Vancouver, BC - NDP MP Olivia Chow joined Vancouver Kingsway candidate Don Davies today to denounce the proposed Conservative immigration changes and call for a number of alternate improvements.
The announcement followed a two hour roundtable discussion with community leaders from major immigrant communities in the Lower Mainland: Chinese, Filipino, South Asian and Vietnamese.
"There is no doubt that Canada's immigration system needs serious improvement," Chow said. "It needs to be faster, fairer and more effective.
"But after studying the changes and speaking with Canadian immigrants as we did today, they do not meet this test," Chow said.
Chow described the proposed changes buried in Bill C-50, the federal Budget bill, as secretive, unpopular and misguided.
"The Tories tried to slide these changes through with no public input and little debate," Chow said. "And they will make the system worse, not better.
"The proposals allow the Minister to direct policy that can result in queue-jumping and favouritism. They put limits on the humanitarian and compassionate category that is often the only way that Canadian immigrants can unite their families.
"And they reflect the Conservatives' policy shift to a system that treats immigrants as economic units brought here under temporary visa arrangements instead of as potential citizens through permanent residency programs," Chow said.
Davies, who organized the discussion, said that listening to the affected immigrant communities is important and instructive.
"The communities all report similar experiences," Davies said. "The system takes too long, applications are rejected unfairly and immigrant credentials are not being recognized.
"And because of this, immigrants are separated from their families - their children, their parents, their spouses, for unacceptable lengths of time.
"And there are far too many immigrants who are underemployed and poorer because they are unable to use their skills and training," Davies said.
Davies said that the Conservative changes need to be replaced with more effective reforms.
"First, we need to increase the number of staff in overseas visa offices to help clear the backlog.
"Second, we need to develop better settlement supports, like putting more resources into language training and cultural adjustment programs.
"Third, we need to make swifter credential recognition an immediate priority in order to get immigrants working in their chosen fields, quicker.
"These measures are the real ones that will help meet Canada's labour needs and immigrants," Davies said.
