This House of Commons committee meeting on Canada’s immigration system heard from seven witnesses: Dr. Kelly W. Sundberg (professor, Mount Royal University), Joshua Eisen (in-house counsel, FCJ Refugee Centre), Tracey Maulfair and Azadeh Tamjeedi (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), Herbert Grubel (emeritus professor of economics, Simon Fraser University), Hélène Mayrand (professor, Université de Sherbrooke), and Patrick Chevarie (businessman and owner, Gestions P. Chevarie inc.).
Dr. Kelly W. Sundberg argued that Canada’s immigration system is overwhelmed, with a widening gap between policy promises and delivery, and that this erodes public confidence. He recommended six practical areas: better risk-informed screening, making inland refugee claims exceptions requiring justification, improved immigrant supports, stronger enforcement and intelligence capacities, fixing removals so that orders are actually enforced, and consolidating immigration and border security into a single national security-focused agency, similar to Australia’s Border Force. He noted that about 12.5% of executed terrorist attacks and 50% of thwarted plots involved individuals who entered through asylum pathways, but stressed that the overwhelming majority of asylum seekers are peaceful.
Joshua Eisen focused on two urgent concerns: the need for regulatory exceptions to Bill C-12’s one-year bar on refugee claims, which he said disproportionately harms vulnerable groups like LGBTQ individuals and survivors of domestic violence, and the extraordinary delay for humanitarian and compassionate applications, which now exceeds 10 years. He argued that without exceptions, claimants lose their right to a full oral hearing, and that H and C applications are effectively dead because more than 50,000 applicants compete for only 1,100 spaces annually. He disagreed with the premise that a one-year bar is fair, noting that trauma and structural barriers often cause delay.
Tracey Maulfair and Azadeh Tamjeedi of UNHCR emphasized that Canada receives less than 2% of global asylum applications and that the best way to address backlogs and integrity concerns is through timely processing, not deterrence. They stressed that fairness and efficiency are mutually reinforcing, and that Canada should maintain its example of proper asylum procedures. They supported the government’s commitment to grant permanent residence to 115,000 protected persons, noting it helps clear backlogs and facilitates family reunification. Maulfair rejected the idea that refugees cause housing or health care strains, calling for evidence-based policy and cautioning against populist rhetoric.
Herbert Grubel argued that Canada’s immigration policy needs fundamental change, especially for temporary residents, and that foreign students should not be deferred candidates for permanent residence. He recommended that parents and grandparents receive only visitor super visas, and that asylum system reforms should reduce backlogs. He stated that high immigration levels have imposed net fiscal costs on Canadians, and that the housing affordability crisis cannot be solved quickly. He disagreed with the notion that immigration compensates for poor productivity, arguing it reduces per capita income unless productivity rises.
Hélène Mayrand argued that adding more rules, such as the Safe Third Country Agreement and Bill C-12, often shifts problems rather than solving them, increasing clandestine entries and putting pressure on border communities. She cited preliminary research in the Coaticook region showing a rise in illegal crossings, deaths in the woods, and strain on local resources. She recommended reducing application processing times and creating alternative migration pathways rather than increasing inadmissibility grounds, and suggested that the government consider suspending the Safe Third Country Agreement due to human rights concerns.
Patrick Chevarie described the unique labour shortage in the Îles de la Madeleine, where his Tim Hortons restaurant relies on 67% temporary foreign workers, mostly from the Philippines. He said that recent policy changes prevent renewing permits and force families to separate, and that his business will close as permits expire in August and September. He recommended that the government create a grandfather provision for remote regions and recognize that rural areas have different labour needs than cities, noting that Quebec’s French-language requirements add further complications for permanent residence.
The meeting included procedural debate when the chair was accused of giving a witness additional time to respond, but no motions or votes were recorded.
AI-generated summary — may contain errors; verify against the official evidence.