An open letter from the NDP immigration critic is urging the federal government to drop a requirement for Hong Kong applicants looking to become permanent residents which she says is already excluding many.
“I urge that you amend the temporary public policy to drop the 5-year limit on the graduation requirement for Stream B (Canadian work experience) applicants and include all persons who hold an eligible education credential without the 5-year graduation limitation,” MP Jenny Kwan wrote on June 22 in an open letter addressed to Immigration Minister Sean Fraser.
The letter was sent just days ahead of the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover from British control to Chinese jurisdiction on July 1, 1997 under what is known as the “one country, two systems” arrangement. Though Hong Kong is slated to officially become part of China in 2047, pro-democracy protests broke out in 2019, followed by government crackdowns that culminated in China’s national security law implemented on June 30, 2020.
A senior New Democratic Party parliamentarian has formally demanded that the Carney government release the full text of its secret law enforcement agreement with China’s Ministry of Public Security, echoing a set of facts The Bureau has been reporting for months, while warning that Ottawa’s continued refusal to disclose the deal is fueling legitimate fear among diaspora communities who have experienced or fear transnational repression by the Chinese state.
Jenny Kwan, MP for Vancouver East and one of Parliament’s most prominent voices on Hong Kong and Chinese diaspora issues, wrote to Minister of Public Safety Gary Anandasangaree and Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand on May 12, calling the government’s silence on the agreement “particularly troubling” given what she described as the “problematic history of China’s foreign interference in Canada.”
“I’m calling on Mark Carney govt to stop hiding RCMP–MPS MOU signed in Beijing,” Kwan posted to X. “Reports that RCMP needs Beijing’s “permission” to show this MOU to Canadians are a threat to our sovereignty.”
The letter, addressed to both ministers, focuses on the memorandum of understanding on cooperation in combating crimes signed between the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Ministry of Public Security during Prime Minister Mark Carney’s January 2026 visit to Beijing.
