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CBC: Liberals table bill to ban replacement workers, fulfilling a key NDP demand

British Columbia and Quebec have similar legislation. New Democrats have attempted to bring in a bill of their own more than eight times over the past 15 years. The last time an NDP bill banning replacement workers went to a vote, in 2016, both Liberals and Conservatives voted against it.

Anti replacement worker legislation was one of the NDP's demands when it signed an agreement with the Liberals promising the government support on key pieces of legislation in exchange for progress on New Democrats' policy priorities.

The agreement specifically calls on the government to introduce "legislation by the end of 2023 to prohibit the use of replacement workers ... when a union employer in a federally regulated industry has locked out employees or is in a strike.”

Immigration.ca: Marc Miller Says that the Canada Closed Work Permit is Set for Reform

The committee meeting saw NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan saying that action was long overdue and workers under this permit often failed to speak up owing to fears of losing their jobs and being deported.

When questioned by her on whether temporary workers should be given a direct path to permanent residence, Miller said that his government was considering such a route for construction workers. However, he does not believe that all temporary workers should have an automatic route to citizenship, and neither does he believe in abolishing the closed work permit.

Globe & Mail: Immigration minister to reform temporary foreign worker program to stamp out abuse after slavery claims

At the committee meeting, NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan said action was long overdue and migrant workers tied to a single employer were reluctant to speak out about abuse because it was difficult to find another employer under the immigration rules.

She asked whether migrants who come here to work on temporary permits should be given a clear route to permanent residency when they arrive.

Mr. Miller said the government was looking at reforms to allow construction workers, who are in short supply and needed to build more homes, to find a path to settling in Canada.

But he said he was not in favour of giving all temporary migrants an automatic route to citizenship, or abolishing closed work permits altogether.

Media Release: The Liberals are Still Out-Of-Touch with Canadians in Need of an Affordable Home

“The Liberals are out of touch with Canadians struggling to find a home they can afford. They just handed six parcels of federal lands to wealthy private developers and only a small fraction of the homes that will be built will be deemed affordable.
 
We are in the midst of a housing crisis. Rent is through the roof. In St. John's alone, 2000 households are on a waitlist for affordable housing, and another 10,000 in Edmonton. In many cases, Canadians are having to make impossible choices – some end up sleeping in their cars or on the streets because they can’t afford a roof over their heads. Homelessness is on the rise across the country.
 
Canada needs at least 2 million non-profit homes. The Liberals making once again the bad decision of putting profits over building affordable homes will be harmful for people.

Immigration.ca: Public Support For Immigration To Canada Falls Amid Financial And Housing Crises

Immigrants Should Not be Blamed for the Housing Crisis

MP Jenny Kwan commented on the increasing blame being put on immigrants for the housing crisis at the recently-conducted Meeting No. 78 of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration.

She said that the housing crisis is a result of successive Liberal and Conservative governments’ failed attempts at establishing a successful housing plan, and not because of immigrants.

City News: Canada asked to speed up review of international students defrauded by recruiters

NDP MP Jenny Kwan, who is the critic for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship and who represents the riding of Vancouver East, says she’s heard of dozens of students who are still waiting to for their cases to be reviewed.

“Through the work of the task force, officials confirmed 285 students were impacted by scammers. To date, less than half of the cases have been reviewed leaving many students in limbo. This is unacceptable and the Liberals must act to fix this,” she said on Oct. 27.

While she applauded the federal action, Kwan says this situation likely could have been avoided.

Windspeaker: Proposed Legislation to Amend the Indian Act Continues Discrimination It’s Designed to End, Say MPs

Jenny Kwan, NDP MP for Vancouver East, said the non-liability clause allows the government to have “discriminated without impunity and underscores the sense of colonial entitlement.”

Idlout also raised concerns about the “sexist and…problematic” section 6(2) in the Indian Act, which she said is not addressed in the Bill C-38 amendment.

Under section 6(2), someone who has only one status parent will get status for their lifetime. However, the next generation will not. This is referred to as the “second generation cut-off.” This provides issues especially for women, who can easily be identified as a child’s parent.

Indo Canadian Voice: NDP MP Kwan Slams Government For Not Having Acted Sooner To Fix International Student Program

FEDERAL NDP Critic for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Jenny Kwan, reacting to changes to the International Student Program announced by Marc Miller, federal Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, on Friday, said: “At long last, the government is finally doing what they should have been doing all along – work collaboratively with Designated Learning Institutions to verify the authenticity of acceptance letters for international students. If the Liberals acted sooner, it would have prevented the fraud scam by bad actors impacting hundreds of students from India earlier this year.”

She noted: “Through the work of the task force, officials confirmed 285 students were impacted by scammers. To date, less than half of the cases have been reviewed leaving many students in limbo. This is unacceptable and the Liberals must act to fix this.”

Toronto Star: Amid Growing Dissent, Will Canada Change Its Immigration Plans?

NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan said she’s concerned about the backlash against the immigrant community.

“No good will come out of that because we have already lived through racism and discrimination in Canada’s history,” she said. “The government has to have a housing plan and an infrastructure plan for our community.”

Tom Kmiec, the Conservative immigration critic, did not respond to the Star’s requests for comment. This summer, his party leader, Pierre Poilievre, did say the immigration system is broken, but sidestepped reporters’ questions about whether he would change the current targets.

Globe & Mail: Immigration Minister says Palestinians will not be sent back to Gaza if visas expire

Palestinians in Canada will not be sent back to Gaza if their visas expire while the war between Israel and Hamas rages, Immigration Minister Marc Miller told a Commons committee on Tuesday.

He was responding to questioning from NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan who asked the minister whether he would extend the visas of Palestinians in Canada so they are not sent back to Gaza during the war once they expire.

“We can do that. We can extend the visas,” Mr. Miller replied in a hearing before the Commons immigration committee.