Open Letter to the Immigration Minister on Kneecap
Open Letter to the Immigration Minister on Kneecap
November 28, 2025
The Honourable Lena Metlege Diab
Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6
Via email: [email protected]
Dear Minister Diab,
Open letter re: Kneecap
I am writing to follow up on my letter to you dated October 2nd regarding the admissibility of Kneecap, the Irish musical group to Canada. I note that it has been two months since I have written, I have yet to receive your response to this critical matter.
Meanwhile, in response to an Order Paper Question, IRCC confirmed that admissibility decisions are made exclusively by designated officers—not by elected officials—and CBSA has stated that it was not consulted or involved in the decision by Parliamentary Secretary Gasparro to go public.
With respect to Mr. Liam Og Hanna's application, his eTA was cancelled for "omitting to disclose complete and accurate information on his application". The Order Paper Question response indicated that "[t]he applicant was notified of the reasons for this decision"; however, his legal counsel advised that the letter he received did not specify the reasons.
Could you please advise what omissions did Mr. Liam Og Hanna allegedly make in his eTA application that rendered his application “cancelled for admissibility”? Could you also provide the reasons for the cancellation of his eTA application?
Under Rule 9 of the Federal Courts Rules, the Minister must provide complete reasons for a decision. In response to the Rule 9 request, members of Kneecap received the same refusal letter, supplemented only by a single GCMS note stating that “[b]y not providing the requested documents, there are reasonable grounds to believe that the client’s required eTA information may not be genuine.” The note does not identify which “requested documents” were allegedly missing or explain how their absence rendered the eTA information “not genuine.” Liam Og Hanna never received any request for additional documents. In short, no information has been provided on what exactly was said to be omitted or “not genuine.”
With respect to the other two band members, they were simply advised not to travel because their applications remained under review with no timeline on when a decision would be made, nor was additional information requested for the application to complete the processing.
Mr. James John O Dochartaigh and Mr. Naoise O Caireallain both held valid eTAs but later received letters raising unspecified concerns about potential misrepresentation and requesting further documents. This effectively reopened their eTA applications and rendered the eTAs unusable for travel, though they were not formally refused. Both have now provided the requested documents and are awaiting a decision.
What is the estimated time for that process to be completed or will these applications remain undecided indefinitely to avoid having to make a decision that is politically sensitive as it may contradict the statement made by Parliamentary Secretary Vince Gasparro? The applications have been under review for two months now, but to date, no request for additional information have been made to the applicants. Could you please advise if there is any additional information needed to help with the decision-making process.
Your urgent attention to this matter is required and I look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Jenny Kwan
Member of Parliament for Vancouver East
NDP Critic for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 7, 2026
New Democrats Renew Calls on Canada to Ban the RSS and Deny Entry to its Chief
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.
