Thank you, Madam Chair.
It is of course a great pleasure to appear before this committee to recognize our thoughts and recommendations for the humanitarian crisis that's happening in Hong Kong and to protect the people of Hong Kong and the Canadians there in the city.
In previous meetings, members of the Hong Kong diaspora groups, such as Alliance Canada Hong Kong, Canada-Hong Kong Link and VSSDM, appeared before you and gave you many recommendations to help more people most in need, with which I totally concur.
One of the major critiques of the new immigration measures by the Government of Canada is that they are merely an economic measure to attract the best and the brightest immigrants. To truly help the Hong Kong people on the basis of humanitarian relief, shared universal values and the historic relations between the two places, we should focus on trying to help those being persecuted and harassed on a daily basis who do not qualify for the British scheme, and provide them with safe passage to Canada to seek asylum, work or study in an expedited manner. Unfortunately, the current scheme is an utter failure to do so.
Successfully achieving this purpose requires a change of mindset of policy-makers and the frontline staff implementing the policies. Canada must provide a flexible scheme to help the people, such as the 10,000 arrested for doing nothing more than trying to hold the government accountable to the 1984 joint declaration that ensures a free and autonomous Hong Kong for 50 years unchanged.
This allows me to turn to two particular points that I think previous witnesses rarely mentioned. The first is the careful consideration of the number of resources that must accompany any new policy. The second is the matter of the integration of those who will soon arrive to a great country.
Therefore, it is necessary to enhance the capability of our immigration department in accommodating and expediting the application process for political asylum, study permits and work permits to Canada. With regard to this, I have the following recommendations for this committee. Resources must be allocated to the Department of Citizenship and Immigration and to the consulate general office in Hong Kong for providing a provision of official information to the target audience in Hong Kong, and to those exiled elsewhere, on the application of this new scheme—political asylum, open work permits and open study permits to seek refuge in Canada.
In addition, the stationing of a special commissioner at the consulate general office in Hong Kong to be responsible for the processing, verifying and approving of urgent applications for political asylum would be a great advance for this policy.
Madam Chair, it is, of course, easy to say that I will go and live in another country, but this is often more easily said than done. After we attract those new, skilled immigrants to Canada, we must have an approach to assist them in integrating into the Canadian way of life. With regard to this, Canada must have a provision of integration programs, enabling Hong Kong people who arrived in Canada to subscribe to Canadian values and to participate in all aspects of the Canadian community. Such programs and projects can be done by the Canadian government in collaboration with NGOs and well-established Canadian community organizations with a long history and track record of serving the Hong Kong-Canadian community. These programs could henceforth help those who arrive in Canada to achieve employment, seek options for help during their settlement period and, in the long term, become contributing residents to the diverse Canadian fabric.
Madam Chair, Hong Kong is a clear example of China’s aggression and the challenges and threats it poses to democracy and freedom. Providing an immigration route to Canada is a benevolent gesture from the Canadian government, but we must clearly define those most in need and help them accordingly. In places where we cannot intervene, we must speak out and speak the truth when a wrong is being committed. It is in standing firm on our principles that the free world will not further embolden an aggressor.
Thank you very much, Madam Chair.