Question: What is the Government’s Plan to Fill Vacancies on the Immigration and Refugee Board?

Senator Ratna Omidvar: My question is to the Leader of the Government in the Senate. It’s also about asylum seekers, but not asylum seekers. I appreciate Senator Jaffer’s question, but I want to focus our attention on what is happening in Canada about the asylum seekers coming over from the United States to Quebec.

I think you will agree with me that it is essential for us to retain public confidence in the governance systems that we have set up, and it is in all our interests to make decisions on claims in a way that is both fast and fair. But when I look at what’s happening at the IRB, an institution you know well, there are 34,000 cases already in the backlog. In addition, there are 40 vacancies in the Immigration Appeal Division and Refugee Appeal Division.

I went back in time, and on January 1, 2016, there were 23 vacancies. On August 31, 2017, there were 40 vacancies. I don’t quite see how we can address current claims, let alone backlog claims, without making these GIC appointments.

Perhaps you can share with me what the government’s plans are to fill these vacancies in a fast and fair manner.

Hon. Peter Harder (Government Representative in the Senate): I thank the honourable senator for her question and for her appropriate concern with regard to the processing, in both time and consequence, of the Immigration and Refugee Board’s activities.

It is entirely essential, and Parliament designed a refugee determination system that is independent of government, and that is appropriate. I would also, though, like to report to the Senate that the IRB on its own has initiated an action plan into its operations to ensure that it is improving its efficiency, greater productivity and faster processing, and that itself improves the fairness. That task force, known as the Legacy Task Force, has a number of recommendations, which I understand from officials are being implemented, and the government looks forward to its implementation and its impact on the very important issue of timeliness that you raised.

I would also point out that this government has appointed 60 highly qualified adjudicators who are part of this determination system, but I will also undertake to bring to the attention of the government the concerns of the honourable senator with respect to members of the Immigration and Refugee Board, particularly the refugee determination division and their essential presence for the appropriate and timely fashion for adjudication.