Stop tearing loved ones apart: NDP

OTTAWA – Today, as Canadians mark Valentine’s Day, the Conservatives need to improve their immigration policies to reunite families and loved ones faster, says New Democrat Immigration Critic, Olivia Chow (Trinity–Spadina).

“Immigrants in the application queue are waiting longer than ever before to be reunited with their spouses, parents or children in Canada,” said Chow. “I’m asking Jason Kenney to show some compassion and some heart, and do something to shorten the processing times.”

Amir Attaran, a professor of law and medicine at the University of Ottawa, has filed a human rights complaint against the Conservative government because of a 60-month delay in processing his parents’ immigration application.

“For a government that talks so much about family values, the Conservatives have the worst record of any government in reuniting immigrants with their families,” said Attaran.

Government documents obtained through Access to Information, show that there are currently 147,769 people waiting to have their applications processed. This means the government has been accepting millions of dollars in fees from Canadians without processing their applications. The Conservatives’ new immigration targets cut intakes by 90 per cent or more in countries in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and South America. According to the documents, Citizenship and Immigration Canada may only process five applications in some large countries.

“Clearly, the Conservatives have implemented a discrimination policy, based on race and age, in certain countries and no longer abide by the ‘first come, first serve’ rule when processing applications,” said Chow. “When it takes longer than eight years to bring your parents from Beijing to Canada, there is something seriously wrong with our immigration system”.

The NDP continues to call for changes to reduce the wait times by clearing the existing backlogs, setting realistic and equitable targets and end any race and age discrimination.