I absolutely concur that the inequities in requirements for someone who is from a visa-requiring country and those for someone who is not are very stark. Especially now when processing times are just through the roof, it's very important to have a way for family members to come to Canada. The dual intent is often applied in such draconian ways at visa posts that, instead of saying “will someone follow the laws?”, they're saying “does someone have permanent intent?” and if someone has permanent intent, it's almost as if there is no dual intent involved. If we had a policy that stated that someone has to show that they have family members in Canada and that they have never disobeyed the laws in Canada before, that should be enough. We have to have a clear line as to what is enough for someone to obtain a visa. There should be the same criteria as for someone who has an eTA. An eTA is issued in a matter of seconds. Why is it that someone who is from that country can get an eTA and can come in right away, whereas requirements for someone from a visa-requiring country mean they will perhaps never to be able to get that visa to come to Canada?
On November 18th, 2020. See this statement in context.