Liberal's to stand up to Harper over immigration... just kidding

Prominent Immigrant groups, including the Chinese Canadian National Council, are pleading with the Liberal Opposition to fight the budget implementation bill, which will effectively "gut" the Liberal's 2003 Immigration policy. The proposals regarding immigration contained in the bill include allowing the Minister to over-ride the decision of an immigration officer to allow an applicant residence, and cap those waiting in application queues, cherry-picking only the most "suitable" applicants, while passing up those other applicants who have paid their 550$ fee and meet the requirements for admittance. Importantly, the bill allows the Minister to make policy changes which once required actual changes in the regulations, giving them much more power.

The government claims that the near million person long waiting list, some people waiting up to six years (mostly from the Subcontinent and China) must be cut somehow, even if it means turning away qualified applicants. They claim that the Minister must be given more powers in order to make effective decisions for a responsive policy of immigration. However concentrating all this power in the hands of the Minister is dangerous, and not democratic. It is a fundamental question of government power, and shouldn't really be a question for the Liberal politicians who espouse freedom and openness (and immigration).The problem is that the budget implementation is a matter of confidence, and this is hardly an issue to bring down the government over when the Liberal Party of Canada has already let the government slide on the budget and Afghanistan.

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Libellés : Libéraux, Politique, ROC

par Abdul-Rahim à 11:54

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