On February 15th, 2018, I tabled Bill C-398 urgently calling on the Minister of Immigration to repeal an immigration law that discriminates against people with disabilities. The Minister of Immigration admitted that Section 38(1)(c) of the Immigration Refugee Protection Act goes against Canada's stated values on inclusion and the ideals we purportedly uphold as Canadians.
One family's permanent resident application was rejected because her son has Down Syndrome. It was rejected even though medical assessments state that he is capable of taking care of himself and is able to work in an unskilled and semi-skilled position.
This caregiver is a single mother who has been separated from her children for nearly a decade while she takes care of other people's children. She stated: "I always thought Canada did not discriminate against people because they are different. I thought Canada had protections for people who are different."
Every member of the Immigration committee agree that the law needs to be repealed.
The time to act is now. This is discriminatory law needs to be repealed.
Committee:
I had the opportunity to address these issues once again with the Minister, when he appeared at the Committee to discuss Canada’s Immigration Levels Plans. I was incredibly disappointed that Minister casually suggested that families will be stuck with their lives in limbo until the last possible moment the Minister has to respond to the Committee report, April 12, 2018. While the Minister may have the luxury to wait, these families don’t.
QP:
I rose in the House of Commons during Question Period to ask the Minister again, would he commit to adopt my Bill as a government Bill and end this injustice.
Once again, despite acknowledging that he knows this policy does not align with Canadian values and needs to change, he refused to commit to taking action. Instead, he pointed to his consultation process. For 2 years he’s been consulting. Still there is no action.
The Minister may not feel the urgency to act, but the families do. Their untold pain and suffering needs to end.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 7, 2026
OTTAWA —New Democrats are calling on the federal government to deny entry to the head of the fascist paramilitary organization Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Network (RSS) and are renewing past NDP calls on Canada to ban the RSS entirely.
NDP Foreign Affairs Critic Heather McPherson and NDP Immigration and Public Safety Critic Jenny Kwan today wrote to the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Public Safety, and Immigration to urge action in advance of Mohan Bhagwat’s planned visit to Canada at the end of August.
“The RSS is an extremist group that advocates hate and violence towards religious minorities and marginalized in India and also engages in targeted intimidation of those who speak out against the organization in Canada,” said Heather McPherson, NDP Foreign Affairs Critic. “Multiple minority communities fear his presence in Canada could amplify hate and violence towards them and risk the safety of vulnerable individuals.”
In recent weeks, United Nations Human Rights experts have called on Canada to ensure members of the Sikh community are protected from violent threats by Hindutva extremist groups including the RSS.
“Canada must send a clear message that there is no place in this country for individuals who promote or enable hatred, violence, or intimidation against vulnerable communities or who are connected to activities that threaten Canada's security and democratic institutions. Pertinent sections of Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act must be applied to protect Canadians and declare the IRSS and its members inadmissible,” said Jenny Kwan, NDP Critic for Public Safety and for Immigration.
New Democrats have long called on Canada to ban the RSS from Canada, place the RSS on the terrorist entities list, and impose sanctions on connected networks. Despite strong evidence of foreign interference and incitement to violence against Canadians, the Liberals have refused to take action on the RSS. Instead, in recent months the Carney government has grown closer to the Modi regime, causing members of several minority groups in Canada to say their safety no longer matters to the Liberal government.
On August 6, over 200 Canadian civil society organizations released a joint letter calling for Mohan Bhagwat to be denied entry to Canada.
