The federal immigration minister is facing increasing pressure to clarify whether the Irish hip-hop group Kneecap is indeed banned from entering Canada, or if the Liberal official who announced the move was approved to make that assertion in a contentious social media post.
In a letter to Immigration Minister Lena Diab on Thursday, NDP MP Jenny Kwan, the party’s immigration critic, urged Diab to say whether the group is indeed banned after the minister and other officials have repeatedly refused to answer questions on the case for almost two weeks.
The band says it has yet to receive any official notice about an entry ban or denial of their electronic visa authorizations.
“Canadians and visitors to Canada deserve to know that they are not subject to arbitrary and politicized weaponization of public policy for political purposes,” Kwan wrote.
“We need to rebuild integrity into the system in this time of misinformation.”
Liberal MP Vince Gasparro, the parliamentary secretary for combating crime, announced on Sept. 19 “on behalf of the Government of Canada” that the band’s members had been deemed ineligible for entry ahead of scheduled concerts this month, based “on the advice of our officials.”
Kwan wants Diab to answer if the officials Gasparro referenced are in Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), and if she or other IRCC officials authorized Gasparro to speak on their behalf publicly.
The letter also asks if Kneecap were ever formally banned from entering Canada or if they are permitted to enter, and if the Prime Minister’s Office or any other government officials or agencies were involved in approving Gasparro’s announcement.
Click to read and watch the news story - https://globalnews.ca/news/11461642/kneecap-entry-ban-ndp-jenny-kwan-vince-gasparro/
Click to [ Read more ] to read Jenny's full letter
More than a week and a half after Liberal MP Vince Gasparro declared Irish rap group Kneecap were barred from entering Canada over allegations of supporting terrorism and political violence, the ongoing lack of clarity from the government about who approved the decision—or if one was even made—is leading civil liberties and immigration experts to say that it appears to be a “politically motivated PR stunt” and evidence of intra-caucus interference in cabinet mandates.
“This isn’t normal, and it just feels more like trying to push the government into making a decision,” Jamie Liew, an expert on citizenship and immigration law at the University of Ottawa, told The Hill Times. “This isn’t just an issue of privacy. It looks like interference in the [immigration minister’s] mandate.”
'At a time when people's constitutional rights are under threat and routinely stripped ... Canada must be vigilant in protecting our freedoms and not mimic or be influenced by' the U.S., says NDP MP Jenny Kwan.
Click link to read the news story - https://www.hilltimes.com/story/2025/10/01/without-clarity-kneecap-ban-appears-as-a-politically-motivated-pr-stunt-say-critics-civil-liberties-and-immigration-experts/475216/
NDP MP Jenny Kwan said earlier in the day that the federal government ought to invest in Canada Post to improve its service and help it compete. She suggested Canada Post’s large footprint could be leveraged for electric charging stations or community hubs in rural areas.
Click link to read the news story - https://www.timescolonist.com/local-news/striking-canada-post-union-urges-ottawa-to-walk-back-sweeping-mandate-changes-11269748
NDP MP Jenny Kwan heaped blame on the Liberal government for the state of Canada Post, calling it “hypocritical” for taking a similar approach to the Stephen Harper’s Conservatives toward the service.
She told reporters Canada Post should be more innovative and expand its services to remote, rural and Indigenous communities by offering postal banking options, or even wellness checks on seniors or other vulnerable persons in hard-to-reach areas.
“Why don’t we build up Canada Post by utilizing the big footprint …and build up that infrastructure for Canadians across the country?”, she said.
“One of the reasons why Canada Post is not as competitive as it could be is because the government is limiting their level of service, which is why I say invest in Canada Post and expand their service delivery, and then you can actually be far more competitive in the service.
The other thing we have to remember as well, Canada Post is a service that is meant to be universal and yes, there are communities where you have to deliver the service, where it is not going to be a profit making venture. ”
But Kwan refused to say whether she supported Canada Post’s push to allow weekend deliveries or more flexible part time work arrangements, saying she didn’t want to weigh in on issues at the bargaining table.
https://www.thestar.com/business/canada-post-strike-live/article_8f459daa-df6b-4005-a1f5-dc8ad69f6d62.html
In 2024, the RCMP publicly accused the Indian government of being involved in targeted acts of intimidation and violence against Canadians. Canada expelled six diplomats and India retaliated with by expelling six Canadian diplomats.
Kwan said the prime minister "would be wise to keep in mind that both of those countries attempted to undermine our Canadian sovereignty with foreign interference activities."
A public inquiry into foreign interference in Canadian democratic institutions found that China and India are top perpetrators of foreign meddling in this country.
Kwan said it seems foreign interference has been forgotten since the election. Expanding trade beyond the U.S. is important, she said, but "it has to be in the context of" protecting Canada's sovereignty and democratic institutions.
"We cannot abandon that primary goal," she said.
Click link to read the news story - https://vancouversun.com/news/ndp-mp-urges-caution-canada-mend-trade-relationship-china
OTTAWA - NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan said Monday the government needs to do more to get people out of Gaza who applied for temporary visas through an extended family reunification program.
The program stopped accepting visa application on March 6, 2025, when the 5,000-applicant cap was reached. As of Aug. 1, just 860 people had arrived in Canada under the program.
Kwan, who held a press conference Monday in the foyer of the House of Commons alongside Palestinians whose family members are stuck in Gaza, said the government can find other ways to gather the necessary biometric data in war zones.
"There has been zero political will to try and bring people to safety. We have had situations whereby it is difficult for families to get their biometrics," Kwan said.
"So we are demanding action from the government. We want alternatives to the biometric measure, we want the government to evacuate and bring people out. We want the government and (Global Affairs Canada) to get on with it so we can negotiate exit visas."
The Canadian Press has reached out to Immigration Minister Lena Diab for comment but has not yet received a response.
Click link to read the news story - https://www.thecanadianpressnews.ca/national/ndp-calls-on-ottawa-to-do-more-to-get-approved-refugees-out-of-gaza/article_12053642-d4b5-510c-be8b-a3f180ce5286.html
Speaking with reporters on Parliament Hill, NDP MP Jenny Kwan raises concerns about the federal government’s temporary resident visa (TRV) program for Palestinian Canadians’ family members in Gaza.
She is joined by Omar Omar (founder of the Gazan Canadians League), Najla Alzaanin (Gazan-Canadian with family members awaiting evacuation under the TRV program), Hana Marku (immigration and refugee lawyer), and Gur Tsabar (member of Jews Say No to Genocide Coalition and The Movement Media Hub). (no interpretation)
Click link to watch the press conference in Ottawa - https://www.cpac.ca/headline-politics/episode/ndp-mp-raises-concerns-over-gaza-family-reunification-program?id=bf9593e7-c636-446a-b77b-fab057086ae5
The launch of Build Canada Homes, the new federal entity which will oversee affordable housing starts on federal lands, is an “extremely disturbing” step, says NDP MP Jenny Kwan, pointing to an existing federal body already capable of overseeing affordable housing initiatives.
“Better late than never, but boy oh boy, the Liberals have been asleep at the wheel for at least the last 10 years if they haven’t realized … you need to work in partnership with the non-profit sector, with the private sector, with provinces and territories in utilizing federal lands,” said Kwan (Vancouver East, B.C.), her party’s housing critic, of the new agency.
Prime Minister Mark Carney (Nepean, Ont.) announced the creation of Build Canada Homes (BCH) on Sept. 14 saying it would come with an initial investment of $13-billion, and a mandate to “build affordable housing at scale” by overseeing affordable housing builds on federal land.