43rd Parliament223Government response tabledMay 27, 2021e-3019e-3019 (Citizenship and immigration)RoxaneHatemAlexandreBoulericeRosemont—La Petite-PatrieNDPQCDecember 3, 2020, at 4:05 p.m. (EDT)February 1, 2021, at 4:05 p.m. (EDT)April 13, 2021May 27, 2021February 1, 2021Petition to the <Addressee type="1" affiliationId="" mp-riding-display="1">House of Commons</Addressee>Whereas:We are a group of immigration applicants who have been living in Quebec for years;We have been forced to prepare this petition because wait times have become extremely long, exceeding 30 months in some cases;This situation is putting most of us at risk of losing our status and jobs; andOur request is simple: we are asking to have our status regularized and to be compensated for the delay in processing times which are in no way consistent with the times that were announced.We, the undersigned, residents of Canada, call upon the House of Common: 1. To grant a bridging open work permit (BOWP) to persons who have applied for permanent residence in Quebec until a final decision has been made;2. To give us a realistic completion date and make a commitment to meet it;3. Extend the validity of the medical evaluation for persons whose evaluation has expired. If that is not possible, the second medical evaluation is to be paid for by the Canadian government;4. To include the delay in wait times in the citizenship calculation and propose reasonable compensation;5. To issue an acknowledgement of receipt for applications submitted in 2019 and 2020.
Response by the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and CitizenshipSigned by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): The Honourable Marco MendicinoThe pandemic has significantly impacted Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada’s processing capacity and the processing times for many permanent residence applicants have lengthened.Quebec is the only province that has the authority to set its own immigration target levels, within the parameters of the Canada-Quebec Accord (i.e., in categories for which it has selection authority). When establishing the total number of immigrants to the country as a whole, the federal government takes Quebec’s advice into consideration on the number of immigrants that it wishes to receive in all categories (including in categories under federal authority). Quebec’s immigration plan is established annually and incorporated in the federal immigration levels plan.The processing of permanent residence applications is dependent on admissions space. IRCC finalizes the number of applications for permanent residence based on the parameters set by Quebec in its immigration plan. In situations where there are more Certificats de Sélection du Québec (CSQ) issued than available spaces, inventories develop and processing times grow. IRCC will continue to finalize Quebec-destined permanent resident applications as expeditiously as possible, within the parameters imposed by Quebec immigration levels.The Department is committed to advancing Quebec Skilled Worker (QSW) files through the intake process in order to issue acknowledgement of receipt (AOR) letters. Modified AOR letters are sent to clients that have not yet reached this stage to ensure that clients have at least a file number as an indication from IRCC that their file has been received. Using the first in - first out principal, as one file is completed and AOR is sent, a different file will be received into the inventory with a modified AOR sent. This allows IRCC to maintain a balanced inventory of files, ensuring the proper number of files are moving in and out of each stage. IRCC has made significant changes to the intake process to reduce the number of rejections based on incompleteness for these files. As opposed to rejecting incomplete applications, applicants are now contacted to complete their files. The applications will then be put back in the processing system, without effect to the CSQ expiry date. However, current IRCC operational priorities and capacity limits due to COVID are further impacting the ability to advance these files in the short term, as we concentrate on in-Canada applicants and inventories that can be finalized towards the federal and Quebec provincial admissions target.  The Department is in constant discussion with the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration and internal stakeholders to identify solutions for those waiting at the pre-intake stage of the process, especially for QSW, which can be implemented in the near future. The option of a bridging open work permit (BOWP) is provided to certain federal economic class applicants currently in Canada to bridge the gap between the expiry of their current work permit and the final decision on their application for permanent residence. Under the bridging provisions, skilled worker permanent residence applicants who are in Quebec and have a Quebec Selection Certificate are eligible for an employer-specific work permit without having to obtain a labour market impact assessment (LMIA) from Employment and Social Development Canada. However, as these work permits are employer-specific, the applicant needs to obtain an offer of employment to be eligible to apply and does not benefit from the flexibility that an open work permit provides.
BacklogsBridging open work permitMedical examinationsPermanent resident statusProvince of Quebec
43rd Parliament223Government response tabledJanuary 25, 2021e-2943e-2943 (Taxation)DianeLavergneBernardGénéreuxMontmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-LoupConservativeQCOctober 23, 2020, at 8:32 a.m. (EDT)November 22, 2020, at 8:32 a.m. (EDT)November 23, 2020January 25, 2021November 23, 2020Petition to the <Addressee type="3" affiliationId="" mp-riding-display="1">Minister of National Revenue</Addressee>Whereas:The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) announced on September 8, 2020, that osteopathic care will now be subject to the GST and QST, and this decision will also be implemented by Revenu Québec for harmonization purposes;Osteopathy is health care according to the Government of Quebec and is being recognized as an essential service during the pandemic;The CRA’s decision will penalize hundreds of thousands of Canadians who receive care from osteopaths, both financially and in terms of access to health care;The CRA’s decision affects osteopaths only, as the health care provided by other health professionals governed by a professional body in Quebec is not subject to any taxation;Including osteopaths within a professional body would prevent osteopathic services from being subject to the GST and QST, like all other health care services provided by a professional governed by the Quebec Professional Code; andOn October 21, 2020, the Government of Quebec signaled its firm desire to oversee the practice of osteopathy in Quebec by launching a public consultation to this end.We, the undersigned, Citizens of Canada, call upon the Minister of National Revenue to immediately suspend the imposition of taxes on osteopathic care provided in Quebec.
