Drimonis: Amid immigration crackdown, it's callous to target family reunifications
My heart sank for them. I thought of Evgeny and his wife, Anastasiia. Jean-Sébastien and his husband, Paolo. Léa and her husband, Ilkay. The Quebecer-half of these couples are now paying the price for having fallen in love and married a foreigner and wanting to start a life with them here.
I thought of all the other unknown couples still separated, not to mention those who have left the province, unwilling to put their lives on hold because of unreasonable delays.
The Immigration Ministry's suspension of applications didn't come as a surprise. The Coalition Avenir Québec government had already announced it was slashing applications by half until June 2026 and would process a maximum of 13,000 applications on a first come, first served basis, leaving 40,000 couples reeling. This most recent announcement can be expected to create more backlogs next year.
Quebec's processing times are nothing to be proud of, according to a study prepared for Québec réunifié, a non-partisan organization supporting these families. Whereas for the rest of Canada the study put the average wait times for family reunifications at 12 months, the Quebec figures were up to three times greater to bring over a spouse or a child from abroad.
Further, Quebec wait times were found to be the worst among G7 and G20 countries the study examined. Not the kind of global list I want to see Quebec topping.
Marie-Gervaise Pilon, a spokesperson for Québec réunifié, was lucky enough to succeed in bringing her husband William here from England last year — and stubbornly continues to fight for couples still separated. The teacher has spent a good chunk of her summer vacation online raising awareness and dispeling myths about family reunification.
The 'green card marriage' is one of those myths.
'The level of scrutiny at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is so high that if someone were trying to 'con' the system they're better off attempting to apply in another category,' says Pilon, who notes that family reunification affects primarily partners and children — young people who are net contributors and rarely a large burden on our social services.
Setting limits on family reunification is something I will never understand. Splitting up families, sometimes for years on end, seems inhumane to me.
Even if the Legault government favours the performative optics of 'cracking down' on immigration, family reunification should be the last area to target. Those who have sponsors are less of a financial burden on the system and already have a place to live and built-in integration system thanks to those sponsors.
Ironically, in the revised Skilled Worker Selection Program, the Immigration Ministry acknowledges that having family ties in Quebec is among the factors key to successful adaptation for applicants.
Arbitrarily limiting this category seems punitive and nonsensical — especially in light of a recent Léger poll showing 64 per cent of Quebecers agree family reunification should be prioritized.
In anticipation of public consultations on Quebec's immigration plan for 2026–2029, Québec réunifié is documenting the real-life mental-health and economic impacts of sponsorship processing delays, hoping to convince the government to show a little more reason. And heart.
Pilon is right to call the government's moves 'callous.' She says the latest news has been met with 'anger and tears.' Newlyweds, she tells me, are the ones most affected by the suspension.
'When we see families torn apart by ICE in the U.S. right now, we're understandably horrified,' she says. 'Just because these families are not forcibly separated by police officers does not make it OK or any less brutal. It's still bureaucratic violence.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
National Post
a day ago
- National Post
Jesse Kline: Carney's futile attempt to will a Palestinian state into existence
French President Emmanuel Macron's announcement last week that his country intends to recognize Palestine as an independent state in September was quickly followed by similar pronouncements from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and, as of Wednesday, Prime Minister Mark Carney. The three G7 powers are thus set to join a growing list of countries taking a performative step that does little but signal their enmity towards the only democracy in the region — Israel. Article content Article content Carney's announcement following a cabinet meeting on Wednesday shouldn't come as much of a surprise, as Ottawa has shown no interest in supporting its former allies in Jerusalem since Israel was brutally attacked on Oct. 7, 2023. But for Macron, it represents a radical about-face. Article content Article content Less than a month after the October 7 massacre, Macron visited Israel (something former prime minister Justin Trudeau refused to do) and suggested that the 86-member coalition that fought against the Islamic State 'should also fight against Hamas.' Article content Had anyone listened to him at the time, we might be living in a much different world today. A coalition of countries willing to put boots on the ground in Gaza would have shown Israel that the international community was united against terrorism. Israel's allies would have had more say over how the war was conducted and how aid would be distributed. Article content More importantly, a