About the committee: Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics—Study on the Use of Public Funds in Relation to the Roxham Road Crossing (October 17, 2022)

Committee overview and members biographies

Committee members: At a glance

Committee mandate

ETHI studies and reports on matters referred to it by the House of Commons, or on topics the Committee itself chooses to examine under its mandate. It is a permanent committee established by the Standing Orders of the House of Commons. Bills, departmental activities and spending, and other matters related to the general subject matter of the Committee may be referred to it.

Under Standing Order 108(3)(h), the Committee's mandate is to study matters related to reports of:

• the Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada
• the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada
• the Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying of Canada
• the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner pursuant to the Conflict of Interest Act

Other Responsibilities under the Committee's Mandate:

• Proposing, promoting, monitoring and assessing of initiatives which relate to access to information and privacy across all sectors of Canadian society and; to ethical standards relating to public office holders
• This includes the review of and report on any federal legislation, regulation or Standing Order in these areas

The Committee considers the Estimates of

• Office of the Information Commissioner
• Office of the Privacy Commissioner
• Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner
• Office of the Senate Ethics Officer
• Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying

Biographies of the Committee members

Pat Kelly (Chair)

Political affiliation: Conservative Party of Canada
Constituency: Calgary Rocky Ridge

• Elected as the Member of Parliament in 2015 for Calgary Rock Ridge (Alberta), re-elected in 2019 and 2021
• Currently also serves on the Liaison Committee as well as the Subcomitte on Agenda and Procedure for the ETHI
• In the past, he's served on multiple committees, including Finance, Public Accounts, OGGO, the Library of Parliament and the COVID-19 Pandemic committee
• Before his election in 2015, Mr. Kelly was a mortgage broker in Calgary. He has graduated from the University of Calgary with a degree in Political Science

Iqra Khalid (First Vice-Chair)

Political affiliation: Liberal Party of Canada
Constituency: Mississauga–Erin Mills

• Elected as the Member of Parliament in 2015 for Mississauga–Erin Mills (Ontario), re-elected in 2019 and 2021
• Currently also serves on the Committee for Scrutiny of Regulations as was all the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure for ETHI
• She's on multiple Parliamentary Groups, including Canadian NATO, the Canadian Branch of the Commonwealth and the Canadian Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
• Before her election in 2015, she worked as a legal professional. She has a degree in criminology and professional writing from York University as well as a Juris Doctor degree from WMU-Cooley
• Ms. Khalid was born in Punjab and immigrated in Canada in 1998

René Villemure (Second Vice-Chair)

Political affiliation: Bloc Québécois
Constituency: Trois-Rivières

• Elected as the Member for Parliament in 2021 for Trois-Rivières (Québec)
• Bloc Critic for Ethics, Privacy and Access to Information
• Also serves on the Subcomittee on Agenda and Procedure for ETHI
• He is an Executive Member of the Canadian Branch of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophie and sits on multiple Parliamentary Associations
• Mr. Villemure is a well-known Ethician in Quebec, often appearing on Quebec news channels in the past for matters related to Ethics
• He has a PhD in philosophy from the Université de Sherbrooke

James Bezan

Political affiliation: Conservative Party of Canada
Constituency: Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman

• Elected as the Member of Parliament in 2004 for Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, re-elected ever since
• Conservative Shadow Minister for Ethics
• Also serves as a Member on the Subcomittee on Agenda and Procedure of ETHI
• Previously served on many committees, including National Defence (Vice-Chair), Liaison, Environment and Sustainable Development (Chair) and Agriculture and Agri-Food (Chair)
• While the Conservatives were in power, he served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence (2013 to 2015)
• Prior to his election, Mr. Bezan worked in the livestock industry

Damien Kurek

Political affiliation: Conservative Party of Canada
Constituency: Battle River–Crowfoot

• Elected as the Member of Parliament in 2019 for Battle River–Crowfoot (Alberta), re-elected in 2021
• Also served on the Public Safety and National Security committee, as well as the COVID-19 Pandemic committee during the 43rd Parliament
• Before his election, Mr. Kurek worked as a farmer and in the oil and gas sector
• He has a degree in Political Science from the Trinity University and a diploma in biblical studies

Ryan Williams

Political affiliation: Conservative Party of Canada
Constituency: Bay of Quinte

• Elected as the Member of Parliament for the first time in 2021 in Bay of Quinte
• Also serves as a Member on the Standing Committee on Science and Research
• Member of the Standing Committee on Health from December 9, 2021 to January 31, 2022
• Prior to his election, Mr. Williams sat on the Belleville City Council
• Has a degree in Business from the Western University and a degree in Hotel and Food Administration from the University of Guelph
• He is the President of Williams Hotels

Matthew Green

Political affiliation: New Democratic Party of Canada
Constituency: Hamilton Centre

• Elected as the Member of Parliament in 2019 for Hamilton Centre (Ontario), re-elected in 2021
• Also on the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure for ETHI
• Previously served on many committees, including Public Accounts, COVID-19 Pandemic and OGGO
• Before his election in 2019, he was the first Black Canadian to serve on the Hamilton City Council, from 2014 to 2018. He also worked as an Executive Director for the Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion
• Mr. Green has a degree in Political Science from Acadia University. He also attended McCaster University

Parm Bains

Political affiliation: Liberal Party of Canada
Constituency: Stevenston–Richmond East

