Mr. Speaker, decisions in cases like this one are not easy to make, but Citizenship and Immigration Canada must apply the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act as it is written.
Under the law, permanent resident applicants and their dependants must be medically assessed to determine if they would pose an excessive demand to the provincial health care systems. Canada's immigration law does not discriminate against those with illness or disability. It does strive, however, to find the appropriate balance between those wanting to immigrate to Canada and the limited medical resources that are paid for by Canadian taxpayers.
As I already indicated, Citizenship and Immigration Canada issued a letter to Mrs. Talosig in which we invited her to respond to concerns that were raised about her specific application. She now has 60 days to respond and address the concerns raised by visa officials.
Having said that, the hon. member is aware that we cannot comment on further details of this case because of the Privacy Act.