Citizenship and Immigration committee  I haven't witnessed a case where you had those three scenarios. I've witnessed women under severe stress, traumatic situations, where women are put under the microscope and people don't believe them. They have to prove that they've been victims of violence. That's pretty traumati

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Yes, unintended consequences.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I think it's a really bad thing. I think it puts spouses on an unequal basis. I think it's very unhealthy in a relationship. It's very arbitrary that in two years we'll know for sure that this is not a bad-faith marriage or relationship. Often in real life, couples will fight at

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I think that article 4(f) of the UN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women shed some light on the question you just asked. I think it says, and this is what's happening here, the government needs to be careful when they pass laws that they don't increase violenc

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Completely. I think that is a very good idea.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Yes. That can be a problem depending on what is happening in the woman's home country. A woman's right to have a family is a protected, sacred and fundamental right in international law. Women today have a tendency to have children later in life, for instance in their 30s or aft

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Very well. During the quarrels that followed, acting on an impulse, the young husband called up Citizenship and Immigration Canada to withdraw his sponsorship. The process had to be started all over again from square one, even though they had been close to the end. This story ha

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Yes, thank you for having me.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  My comments today will focus on just two aspects relating to the sponsorship program: the conditional permanent residence period of two years and its impact on women in domestic abuse situations, as well as the proposed requirement that sponsored female spouses be able to speak o