First Nations leaders and advocates are calling for the federal government to take action on recommendations by the United Nations to eliminate the second-generation cut-off from the Indian Act.
The Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs and the Indian Act Sex Discrimination Working Group held a virtual news conference Tuesday to discuss the technical advice offered by the United Nations Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP) to the Canadian government.
EMRIP released its 'Technical Advice' on May 2, advising Canada to eliminate the second-generation cut-off. The cut-off prevents Indian status from being passed down to children after two generations of one parent with status.
"At this point, Canada is not upholding its duty to consult, but is actually ignoring the voices of First Nation leaders and women to delay justice for our kids," said Pam Palmater, a member of the Indian Act Sex Discrimination Working Group, at the news conference.
EMRIP advises member states like Canada on how to fully implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
Its review on the second-generation cut-off and the Senate amendments to Bill S-2 was requested by Jeremy Matson, a member of the Squamish Nation, as well as NDP MPs Leah Gazan and Jenny Kwan.
It found the second-generation cut-off to be in violation of Article 8 of UNDRIP, which prohibits forced assimilation and destruction of culture.
*Click image or link to read the news story - https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/un-technical-advice-2nd-generation-cutoff-9.7197109
The federal government’s plans to fast-track permanent residence applications for temporary workers in limbo failed to meet the expectations created by what one opposition MP and immigration experts called “misleading” messaging from the minister.
On May 4, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced that it would fast-track permanent residence applications for up to 33,000 temporary workers already living in Canada as part of a one-time initiative—first announced in the 2025 budget—supporting the government’s efforts to reduce the number of temporary residents to less than five per cent of the population by the end of 2027.
NDP MP Jenny Kwan (Vancouver East, B.C.), her party’s immigration critic, told The Hill Times in a May 5 email that the language used in the government’s announcement was “misleading and outright deceptive.”
“What they have done is create confusion and fuel opportunities for those who are angling to exploit temporary foreign workers who have been negatively impacted by the drastic changes to Canada’s immigration policies. It is giving false hope to temporary foreign workers,” she said.
*Click image or link to read the news story - https://www.hilltimes.com/2026/05/07/feds-communication-over-permanent-residency-plans-gave-temporary-workers-false-hope-says-ndp-mp-kwan/503085/
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NDP Immigration Critic Jenny Kwan’s statement in response to government announcement on accelerating permanent residence for 33,000 workers
The language used in the announcement by the Carney Liberals is misleading and outright deceptive. What they have done is create confusion and fuel opportunities for those who are angling to exploit temporary foreign workers who have been negatively impacted by the drastic changes to Canada's immigration policies. It is giving false hope to temporary foreign workers.
To be clear, this is not a new program. The immigration levels plan is not increasing. Intake for the argi-foods and caregiver programs have been closed since last year. They will not be eligible for PR through this program. All that the Carney Liberals are doing is "accelerating" the processing of 33,000 temporary foreign workers who have been working in the community for 2 or more years and have already applied for PR under the PNP, Atlantic, Rural and Francophone streams. In other words, they are announcing that IRCC will just do their job to processing these applications in a timely fashion - nothing more.
Successive Liberal and Conservative governments have heavily relied on migrant workers to support Canada’s economy. The last time Pierre Poilievre was in government, Conservatives doubled the TFW program —dramatically helping corporate chains treat migrant workers as cheap and disposable.
Then in 2022, Justin Trudeau expanded the use of temporary foreign workers, allowing big businesses to use temporary foreign workers for up to 30 per cent of their workforce, regardless of local unemployment rates. Both the Liberals and Conservatives have turned the TFWP into an ongoing business model that tramples on worker’s rights while suppressing wages in Canada.
Under the constant threat of deportation, workers are often unable to leave their jobs or challenge unfair and unsafe labour practices. They often endure poor and dangerous working conditions, racism, discrimination, wage theft, and are denied fundamental human and labour rights, trapping them in involuntary servitude.
The Liberals say they want to regularize them since 2021, it was even in the former Minister of Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship’s mandate letter. But despite this commitment, not only have the Liberals reneged on their promise, they began proactively blame migrant workers, international students and new comers for their failed housing policy and abruptly changed immigration policies that further negatively impacted these workers.
As a result, many of the temporary foreign workers are now finding themselves falling out of status. This is wrong. They are not responsible for the failures of Canada's housing policy.
The NDP is calling for the Liberals to adopt a broad and comprehensive regularization initiative for the workers that are already in Canada so that they have a clear and accessible pathway to permanent residency. New Democrats strongly believe in the principle that if you are good enough to work and study in Canada, you are good enough to stay.
The NDP is also calling for the Liberals to invest in domestic labour and return to a standard of landed status for the full spectrum of workers.
*Click [ Read More ] to read the op ed article.
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Statement from MP Jenny Kwan: Liberal Economic Update a "Mirage" that Subsidizes Corporate Profits while Canadians Suffer
OTTAWA – The Spring Economic Update was a real missed opportunity to confront the affordability crisis head-on. Canadians are worried about their future and are facing an everyday emergency to keep costs down. Instead of taking bold action that would actually make a difference in people’s lives, Carney is relying on the private sector to save us.
The Spring Economic Update ensures the private sector is the biggest beneficiary in this affordability crisis. The creation of the Sovereign Wealth Fund will see public funds shovelled into privately-owned projects that will make a few wealthy investors and CEOs richer, including big oil and gas companies.
