Sudanese Canadian Einam Mohammadian (left), Palestinian Canadian Israa Alsaafin (second left) and Safinaz El-Sohl (right) look on as NDP MP for Vancouver East Jenny Kwan (front) speaks during a news conference, Wednesday, May 22, 2024 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
OTTAWA – The NDP are accusing the Trudeau government of bungling measures meant to evacuate relatives of Canadians from conflict zones.
They say not a single person has been resettled from Sudan, while it’s unclear if any have arrived from the Gaza Strip, months after launching programs for Canadians to get their relatives out of those emergency situations.
Civil war in Sudan broke out last spring, yet family members say officials expect their relatives will not reach Canada until the end of this year, citing delays with fingerprinting and other biometric requirements
Canadians with family in Gaza say they were left with the impression their loved ones would be disqualified from the program if they escaped the war zone too early in the application process, only to later learn they could still be eligible for a Canadian visa.
NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan says the Liberals haven’t learned from the mistakes made during the emergency resettlement of Afghans, and bureaucratic hurdles are leaving people to die in conflict zones.
The office of Immigration Minister Marc Miller did not have an immediate response to the criticism.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 22, 2024.
