committed to facilitating the mobility of bona fide students. The most common reason for refusal is that the applicant was not able to show the officer that they were able to support themselves while in Canada and thus demonstrate that they would be leaving Canada at the end of their stay. Oftentimes, this is seen inasmuch as the applicant is not able to show that their studies are affordable for themselves and their family. We note that in Africa in particular that is often a core reason for refusal, and is a space that the department is working to improve.
In terms of specifically what the department is doing, we are looking for opportunities to improve outcomes. Programs like the student direct stream and the Nigeria express stream are ways for clients to demonstrate that they have the funds and therefore demonstrate that they would be able to support their studies in Canada.
In addition to that, we do active promotion and outreach within the continent. In 2021, we had over 20 webinars and sessions with potential clients to make sure they understood the legitimate requirements for coming to Canada and understood what was required to be submitted. We also provide training to our employees. All of our decision-makers do unconscious bias training. In addition, for Africa we also have them do cultural studies such that they have an awareness of the local culture and the socio-economic conditions within various countries.
All international students, regardless of which stream under the international student program they are applying through, must demonstrate that they have proof of financial support for their first year of studies. That includes both tuition and living expenses.
In the SDS program, students show that by demonstrating that they paid the first year of tuition with their education institution in Canada and the GIC of $10,000. In Nigeria, we were unable to have a financial institution with a product comparable to a GIC. Given what my colleague Marian Campbell Jarvis said, that this is a key market for us with a significant volume of student applications, we are exploring alternate pathways to improve outcomes for Nigerian students.
The Nigerian student express stream allows for students to demonstrate that they have the full suite of funds for their first-year tuition and living expenses; however, it's not a GIC, and we don't ask them to hold it in a bank. It is simply proof of it that is verified with the local financial institution. It has, in 2021, shown remarkable improvement in acceptance rates for international students out of Nigeria. Nigerian students who applied through this program in 2021 had an acceptance rate of 50%.
:
Thank you for the question.
I can't really give you an answer to that question because I don't know the details of the analysis you are referring to. However, I will gladly check that information.
Of course, the fact that applicants can now submit applications electronically makes the work a lot easier. As you know, before 2017, all applications were received on paper. For temporary residency applications, everything is now done electronically. It's no longer necessary to go through all the documents, one page at a time. The technology allows for the various attachments to be found in a file or on the screen. So the information can be checked more quickly.
However, I will gladly check the analysis you mentioned.
:
I don't know if the official misheard. I said “prior to the use of Chinook”. I did not cite Chinook as a reason for rejection. I said to provide the top five reasons for rejection.
I think it would be critical for the committee to get this work, because the minister just said it would be up to the committee to determine whether there are biases within the system. If we don't get this data, we cannot properly understand what is going on.
In conjunction with this data, could the official also table the data on how many applications the Chinook tool was used to help assess, broken down by the visa office, stream, country of application and year? Of those applications, please include how many were accepted or rejected, broken down by the year, the top five reasons for the rejection, the visa office, the stream and the country of application.
That would be starting when the Chinook tool was implemented and used by officials.
:
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you to the officials for once again being here with us.
Witnesses have testified multiple times now at this committee that the refusal rates for African students are really high and unacceptable. There is an undertone of racism and discrimination at IRCC.
Earlier in this meeting, the also indicated that Chinook is just a tool to organize case information. He mentioned something about it being a spreadsheet.
If an IRCC officer is not being influenced in their decision by Chinook, and if there are no algorithms in Chinook, then does the issue lie in IRCC officers being discriminatory or racist?
:
Thank you for the question.
[English]
In fact, in 2019, the department developed a comprehensive francophone immigration strategy, which incorporates elements along the entire immigration continuum. We start with promotion and attraction in our overseas missions, focusing on francophone source countries, with Destination Canada, which has a foire d'emploi every year to promote Canada as a destination of choice.
That then moves on through the continuum to our selection tools. Our minister and my colleagues have mentioned several times express entry, which is an important tool for economic streams. We know that over the past years, it has been demonstrated that economic streams bear the most fruit. If we want to bring in more and more francophone immigrants, then we need to use economic streams to do it. That is why, in 2020, we raised the points for both francophone applicants and bilingual applicants in express entry. In fact, that simple change raised the invitations to apply to 8.8% in November of that year. That was a full 3.8% higher than in October of that year, so in just one month, the applications increased significantly.
We are looking at embedding francophone immigration in our regional pilots: the Atlantic immigration pilot, the rural and northern immigration pilot. As colleagues in the department are developing the municipal nominee program with provinces and territories, we are looking at embedding francophone immigration in that upcoming pilot as well.
I won't forget to note that provincial nominee programs are extremely important in attracting and landing francophone candidates. Many of our provincial jurisdictions have targets, so we are working closely with them and encouraging them to use their provincial nominee programs to bring in more and more francophone candidates. In fact, in the recent levels plan that was tabled by our minister on Monday of this week, you will see an increase in PNP spaces. We hope that provinces will rise to the challenge to bring in more and more francophones.
Right through to settlement and integration services, which is an area of expertise, I can tell you that we have increased the tool box over the past several years. We have moved from funding 50 francophone organizations to funding over 80 francophone organizations outside of Quebec. That includes spending of at least $61 million on francophone services. We have worked closely with the francophone community to establish 14 welcoming francophone communities across the country. I'm very proud that we did that by asking the communities themselves to determine which community they would want to be a welcoming community. This was not determined by the department or the government. It was in fact a recommendation from the francophone communities themselves. That, I think, is a model in terms of stakeholder consultations.
In addition, we have implemented a pre-arrival program for francophone entrance. This is a project that is working with five francophone organizations, representing all areas of the country outside of Quebec. This has increased the arrival of francophone candidates who are up to date in terms of what Canada offers, understanding the labour market much better, and we have—
:
You really did say that you are aware of the risk of discrimination inherent in artificial intelligence. Right afterwards, you said that you are comfortable with that risk. That's what we understood.
That scares me a little. We felt that there was a risk of discrimination, and now we have clear evidence of it. It's not even a risk anymore.
That means that the department is, to an extent, accepting a risk of discrimination. As I have just told you, we have evidence of it. There are huge disparities in the acceptance rates of French-speaking students from certain countries in West Africa.
If we are comfortable with the risk of discrimination, a lot of students from West Africa listening to you will wonder whether it's worth the trouble to apply to Canada. They will look to another country instead.
:
The motion is adopted. I will read the motion:
Whereas, officials from the Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada have appeared at the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration on the dates of February 15 and February 17, 2022. The committee send for all briefing notes, memos and emails from senior officials, prepared for the Minister and Deputy Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship regarding biases or racism within the department; and action plan and/or timelines to address said biases or racism; that the committee receive the information no later than Wednesday, March 30, 2022; that matters of Cabinet confidence and national security be excluded from the request; and that any redactions to protect the privacy of Canadian citizens and permanent residents whose names and personal information may be included in the documents, as well as public servants who have been providing assistance on this matter, be made by the Office of the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel of the House of Commons and that these documents be posted on the committee’s web page.
I would like to thank our officials for appearing before the committee today.
There are just a few reminders for members of the committee.
On March 1, we will conclude this study with one last panel and then the drafting instructions. The minister has kindly confirmed that he is available to appear for the estimates on Thursday, March 3. As mentioned in the last meeting, the minister will return on March 24 on the study of differential outcomes. A prioritized witness list for the study on differential outcomes is due tomorrow to the clerk of the committee.
Is it the pleasure of the committee to adjourn the meeting?
Some hon. members: Agreed.
The Chair: Okay. The meeting is adjourned.