broad international coalition that included other Arab countries could have established a transitional government in Gaza capable of maintaining law and order, providing essential services and ensuring that Hamas wasn't able to reassert control when Israeli forces pulled out. Article content Article content But the rest of the world wasn't willing to lift a finger to eliminate the terrorist threat posed by Hamas and further the cause of peace in the Middle East. Article content Article content Thus here we are, nearly 22 months later. Israel is still at war. The humanitarian situation in Gaza is dire. Mideast peace is as elusive as ever. And world powers seem to think that gathering a bunch of politicians together for a drab UN confab will somehow bring about a solution for peace that has eluded everyone for nearly a century. Article content That conference, which was organized by France and Saudi Arabia and held earlier this week in New York, was billed as a means of finding a path towards a two-state solution. This is a policy that has long been favoured by Canada and many of its allies. But it has some major obstacles to overcome, including the fact that none of the parties involved seem particularly interested in it. Article content A recent Pew poll found that only 21 per cent of Israelis support a two-state solution, the lowest number since the survey began in 2013, with 75 per cent citing a lack of trust as a 'major obstacle' to peace — and who can blame them, after the October 7 massacre? Israel's government, which rests on the support of ultra-nationalists intent on annexing the territories, is also firmly against Palestinian statehood, arguing that it would be akin to a reward for terrorism. Article content In the West Bank, a Gallup poll released last fall found that support for a two-state solution was also near historic lows, with only 28 per cent support. The Palestinian Authority (PA), which controls the West Bank, has rejected numerous offers for statehood over the years and is unlikely to get a better deal this time around. And Hamas, which maintains a grip on power in Gaza, is resolutely committed to the total destruction of the Jewish state. Article content How do you force two nations with a long list of grievances and a history of mistrust into a peace that neither side particularly wants? Foreign Minister Anita Anand was right when she said on Monday that, 'Peace is not only about borders and agreements. It is also about shared stories and understanding that humanize all sides and foster trust.' Article content But building that kind of trust is a decades-long project that will require serious reform of the hate-laden Palestinian education system and cannot be achieved so long as some Palestinians are intent on massacring their Israeli neighbours. Article content Article content So, it would seem, a growing list of countries are attempting to will a two-state solution into existence by unilaterally recognizing a Palestinian state that simply does not exist. Article content While there is no single definition of what constitutes a state, they are generally believed to includes four key elements: a population, a clearly defined territory, an established government and sovereignty. 'Palestine' currently lacks most of those things. Article content The two Palestinian territories are noncontiguous and the borders of the West Bank are yet to be defined under international law. They are controlled by different governments, one of which is a genocidal terrorist organization that lacks international legitimacy. And neither one has full security control, and thus full sovereignty, over their respective territories. Article content Carney has conditioned his recognition of a Palestinian state on the PA enacting significant reforms, including a pledge to hold elections next year (something its dictatorial leader hasn't done since 2006), and promised to send $10 million to Ramallah over the next year to help it make those changes. Article content Article content There's little doubt that the notoriously corrupt Palestinian Authority government is in serious need of reform, not only if it wants Canada's recognition, but if it has any hope of regaining legitimacy in the eyes of its people and convincing Israel it is capable of reasserting control over Gaza. Article content But if foreign handouts alone could bring about the 'legitimate, democratic governance' that Anand said Canada is seeking, the Palestinian territories would be pinnacles of democracy, rather than failed pseudo-states run by a tinpot dictator and a messianic death cult. Article content If Canada and the rest of the world truly hopes to bring stability, if not a lasting peace, to the Middle East, they should follow the Macron of 2023, who was willing to send troops into Gaza, not the Macron of 2025, who's intent on playing political games that are purely for show. Article content Article content
3 days ago
By acknowledging 'starvation' in Gaza, Trump sharpens Western pressure on Netanyahu