Instead of filling the pockets of big oil and gas companies, the NDP wants to see a windfall tax on oil and gas companies that are projected to make over $90 billion in projects this year because of Trump’s illegal war in Iran and use that money to grow the Sovereign Wealth fund to support Canadians.
Kwan highlighted the stark difference between the proposed Canadian fund and successful international models like Norway’s.
Norway built a $2 trillion (USD) wealth fund by using the profits from its publicly owned oil company for the benefit of its citizens. In contrast, Prime Minister Carney’s approach is to take public tax dollars to subsidize private projects. This is just plain wrong.
On Housing, while Carney promised Canadians that he would build more housing faster to address the housing crisis. Instead of investing in the development of public community housing, over $93 billion of the $140 billion housing measures is gifted to real estate developers through special treatment and low-interest loans with minimal affordability requirements to help Canadians.
This update makes one thing clear: Prime Minister Carney is standing behind big corporations and big oil, not the everyday Canadians who are being crushed by the rising cost of living.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MP Jenny Kwan, Health-Care Workers and Advocates Condemn Discriminatory Federal Fees for Refugee Health Care
OTTAWA, ON — April 22, 2026 — Member of Parliament Jenny Kwan, alongside frontline health-care professionals and advocates from across Canada, today denounced the federal government’s planned co-payment measures under the Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP), warning the policy will restrict access to essential care for refugee claimants and ultimately increase costs to the health-care system at a press conference on Parliament Hill.
MP Kwan was joined by Sara Habibyar, a former refugee and healthcare worker; Dr. Edward Xie, an emergency room physician; Dr. Vanessa Reddit and Dr. Manal Badi, family physicians; Ilda Azzam, a social worker and psychotherapist; Dr. Nazila Bettache, an internal medicine specialist; and Dr. Charles Hui, a pediatric infectious disease specialist.
The changes, set to take effect on May 1, will require refugee claimants to pay a $4 fee per prescription and 30% of the cost of supplemental services such as dental, vision, and mental health care. The IFHP provides temporary health coverage to refugees and asylum seekers before they are eligible for provincial or territorial health insurance.
The announcement comes amid growing national opposition, including coordinated rallies and a cross-country “Day of Action” held in multiple cities. Health-care professionals, legal advocates, and refugee support organizations have warned that even modest co-payments can create significant barriers for individuals already facing financial hardship.
"This policy punishes people who have already endured immense hardship by placing new financial barriers between them and the care they need,” said Kwan. “It is fundamentally at odds with Canada’s commitment to equitable and accessible health care.”
Evidence from Canada and internationally shows that co-payment systems reduce access to medications and preventive care, particularly for low-income populations. Health experts warn that this can lead to worsening health conditions, increased emergency room visits, and higher long-term system costs.
"We know exactly what happens when people cannot afford care—they delay treatment, their conditions worsen, and they end up needing more intensive and expensive interventions,” Kwan said. “This does not reduce costs; it shifts them in ways that increase human suffering and strain our public health system.”
Advocates also point to the broader policy context, noting recent federal efforts to reduce public spending and tighten immigration measures. The co-payment changes have raised concerns about a pattern of policies that disproportionately impact refugees and migrants at a time when many are already struggling with the high cost of living and the challenges of resettlement.
Legal and medical experts have further cautioned that similar cuts to refugee health coverage in 2012 were struck down by the Federal Court of Canada as “cruel and unusual treatment,” underscoring the potential constitutional and ethical implications of the current policy.
Despite assurances that core services—such as doctor visits, hospital care, and diagnostic testing—will remain fully covered, health-care providers stress that access to medications and supplemental services is essential to preventing more serious health issues.
"A universal health-care system cannot pick and choose who gets meaningful access to care,” Kwan added. “We must not create a two-tier system that leaves refugees and asylum seekers behind.”
MP Kwan called on the federal government to immediately rescind the discriminatory measures and work collaboratively with health-care providers, advocates, and affected communities to strengthen equitable access to care.
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Funded entirely by the U.S. military, the expansion would dramatically increase the plant’s production capacity for artillery propellant used in 155 mm shells from roughly six million pounds to as much as 16 million pounds annually.
The proposed increase comes amid growing scrutiny of how Canadian-based defence manufacturing feeds into U.S. procurement systems and the extent to which those supply chains are later connected to conflicts abroad, including Israel’s war in Gaza.
Since the October 2025 ceasefire, more than 750 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Canada has required permits for military exports under the Export and Import Permits Act since 1947, but transfers to the United States have long been treated differently because of the two countries’ deeply integrated defence industries.
*Click image or link to read the article - https://therover.ca/quebec-munitions-expansion-raises-questions-over-supply-chains-linked-to-the-idf/
On Parliament Hill in Ottawa, NDP MP Jenny Kwan and health-care professionals from across the country speak out against changes to a government program that covers health-care costs for refugees. Starting May 1, recipients under the Interim Federal Health Program will be required to pay a $4 fee for prescription medications and a 30 per cent co-payment for other services, like dental and vision care.
Kwan is joined by Manal Badi (family physician), Charles Hui (pediatric infectious disease specialist), Edward Xie (emergency room physician), Vanessa Reddit (family physician), Ilda Azzam (social worker and psychotherapist), and Nazila Bettache (internal medicine specialist). (April 22, 2026)
*Click image or link to watch the press conference video - https://www.cpac.ca/headline-politics/episode/ndp-doctors-voice-opposition-to-refugee-health-care-fees?id=cd5a1a1b-3bea-4bb6-a802-6847a1d78e8b
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.