Humanitarian, Refugees and Foreign Affairs

IN THE NEWS: CBC - Hong Kong protest film sells out within minutes in Vancouver

Hong Kong-born Vancouver East MP Jenny Kwan, who was invited to watch the screening on Sunday, says she was devastated at the scenes of brutality involving Hong Kong police and gangsters trying to suppress the protest.

"There were students as young as 11 years old coming out to protest on their own, trying to fight for their future, and you have seniors, elderly coming forward to try and protect them," she said.

IN THE NEWS: Hill Times - Public policies in place for Afghan refugees are being kept private

NDP MP Jenny Kwan (Vancouver East, B.C.), her party’s immigration critic, said she’s never seen an instance of the government not sharing information in terms of a policy that impacts the public. She understands that specific details about which groups the government might be working with or what their strategy is on the ground in Afghanistan needs to be kept private for security purposes. 

“But if there is flexibility with the current situation then we need to know what is that flexibility and how would it apply? Because at this stage, we don’t know. We’re all shooting in the dark,” she said. 

MEDIA STATEMENT - Jenny’s response to minister announcement on immigration procesing delays

Additionally, I am concerned that the Minister seems to be satisfied with the processing of family reunification applications. The backlog for outbound family reunification applications are significantly delayed, including the reunification of children of asylum seekers. ​For these refugee families, the current wait times ​in processing now reach upwards of two to three years for dependents of refugee, far from any processing service standards.

IN THE NEWS: Hill Times - Confusion and chaos define Canada’s effort to resettle Afghan refugees

NDP MP Jenny Kwan (Vancouver East, B.C.), her party’s immigration critic, told The HillTimes that, despite having an awareness of what was to come in Afghanistan, the Canadian government did not adequately prepare. 

“The situation has been chaotic right from the get-go,” she said. 

IN THE NEWS: Globe & Mail - Canada’s spy agency warns MPs to beware of influence operations from China

Vancouver NDP MP Jenny Kwan, a critic of Beijing’s crackdown in the former British colony of Hong Kong, was also briefed before and after the 2021 election. She said the conversation was principally focused on China.

“The briefing touched on a range of issues on how interference could occur and examples of those possibilities and to ensure we are alerted,” she said, but cautioned much of it was confidential. “When CSIS has such concerns … it is useful for all parliamentarians to be informed of that.”

IN THE NEWS: Globe & Mail - While Afghan judges await entry to Canada, their visas face expiry deadlines in Greece

Greece granted the women and their families temporary visas on the understanding that the country would be a “lily pad” destination – a place where the Afghans would stay temporarily while they awaited visas from Canada, the United States and other countries. But the paperwork has taken months. In a letter to Mr. Fraser and Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly, NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan said some of the Greek visas will expire at the end of this month.

In her letter, she wrote that the immigration forms are detailed and complex, and that filling them out requires internet access, which refugees might be unable to obtain. They might also need help from lawyers and translators.

IN THE NEWS: Global News - BC MP condemns Hong Kong arrests of pro-democracy journalists

Vancouver East MP Jenny Kwan, who was born in Hong Kong, says the arrests of pro-democracy journalists in Hong Kong is ‘heartbreaking”. And she’s calling on the Canadian government to take action. Paul Johnson reports.

IN THE NEWS: Georgia Straight - Chinese dictator Xi Jinping risks spoiling his Olympic party by prosecuting Hong Kong pop star Denis Ho

Ho, a Canadian citizen, was one of seven people arrested in Hong Kong this week for being currently or formerly associated with the online media outlet Stand News.

As Vancouver East NDP MP Jenny Kwan has pointed out, the arrests fly in the face of Article 27 of Hong Kong's Basic Law, which guarantees freedom of the press and freedom of speech.

IN THE NEWS: Globe & Mail - Canadian Cantopop star Denise Ho sacrificed a lucrative career in China to speak out for Hong Kong

In a statement, Global Affairs Canada said it was “deeply concerned by the arrests … including Canadian citizen and activist Denise Ho.”

Politicians across the spectrum have spoken out in support of Ms. Ho. Conservative MP Garnett Genuis called for a “swift and emphatic response” from Ottawa. Green Party interim leader Amita Kuttner said she was “alarmed” by Ms. Ho’s arrest, while Hong Kong-born NDP lawmaker Jenny Kwan said the city “has turned into a police state,” adding “Canada needs to work urgently with ally countries to address this grave situation.”

IN THE NEWS: CBC - Vancouver MP ‘heartbroken' by arrest of Hong Kong journalists

Kwan said the implications of these arrests reach across the globe. Anybody in Canada that critiques the Chinese government can also be targeted by these laws if they travel to Hong Kong, she said. Kwan said Canadian expatriates living in Hong Kong are at risk of being targeted. 

"No one is safe… I have now come to the realization that I can no longer travel back to Hong Kong, my birthplace. I had hoped that one day I could bring my children back… but that is not a reality for me," said Kwan. 

Stand News announced later Wednesday it is shutting down. The outlet said all employees were dismissed and their website and social media will be taken down.