This video features an interview hosted by Dr. David Edward-Uipoon, founder of Faces of Advocacy, with Jenny Kwan, the NDP Critic for Immigration and Member of Parliament for Vancouver East. Published on November 7, 2020, the conversation focuses on the challenges facing Canadian family reunification during the COVID-19 pandemic and systemic issues within Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
Importance of Family Reunification [00:44]: Jenny Kwan emphasizes that being with loved ones is a fundamental human need, arguing that family reunification should be a top priority for the Canadian federal government.
Delays and IRCC Application Backlogs [01:41]: Dr. Edward-Uipoon highlights data showing hundreds of missing applications that missed the 14-business-day processing window [01:41]. Kwan points to pre-existing backlogs compounded by COVID-19 office closures, a lack of data-entry capacity, and poor operational transparency from the liberal government [02:03].
Advocacy & Government Accountability [05:03]: Kwan urges advocacy groups and impacted individuals to stay vocal, use social media, contact local MPs, and demand clear answers from the Minister of Immigration to ensure accountability [05:18].
Support for Temporary Residents & Migrant Workers [07:23]: The discussion covers the hardships faced by temporary foreign workers and caregivers separated from their families. Kwan advocates for offering land status on arrival for migrant workers and granting open work permits during emergency periods [08:30].
Proposed Policy Solutions [09:44]: Kwan outlines several reform measures, including:
Creating a special temporary residence visa (similar to a Super Visa) for individuals with pending sponsorship applications [12:55].
Suspending Section 179(b) rejections based on "dual intent" doubts during the pandemic [13:45].
Establishing an independent IRCC Ombudsperson to oversee processing fairness [05:03].
Encouragement to Affected Families [15:58]: Kwan reassures individuals feeling ignored by the system that they are not alone, urging them to stay persistent and continue organizing through grassroots movements like Faces of Advocacy [16:12].
Getting clear data out of this Immigration Minister is like pulling teeth.
During committee, I asked simple, direct questions about the Safe Third Country Agreement and our immigration backlogs. Instead of transparency, we got non-answers, canned talking points, and a complete evasion of the facts.
If you can't manage your own file or answer basic questions about it, you shouldn't be running the department. No wonder MPs are calling for her to resign.
On Monday May 25 2026, NDP MP Jenny Kwan responded to Prime Minister Carney's Spring Economic Update & Bill C-30, the Spring Economic Update Implementation Act.
On April 20th MP Jenny Kwan spoke in support of Bill C-226 for a national food price transparency, and commented on NDP calls for banning surveillance pricing; excess profit taxes on grocery giants; stronger competition enforcement; measures to break up corporate concentration in the food supply chain, and a public option for groceries.