Canada has a proud history of protecting U.S. soldiers who protest unjust wars. From the Vietnam to Iraq, soldiers who stood up for their values have always able to find a home here. Thanks to the Liberals, that may soon change. High-ranking Liberals, including leader Michael Ignatieff, walked out on a vote in Parliament that [...]
Refugees
Canada has some dark history. I previously talked about the boat, the S.S. St. Louis, that came to Canada in the late 1930s after going to the U.S. The boat arrived at Halifax harbour carrying 900 Jewish refugees who were seeking sanctuary. Tragically, because of racism, xenophobia, hatred and anti-Semitism, these refugees were sent away. Two hundred and fifty of them were murdered in the Holocaust after returning to Europe.
Wednesday November 10, 2010 6:00 – 8:00 pm. Featuring: Howard Adelman, Professor Emeritus, York University Gary Anandasangaree, Canadian Tamil Congress Raoul Boulakia, Refugee Lawyer Gloria Nafziger, Amnesty International Canada and Sharry Aiken, Queen’s University (moderator) Location: University of Toronto, Faculty of Law, Bennett Lecture Hall, Flavelle House 78 Queen’s Park Crescent West (just south of [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE OTTAWA – The arrival of the 490 Tamil boat people seeking refuge in Canada is a symptom of the continued humanitarian suffering in Sri Lanka. It’s time for the government of Canada to rally international efforts to pressure the Sri Lankan government improve living conditions on the ground, say New Democrats. “After [...]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE OTTAWA – New Democrats today reacted to the news that a Tamil migrant ship was approaching Canada off the coast of British Columbia. “Each person arriving to Canada must be treated equally under the law, according to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act,” said New Democrat Immigration and Citizenship critic Olivia Chow. [...]
Olivia Chow has always believed her role as your elected representative was to make Parliament work.
So when the Immigration Minister introduced a fundamentally unfair refugee reform bill, Olivia Chow did what she was elected to do: reach across party lines to amend the bill, making it both fast and fair. In what the Toronto Star called “a miracle deal on the hill”, Olivia won major concessions from the Conservatives government.
May 25, 2010 House of Commons Ms. Olivia Chow (Trinity—Spadina, NDP): Mr. Speaker, deciding to leave the army, navy or marines is never an easy decision for a soldier. In speaking about his decision to leave the army after nine years, Patrick Hart, a constituent in my riding, a supply sergeant who served in Germany, [...]
Ms. Olivia Chow (Trinity—Spadina, NDP): Mr. Speaker, the character of a nation is often defined by how we treat people in desperate situations who come to our shores seeking asylum, safe haven or a better life. Canada has two sides. One is very generous. If we look at the situation at the turn of [...]
Ms. Olivia Chow (Trinity—Spadina, NDP): Mr. Speaker, New Democrats have long pushed for fast and fair refugee reform, but fairness means all refugees should have the right to appeal. Instead, the minister is asking this House to give him total and absolute power to deny refugee claimants equal rights. That is dangerous and [...]
Built-In Inequality Undermines Immigration Reform March 30, 2010 OTTAWA – Canada’s New Democrats have long pushed for fast and fair reform to the present refugee determination process. Fast tracking the entire process is a welcome change, but every refugee claimant must be treated equally. “Prioritizing some countries over others is dangerous. Every person that faces persecution [...]
Ms. Olivia Chow (Trinity—Spadina, NDP): Mr. Speaker, once again the government is showing its hypocrisy. A year after banning anti-war MP George Galloway from entering Canada, the minister of censorship has no problem with letting a pro-war Conservative come and preach hate. Ann Coulter said: “The government should be spying on all Arabs, engaging in [...]
Have questions about how to bring your loved ones here for a visit? Want to find out more about what we can do together in order to make it easier and faster for you to be reunited with family from overseas? Looking for updates about the immigration process following the devastation in Haiti? Join Olivia [...]
Dear Minister Kenney: I urge you today to commit to bringing adopted Haitian children home to their new families immediately. I understand the need for due diligence, preventing child trafficking should always be a priority. However, these children have been through this process, they have been approved by Haitian Social Services. They are known to [...]
Sat 16 Jan 2010 TORONTO – Today’s government announcement regarding expedited immigration and adoption processes and additional support for Haitian-Canadian families is a commendable step in the right direction, though more changes are needed, according to New Democrat Immigration Critic Olivia Chow (Trinity-Spadina). “The government has announced a number of commendable changes to immigration and [...]
Ms. Olivia Chow (Trinity—Spadina, NDP): Madam Speaker, the refugee system in Canada is in crisis. The just released 2009 annual Report on Citizenship and Immigration 2010 target levels of protected persons in Canada and dependants abroad range from a low of 9,000 to a high of 12,000 compared to a 2006 level of 22,500 [...]