In what humanitarians are calling a make-or-break week for saving Palestinians from famine, Donald Trump's I see it moment may be a tipping point. Humanitarian organizations have for months warned that Israel's restrictions on the flow of aid were bringing Gaza to the brink of famine. The latest warning from a UN-backed hunger monitor said Tuesday that famine was now unfolding across the enclave. Yet as recently as last weekend, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu bluntly stated there is no starvation in Gaza. He accuses Hamas of stealing available aid. Trump himself seemed indifferent until Monday when, while in Scotland, he publicly disagreed with Netanyahu, saying he'd seen the images of starving children. That's real starvation, he said. I see it — and you can't fake that. With the conflict in Gaza at a stalemate — and the civilian population paying an increasingly steeper price, including the Israeli hostages still in Hamas's hands — what Israel's allies, especially Trump, do or say is key to bringing the bloodshed to an end. Enlarge image (new window) Palestinians, mostly children, push to receive food at a charity kitchen in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on July 22. Photo: AFP / Getty Images The growing chorus of calls this past week, sharpened by voices from G7 countries including Canada, for Israel to open the crossings into Gaza had already started to lead to change on the ground. Israel, which had insisted on its own controversial means of distributing aid, was forced at least to resume air drops and to slightly ease the movement of aid trucks into Gaza. It also paused the fighting in three areas daily to allow the flow of aid. Trump's public acknowledgement gave an urgency to those calls that could only come from Israel's staunchest ally, and which could help nudge Netanyahu to do more to ease Gaza's humanitarian crisis. Within hours, Netanyahu's office had issued a statement that Israel would continue to work with international agencies and other countries to ensure large flows of aid into Gaza. More West Bank settlements How Trump plans to persuade Netanyahu to pursue what the president described as a different way to bring home the 50 Israeli hostages remaining in Gaza is going to be much harder. Trump was keen on making a deal that would see all the hostages released, and Israel's attacks on Gaza ended. But the U.S. and Israel withdrew their teams from the latest talks in Rome, accusing Hamas of negotiating in bad faith. WATCH | UN group warns of 'worst-case scenario' in Gaza: Those familiar with the talks suggest one of the biggest obstacles to a lasting ceasefire is that Hamas wants a permanent one, while Israel refuses to leave Gaza with Hamas still in charge. Another is Netanyahu's opposition to a two-state solution. Settlements have multiplied in the West Bank under Netanyahu, and in a non-binding vote in the Israeli Knesset last week a majority called for the annexation of the West Bank altogether. It is why Israel's closest Western allies have recently reaffirmed their support for a two-state solution — also a longtime cornerstone of Canada's Mideast policy — with some promising to recognize a Palestinian state this fall. France announced last week it intends to recognize such a state at the UN General Assembly in September. Enlarge image (new window) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said there is no starvation in Gaza, while claiming Hamas has been stealing food aid. Photo: Reuters / Jack Guez/Pool Under pressure from within his own government, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Tuesday also said he would recognize a Palestinian state in September — unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire, takes steps to make clear there is to be no annexation of the West Bank, and commits to a long-term peace process that delivers a two-state solution. The U.S. is far from doing the same. But if other Western allies, maybe even Canada, join the chorus (147 other countries already recognize a Palestinian state) Trump may be forced to at least acknowledge the shift. Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to the latest developments. Netanyahu condemned France's declaration and is likely to receive the British decision similarly, arguing that they reward terror, in the wake of Hamas's killing of about 1,200 people on Oct. 7, 2023, and abducting 250 others. But Britain preempted such accusations and again called on Hamas to release the 50 remaining hostages. Hamas are not the Palestinian people, and there is no contradiction between support for Israel's security and support for Palestinian statehood, said British Foreign Secretary David Lammy. Possible sanctions Some critics however are skeptical that such declarations will do anything to meaningfully move the needle on solving either the immediate or the larger conflict. Such gestures alone are not going to do any lasting change to Israeli behaviour, said Michael Lynk, a former UN special rapporteur on the human rights situation in the Palestinian Territories. Enlarge image (new window) Palestinians collect aid that landed in the Mediterranean Sea after being airdropped over central Gaza, at the shore of Zawaida, Gaza Strip, on Tuesday. Photo: Associated Press / Abdel Kareem Hana Countries in the global north are going to have to take a significant step forward by looking at sanctions on Israel in order to make any lasting progress on achieving a Palestinian state. France, Canada and the U.K. signed a joint statement in May promising to not "stand by while the Netanyahu government pursues these egregious actions. If Israel does not cease the renewed military offensive and lift its restrictions on humanitarian aid, we will take further concrete actions in response. It was not made clear what those actions might be, but