• Elected as the Member of Parliament for Stevenston–Richmond East (British Columbia) for the first time in 2021
• Also serves on the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates
• Prior to his election, Mr. Bains was an instructor at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. He also worked as a media and public relations officer with the British Columbia provincial government
• He has attended the British Columbia Institute Of Technology as well as the Royal Roads University, where he got a Masters degree

Greg Fergus

Political affiliation: Liberal Party of Canada
Constituency: Québec—Hull—Alymer
Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and to the President of the Treasury Board

• Elected as the Member of Parliament for Hull—Alymer (Québec) in 2015, re-elected in 2019 and 2021
• Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and to the President of the Treasury Board
• Former Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development
• Also sits on the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs and multiple Parliamentary Associations
• Also served on various committees in the past, including Public Accounts, COVID-19 Pandemic, OGGO and Finance
• He obtained 2 Bachelor's degrees (social science and international relations) from the University of Ottawa and Carleton University
• Worked for cabinet ministers Pierre Pettigrew and Jim Peterson

Lisa Hepfner

Political affiliation: Liberal Party of Canada
Constituency: Hamilton Mountain

• Elected as the Member of Parliament for Hamilton Mountain (Ontario) for the first time in 2021
• Also sits on the Canadian Heritage committee
• Member of various Parliamentary Associations, including Canadian NATO, Canada-United States and the Canadian Section of ParlAmericas
• Prior to her election in 2021, she was a television news journalist for CHCH News
• Ms. Hepfner has a Bachelor of Journalism from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelor of Arts form the University of Calgary and a master's dree from McMaster University

Ya'ara Saks

Political affiliation: Liberal Party of Canada
Constituency: York Centre
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development

• Elected as the Member of Parliament for York Centre (Ontario) in a by-election in 2020, re-elected in 2021
• Previously sat on the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development and the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development
• Before her election in 2020, Ms. Saks was a Principal Consultant at YLS Consulting as well as a blog writer. She also served as Director for the Trauma Practice for Healthy Communities
• She has a degree in Middle East Studies and Political Science from McGill University and a Master's degree in International Relations and Diplomacy from The Hebrew University

Questions by members during question period

This document provides an overview of statements made by members of Parliament in the House of Commons related to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) mandate and the Roxham Road crossingduring the 44th Parliament. These questions were asked during Question Period from September 20 to October 7, 2022. The following statements are samples of recurring questions.

Roxham Road and its humanitarian aspect

• Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe (BQ) "Roxham Road is making permanent the smuggling networks that get rich off migrant families"
• Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe (BQ) "The smugglers are the ones who take advantage of these families by taking their savings in exchange for getting them across at Roxham road"

Roxham Road and Quebec's immigration mandates

Yves-François Blanchet (BQ) "Is the prime minister allowing tens of thousands of people to come in through Roxham road because he knows that Québec will not be able to integrate them in French. Is he doing it on purpose? If not can this Safe Third Country Agreement be suspended immediately and can the immigration powers be ceded to Québec?"

Roxham Road and contracting

• René Villemure (BQ) "Can the government reveal who they entrusted with taxpayer money at Roxham road?"
• René Villemure (BQ) "The government awarded 7 untendered contracts to two liberal donors"
• Alain Therrien (BQ) "The federal government is turning Roxham Road into a permanent facility and it's already cost us at least $500 million. The feds have signed contracts until at least 2027. Hotels and land and trailer rentals"
• Pierre Paul-Hus (CPC) "In January 2017, the Prime Minister invited the world to come to Canada via Roxham Road. The Prime Minister's invitation created some very lucrative opportunities for his Liberal friends. Radio-Canada reports that at least half a billion dollars has been spent simply managing Roxham Road in Saint‑Bernard‑de‑Lacolle. For example, he awarded untendered contracts totalling no less than $14 million to his friend Pierre Guay, a gentleman who, coincidentally, contributed more than $16,000 to the Liberal Party of Canada. Contracts like that, awarded by this Prime Minister, smack of corruption. Can the Prime Minister explain his actions?"

Roxham Road and the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA)

• Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe (BQ) "How are the STCA negotiations progressing?"
• Kristina Michaud (BQ) "Instead of creating a parallel custom system run by the police, why not simply suspend the STCA so families go through real customs"
• Kristina Michaud (BQ) "The RCMP intercepted 23,196 refugee claimants at Roxham Road in 2022 alone. At the same time, 499 refugee claimants were processed through regular land border crossings. Border officers are dealing with 2% of refugee claimants, even though that is their job, and the RCMP at Roxham Road are dealing with the other 98%. Again, my question is simple. Would we not be better served at the borders if customs officers dealt with customs and police officers dealt with, say, illegal weapons trafficking, for example?"

Further background on the MPs

• Yves-François Blanchet (BQ) - Beloeil—Chambly, Quebec

  Leader of the Bloc Québécois

• Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe (BQ) - Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec
  • Vice Chair:
    • Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration
    • Subcommittee on International Human Rights of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development
  • The Member has only brought up questions regarding Roxham Road when it relates to Human rights issues
• René Villemure (BQ) - Trois-Rivières, Quebec
  • Vice Chair:

    Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics

  • The Member was the person who brought forward the motion to the committee
  • His questions during Question Period have focused on contracts that relate to Roxham Road
• Alain Therrien (BQ) - La Prairie, Quebec

  House leader of the Bloc Québécois

• Pierre Paul-Hus (CPC) - Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, Quebec
  • Conservative Party of Canada's Quebec Lieutenant
  • Member:

    Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates

• Kristina Michaud (BQ) - Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, Quebec
  • Vice Chair:

    Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security

  • Questions from this member have mainly focused on security issues and immigration numbers