OTTAWA — On Monday, NDP critic for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Jenny Kwan (Vancouver East) will table amendments at the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration to reverse a policy enacted by Stephen Harper’s Conservatives that stripped second generation Canadians and their descendants born abroad from their right to citizenship. This policy was never fixed under Justin Trudeau’s Liberals, and Kwan says it’s time to fix this injustice that destroyed lives.
“This punitive measure has caused so much hardship and pain for Canadian families. Their lives are in limbo and too many are having to struggle with forced family separation. Some Canadians even found themselves to be stateless,” said Kwan. “It is time to fix this injustice once and for all.”
City TV NEWS: Rally outside Vancouver college protests sudden termination of key English program
Dozens of students and instructors gathered at Vancouver Community College (VCC) Tuesday to protest the unexpected shutdown of the Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) program.
LINC, which has helped thousands of immigrants learn English, secure jobs, and work toward citizenship, is set to be terminated at the end of March due to federal funding cuts.
The move has left over 800 students without a clear path forward and more than 30 instructors without jobs.
“We found out just before winter break, and this was the first opportunity to get people together to raise spirits, because people have been really down.” said Frank Cosco, president of the VCC Faculty Association.