Response by the Minister of National RevenueSigned by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): The Honourable Diane LebouthillierThe Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) extends its thanks to the petitioners for expressing their views regarding the imposition of tax on osteopathic care provided in Québec.The role of the CRA is to administer the tax system and to apply the legislation, including the Excise Tax Act (ETA) which governs Goods and Services Tax/Harmonized Sales Tax (GST/HST). The Department of Finance Canada is responsible for developing federal tax policy and amendments to the legislation, including establishing eligibility criteria for health services to be GST/HST exempt.Generally, for a health care service to be exempt of GST/HST, two conditions must be met. The first condition is to have the type of health care service listed in the ETA and the second is to have a practitioner render that service. The Act defines the word “practitioner”. This definition requires a person to be licensed to practise the profession in the province or territory, or to have qualifications that would be equivalent to those required to have a license.In the Act, there is an exemption for osteopathic services, but only when the services are rendered by a practitioner. At the present time, the profession of manual osteopathy is not regulated in any province or territory of Canada. Please note that the expression “manual osteopathy” is used to avoid confusing the practice of osteopathy by a osteopathic physician who is a member of a College of Physicians whose supplies are exempt and the practice of osteopathy by a non-member of such College.The creation of a professional body for osteopaths is within a provincial jurisdiction. The CRA’s Excise and GST/HST News - No. 108 contains more information regarding the application of GST/HST to manual osteopathic services.
Goods and services taxOsteopathy and osteopathsProvince of Quebec
43rd Parliament223Government response tabledSeptember 24, 2020431-00266431-00266 (Civil and human rights)GarnettGenuisSherwood Park—Fort SaskatchewanConservativeABJune 16, 2020September 24, 2020January 31, 2020Petition to the House of CommonsWe, the undersigned citizens of Canada, draw the attention of the House of Commons to the following: Whereas the province of Quebec has passed An Act respecting the laicity of the State ("Bill 21"), that restricts the wearing of religious symbols; and; Whereas our federation is built on a diverse community, where many Canadians wear religious symbols including turbans, hijabs, kippas, crosses and many other symbols; and Whereas the fundamental right of religious freedom is enshrined in the Canadian Constitution; and Whereas national civil rights groups, including: the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, the National Council of Canadian Muslims, B'nai Brith Canada, the World Sikh Organization, the Canadian Bar Association, Amnesty International, and the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs have condemned the legislation's infringement on Canadians' rights; and Whereas the federal government bears a responsibility to stand up in defence of the Canadian multicultural mosaic; We the undersigned therefore, urge the House of Commons to formally denounce Bill 21.
Response by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): The Honourable David LamettiThe position of the Government of Canada is clear and well known. Some Quebecers have initiated legal proceedings to defend their rights. The legal process is working as it should, and we are monitoring the matter closely.
Federal-provincial-territorial relationsFreedom of conscience and religionProvince of QuebecSecularism
43rd Parliament223Government response tabledApril 11, 2020431-00049431-00049 (Civil and human rights)Jasraj SinghHallanCalgary Forest LawnConservativeABJanuary 31, 2020April 11, 2020January 31, 2020Petition to the House of CommonsWe, the undersigned citizens of Canada, draw the attention of the House of Commons to the following: Whereas the province of Quebec has passed An Act respecting the laicity of the State ("Bill 21"), that restricts the wearing of religious symbols; and; Whereas our federation is built on a diverse community, where many Canadians wear religious symbols including turbans, hijabs, kippas, crosses and many other symbols; and Whereas the fundamental right of religious freedom is enshrined in the Canadian Constitution; and Whereas national civil rights groups, including: the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, the National Council of Canadian Muslims, B'nai Brith Canada, the World Sikh Organization, the Canadian Bar Association, Amnesty International, and the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs have condemned the legislation's infringement on Canadians' rights; and Whereas the federal government bears a responsibility to stand up in defence of the Canadian multicultural mosaic; We the undersigned therefore, urge the House of Commons to formally denounce Bill 21.
Response by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): The Honourable David LamettiThe position of the Government of Canada is clear and well known. Some Quebecers have initiated legal proceedings to defend their rights. The legal process is working as it should, and we are monitoring the matter closely.
Federal-provincial-territorial relationsFreedom of conscience and religionProvince of QuebecSecularism
43rd Parliament223Government response tabledMarch 11, 2020431-00037431-00037 (Civil and human rights)GarnettGenuisSherwood Park—Fort SaskatchewanConservativeABJanuary 27, 2020March 11, 2020January 23, 2020Petition to the House of CommonsWe, the undersigned citizens of Canada, draw the attention of the House of Commons to the following: Whereas the province of Quebec has passed An Act respecting the laicity of the State ("Bill 21"), that restricts the wearing of religious symbols; and; Whereas our federation is built on a diverse community, where many Canadians wear religious symbols including turbans, hijabs, kippas, crosses and many other symbols; and Whereas the fundamental right of religious freedom is enshrined in the Canadian Constitution; and Whereas national civil rights groups, including: the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, the National Council of Canadian Muslims, B'nai Brith Canada, the World Sikh Organization, the Canadian Bar Association, Amnesty International, and the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs have condemned the legislation's infringement on Canadians' rights; and Whereas the federal government bears a responsibility to stand up in defence of the Canadian multicultural mosaic; We the undersigned therefore, urge the House of Commons to formally denounce Bill 21.
Response by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): The Honourable David LamettiThe position of the Government of Canada is clear and well known. Some Quebecers have initiated legal proceedings to defend their rights. The legal process is working as it should, and we are monitoring the matter closely.
Federal-provincial-territorial relationsFreedom of conscience and religionProvince of QuebecSecularism