At a news conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Jenny Kwan, the NDP critic for immigration and citizenship, calls on the federal government to reform its Special Immigration Measures program to assist Palestinians with relatives in Canada. She is joined by individuals with family members who have been impacted by the Israel–Gaza conflict. (February 26, 2026) (no interpretation)
MP Jenny Kwan Statement on the 10th Anniversary of Public Health Emergency Declaration
On this tragic 10th anniversary of the toxic-drug public-health emergency, it is important to reflect on the profound and ongoing loss felt in communities across British Columbia and Canada. For a decade, families have endured unimaginable grief as loved ones were taken by an increasingly toxic and unpredictable drug supply. These were not just statistics, but people with hopes, histories and futures that mattered deeply.
This crisis has laid bare systemic inequities—poverty, trauma, inadequate housing, racism and stigma—that continue to drive vulnerability and prevent people from accessing the care they need. While harm-reduction measures and treatment services have saved lives, far too many are still being lost to preventable deaths.
We must confront this emergency with urgency, compassion and evidence-based action. That means expanding access to a safe, regulated supply, strengthening culturally appropriate supports, and ensuring treatment and recovery services are available without barriers. It also requires listening to those with lived and living experience and working in true partnership with Indigenous communities. For the Downtown Eastside, I would also advocate for a new Vancouver Agreement where all three levels of government, health authority and Vancouver Police Department are at the table with community leadership.
Today, we honour those we have lost and stand with all who continue to fight for change. We cannot accept this as the status quo. Just as when a public health emergency was declared in the 1990's related to heroin overdose death leading to government action, we must act urgently.
OTTAWA — Immigration Minister Lena Diab's office is defending new rules that may strike down thousands of refugee claims, saying difficult decisions are required to regain control of Canada's immigration system.
Under Ottawa's new border law C-12, which passed in March, refugee claims must be made within a year of a claimant's first arrival in Canada in order to go through the regular refugee process.
The changes are retroactive to June 24, 2020, and the rule applies to all claims made on or after June 3, 2025. The department estimates about 30,000 existing claimants have been sent notices warning their claims may now be deemed ineligible.
Those claimants include a Palestinian man who donated a kidney to his Canadian sister in 2023, during a roughly seven-week stay in Canada, and an Iranian political activist whose identity was leaked to the regime in July 2025, after the one-year rule took retroactive effect.
Jenny Kwan, the NDP's immigration critic, called the one-year rule "arbitrary" and "draconian" and said people with claims that seem to be legitimate are now being told they may no longer be eligible.
"It is not assessing people on the basis of whether or not they are a genuine refugee … but rather it is a completely arbitrary timeline that the Liberals have imposed, regardless of people's situation," Kwan told The Canadian Press.
The morning after the Liberals secured a thin majority government, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said Prime Minister Mark Carney has no more excuses if he doesn't deliver for Canadians.
"The Liberals wanted a majority — well, absolute power comes with absolute responsibility," the leader of the Official Opposition told the House of Commons on Tuesday.
"They will actually have to get things done. They will have to do so without blaming others and they will have to start now."
A Liberal majority leaves less room for the smaller parties as well. Even with a reduced caucus after last year's election, the NDP was able to sway some votes in the minority Parliament.
NDP MP Jenny Kwan said she hopes the new Liberal MPs will "stand up and speak truth to power" in the House, rather than just toeing the party line.
"There's a reason why I entered into politics and it is to fight for people," Kwan said during a news conference.