Lynk says they could include sanctions. Only sanctions with respect to military sales and economic relationships with Israel are likely to have any chance of changing Israel's behavior, he said. Trump did not immediately comment on the British decision, but last week he belittled Emmanuel Macron's statement. What he says doesn't matter, he said of the French president. It's not going to change anything. How this all plays out now that Starmer has added his voice may largely depend on how Trump sees it. Nahlah Ayed (new window) · Host of CBC Ideas Nahlah Ayed is the host of the nightly CBC Radio program Ideas. A veteran of foreign reportage, she's spent nearly a decade covering major world events from London, and another decade covering upheaval across the Middle East. Ayed was previously a parliamentary reporter for The Canadian Press. Video by Nahlah Ayed (new window)
Toronto Sun
3 days ago
- Toronto Sun
LILLEY: Harper calls Putin an evil 'Bond villain' — and he's right
Harper says that Russia would have been better off if Putin wasn't so evil. Canada's former PM is 100% correct. Get the latest from Brian Lilley straight to your inbox This image taken Sept. 15, 2013 shows Russian President Vladmir Putin welcoming then-prime minister Stephen Harper at the start of a G20 summit in Saint Petersburg, Russia.. (AFP photo,) Stephen Harper once famously quipped to George W. Bush, that he was lucky Vladimir Putin had only shown Bush his dog. The American president relayed in his memoir that Putin had been unimpressed with Bush's Scottish terrier named Barney and asked if he could introduce Bush to his own dogs. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account 'As we walked the birch-lined grounds of his dacha, a big black Labrador came charging across the lawn. With a twinkle in his eye, Vladimir said, 'Bigger, stronger, and faster than Barney,'' Bush wrote in his memoir. 'You're lucky he only showed you his dog,' Stephen Harper told Bush, according to the book. It's the kind of dry humour that Harper is known for, among those who know him. His comments also speak to his view of Putin, which was on display again this week as Harper referred to the Russian leader as 'evil' and described him a 'Bond villain.' Speaking at a gathering of Canadian and American politicians in Saskatoon, Harper said that of all the people he has met, more people ask about Putin than anyone else. 'I get asked more about Vladimir Putin, meeting Vladimir Putin than any single person,' Harper said. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Harper's host pointed out that as PM, he personally called out Putin in 2014 after his invasion of Crimea. 'Yeah, and I don't accept a drink from him or anything like that,' Harper said laughing, knowing that the Russian leader is famous for finding ways to kill those who have spoken out against him. In 2014, at the G20 Summit in Australia, Harper was blunt with Putin who had recently sent Russian troops into Crimea, taking over a large part of Ukraine. 'I guess I'll shake your hand but I have only one thing to say to you: You need to get out of Ukraine,' Harper said. The interaction framed their relationship going forward. Then-U.S. president George W. Bush carries his dog, Barney, as he steps from Air Force One on Dec. 26, 2005 in Waco, Texas. (Manel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images) 'I publicly called him out, but privately, at the end, I was calling him out on this stuff all the time, and getting under his skin, actually, which I enjoyed,' Harper said on Monday. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. He described the Russian leader as gifted and intelligent but misguided. 'He's in many ways, a very impressive individual. Vladimir Putin is very smart,' Harper said. 'He is very smart. He is very hard working. He's extremely disciplined. You know, he would come into any meeting I ever saw, just fantastically well briefed.' Recommended video He also described someone who, based on his past as a KGB agent, could immediately size someone up and then use their weaknesses against them. 'So, he has a lot of great attributes, and the problem is, though, this is a big problem, he's an evil man,' Harper said. 'He took a fledgling democracy and turned it back into a tyranny. He is creating no institutions, no long-term plan for Russia. He will leave the country poorer and in chaos when he goes and I think this is a real tragedy for Russia.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Harper said in the end that if Putin had better angels, it would have been better for Russia and the Russian people. 'It's a tragedy that somebody with his ability just wasn't imbued with any sense of ideals or higher purpose,' Harper said. Under former prime minister Brian Mulroney, Canada played a big role in moving Russia towards democracy after the fall of the Iron Curtain and the Berlin Wall. There was a hope that Russia would move not only towards democracy, but towards the West. For many years they did, and then Putin took power. Harper was among the first to recognize the problem and to call him out. Sadly, Putin still has supporters in the West who believe this dictator, this autocrat, is just misunderstood. More than a decade ago, Harper understood who Putin was and called him out. I'll stand with Harper over Putin any day of the week, and all Canadians should feel the same. MLB Canada Canada Toronto Blue Jays Celebrity
