Madam Speaker, last November 30, I put a question to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration concerning the fate of Anatoli Delets and his family, who came to Canada from the former Soviet Union in 1992.
Immigration officials in Montreal are only waiting for the release of Mrs. Delets from the hospital to deport that family to Moldavia. Mrs. Delets is Jewish, and Mr. Delets, who has been held in custody in Montreal for several weeks, is not considered a Moldavian under the citizenship law of that new country.
Where will the minister send them? As is often the case, the minister has shown no compassion towards the Delets family in spite of the difficulties and the significant distress they are suffering. They have no country to go to with two young children.
Where is Canada's humanitarian policy the minister is always boasting about? This family is a typical case, and a very good one, where the minister should use his discretionary powers to grant permanent residency in Canada.
Again I urgently appeal to the minister, in the days before Christmas, to show compassion toward the Delets family. Moreover, the minister should remember that he too left his country to come and settle here.
Another family, the Savas from Romania, is going through difficult times. Since November 17, they have taken refuge in a church in Saint John, New Brunswick.
The Sava family came to Canada four years ago and has integrated very well into Canadian society. Since the youngest of the two children was born in Canada, he is a Canadian citizen.
Mr. Sava is a mechanical engineer. He has just repaired the church steeple; the bells now peal every day for freedom.
I pay tribute to the United Church for its support for the Sava family. The minister should be able to find a way to deal with this case. I hope he will not wait for six months as was the case with Mauricio Romero, a young Salvadorian who took refuge in a Calgary church to avoid deportation to Salvador. I had the opportunity to visit him twice, speak to his family and meet the pastors who were helping him.
Why will the minister not use his discretionary powers right now to grant permanent residency to the Delets and Sava families? Both have been living and working in this country for several years. To deport them now is inhumane.
As immigration critic, I have been made aware of several similar cases. I have noticed that the Canadian refugee policy is increasingly aligned on the policy of the United States and certain European countries that, increasingly, are less generous and welcoming to people in distress.
As the international year of tolerance is drawing to a close, I am asking the minister and his officials to show some compassion, especially to the Delets and Sava families.