Immigration Minister Marc Miller increases cap on Gaza visa program

Article content

OTTAWA – Immigration Minister Marc Miller said Monday the current 1,000-person cap on a program allowing Gazans with a connection to Canada to come here on temporary visas will be increased to 5,000 people. He said that several thousand Palestinians are in the process of applying to come to Canada, although only a few dozen have so far been admitted under the program.

Article content

Miller said his government is doing everything it can to help Palestinians in Gaza flee the territory, but he cautioned that many of those issues are out of the government’s control.

Article content

“Conditions there are changing drastically day by day, making our efforts both more urgent and more challenging,” he said. “The biggest challenge continues to be what Canada does not control, in particular who can exit the Gaza Strip.”

Miller acknowledged that Egypt has closed the border with Gaza, blocking exit from the Hamas-run territory, but said the increased cap will reduce barriers for people seeking to come to Canada when the crossing reopens.

“I want to make it clear to family members. Canada continues to put in every effort on every level to facilitate safe exit of their loved ones. While we have been limited in our success, it is certainly not for lack of trying.”

Under the temporary program, Gazans can come to Canada if they have some ties here through family and stay on a temporary visa. The government is allowing Palestinians from Gaza to take part in a partial application process and, if they can get to Egypt, they take part in a more thorough process that includes a biometric scan.

Article content

Article content

Miller told a House committee Monday that more than 5,000 people have started the application process, with 2,903 of those working their way through the process as of last week.

Of those, 254 have received visas to come to Canada, but only 41 have actually made the trip.

Miller announced the increase on the same day as a strike near the southern city of Rafah killed dozens of people. The Israel Defense Forces said the attack targeted two senior members of Hamas, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu conceded something went “tragically wrong.”

NDP MP Jenny Kwan said the government should be doing much more to help get people out of Gaza. She said the government could be advocating for more border crossings and could be doing more to ensure delays and red tape aren’t standing in the way.

“What work is being done to look at other borders and options for people to cross?” she asked Miller. “There are people in Egypt that managed to cross the border and they’re stuck and the application has not been processed.”

Article content

Miller said the government is working diplomatic channels trying to get more people through, but the border between Gaza and Egypt remains closed and it is difficult for people to move.

“I spoke to both the Israeli and Egyptian ambassadors as late as last week, to continue our advocacy to make sure that this program continues to have some level of results,” he said.

Miller said the policy isn’t about winning political support from certain voters, but a response to a  humanitarian crisis.

“This is about saving lives. It should not be a partisan activity,” he said. “I don’t need votes from this. I just need people to stay alive.”

Miller said he is aware people are using smugglers to be able to get from Gaza to Egypt and then applying for the program. He said that shouldn’t happen, but he understands and wouldn’t judge someone for doing that.

Conservative MP Tom Kmiec asked if that meant he was ignoring laws that don’t allow the admission of someone who has committed a crime.

“Parliament tells you that you cannot issue a visa to someone who has committed a criminal act outside of Canada,” he said.

Article content

Miller said he wouldn’t hold someone in judgment for trying to get out of a situation where their life is at risk and asked Kmiec if he would.

“Would you deny them that right simply because they tried to save their lives by paying someone?”

Miller was also asked about arrest warrants that a prosecutor at the International Criminal Court has applied for to arrest senior Hamas leaders, as well as Netanyahu and his defence minister.

Conservative MP Brad Redekopp demanded to know if the Liberal government would try to enforce those warrants.

“You are a decision-maker. I think there’s a lot of people that are wanting to know the answer,” he said.

Miller repeatedly declined to say how he would respond, arguing it was not a relevant question.

“I’m not answering hypothetical questions about someone who is not in Canada.”

National Post
rtumilty@postmedia.com

Get even more deep-dive National Post political coverage and analysis in your inbox with the Political Hack newsletter, where Ottawa bureau chief Stuart Thomson and political analyst Tasha Kheiriddin get at what’s really going on behind the scenes on Parliament Hill every Wednesday and Friday, exclusively for subscribers. Sign up here.

Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.

Article content