The witnesses made statements and answered questions.

At 12:13 p.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 12:15 p.m., the sitting resumed in camera.

It was agreed, — That a proposed budget in the amount of $2,500, for the study of the Situation Facing Nationals of Haiti and Zimbabwe, be adopted.

The Committee proceeded to give drafting instructions to the analysts for a report.

It was agreed, — That the House of Commons Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration study the federal government’s initiative to resettle Syrian refugees to Canada. The specific focus of the study is as follows:

1. The engagement of Canadian individuals and groups in the resettlement effort; including programs funded by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada in order to facilitate integration into Canadian society as well as how that funding was distributed;

2. Integration challenges facing the resettled refugees and how they could be addressed, including:

a) Proximity to family in Canada;

b) The availability of employment counselling and placement services, as well as the experience of Syrian refugees attempting to enter the job market;

c) The availability and cost of permanent, affordable housing and the transition from temporary to permanent housing;

d) The access to and transition into appropriate educational programs for refugee children;

e) The need for and availability of English as a Second Language (ESL) and French language programs;

f) The type of medical support needed and timeliness of what was provided;

3. Resettlement capacity of destinations for Government Assisted Refugees and Privately Sponsored Refugees;

4. The different federal programs (Government Assisted Refugees, Privately Sponsored Refugees, and Blended Visa-Officer Referred refugees) for refugee resettlement and any differences in resettlement support and initial outcomes as well as the programs in Quebec;

5. Opportunities for family reunification under the One Year Window.

It was agreed, — That the Subcommittee create a preliminary plan of work for the study on the resettlement of Syrian refugees to Canada.

It was agreed, — That the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees be invited to appear before the Committee on Tuesday, March 22, 2016.