Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present a petition about strengthening our communities by reuniting families through the Canadian immigration system.
The petition reads as follows:
We, the undersigned residents of Canada, draw the attention of the House to the following:
WHEREAS the Conservative government’s radical overhaul of Canada’s immigration system is turning Canada into a less welcoming country;
WHEREAS these changes weaken our communities by limiting possibilities for families to reunite in Canada with overseas spouses, children, parents and grandparents;
WHEREAS families seeking to reunite on Canadian soil face unacceptable barriers and wait times as long as nine years;
WHEREAS this government’s misguided response to growing backlogs has been to impose a two-year freeze on reunification applications for parents and grandparents;
THEREFORE we the undersigned call on the Government of Canada to make reuniting families a central priority in Canada’s immigration system.