Open Letter to the Prime Minister on Kneecap
Open Letter to the Prime Minister on Kneecap
November 28, 2025
Prime Minister Mark Carney
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6
Via email: [email protected]
Dear Prime Minister Carney,
Open letter re: Kneecap
I am writing to request your immediate intervention regarding the unresolved and deeply concerning circumstances surrounding the denied entry of members of the Irish musical group Kneecap and the serious questions this incident raises about transparency, process integrity, and potential political interference within Canada’s immigration system.
On October 2nd, I wrote to the Honourable Lena Diab, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, seeking clarification on several urgent matters. Those questions remain unanswered after two months. I have yet to receive a response. This lack of follow-up is unacceptable given both the significant implications for public confidence in the integrity of our immigration system and the public attention the case has received. I have now sent a follow up letter today on November 28th.
In my correspondence to Minister Diab, I outlined several troubling facts. The legal matter involving the group’s lead singer in the United Kingdom had been dismissed and declared “null and void,” resulting in no conviction. Yet on September 19, 2025—before the court decision—Liberal MP and Parliamentary Secretary for Combatting Crime
Vince Gasparro posted a video on X stating: “On behalf of the Government of Canada I am announcing that on the advice of our officials, we have deemed the group Kneecap ineligible to enter our country. Our government will not tolerate the advocating of political violence, terrorism or Anti-Semitism and hate more broadly.”
The band has publicly indicated that they received no communication from IRCC confirming any such decision. Nonetheless, several Canadian concerts were cancelled as a direct result of Mr. Gasparro’s announcement. Compounding this, the media received no clarification from your government: neither Mr. Gasparro nor Minister Diab confirmed or explained the basis for the announcement. Through an Order Paper Question response, IRCC subsequently 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.
These contradictions and the refusal from your government to be accountable for the actions of a member of your appointed parliamentary secretaries raise deeply troubling questions about whether any department officials authorized the Parliamentary Secretary’s statement and why an elected official declared an immigration outcome without confirmation from the responsible authorities.
The opaque and inconsistent communication experienced by the band compounds the concern: one member had his eTA cancelled for "omitting to disclose complete and accurate information on his application", while the other two 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. I should note that while 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 what were the reasons.
My letter to Minister Diab requested clarification on several critical points, including:
- Whether members of Kneecap were ever formally banned from entry;
- Whether Minister Diab or her officials authorized Mr. Gasparro to speak on IRCC’s behalf—and if not, who did;
- Which officials Mr. Gasparro referenced in asserting he acted on their advice, and whether they had authority to grant such authorization;
- Whether the members of Kneecap are currently permitted to enter Canada;
- What IRCC’s decision-making process and criteria were used in this case, including any available appeal mechanisms.
To date, none of these questions have received a response.
Canadians deserve an immigration system that is transparent, fair, and protected from political interference. The serious inconsistencies between departmental statements and the public assertions made by an elected official demand urgent attention. Without clarity, the appearance of arbitrary or politicized decision-making will continue to undermine public trust.
I have since written a further letter to Minister Diab asking follow-up questions in light of the information provided in response to my Order Paper Questions. I therefore urge you to:
- Direct the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship to immediately respond in full to my October 2nd and November 28th follow up letter;
- Clarify who within the Government of Canada advised or authorized MP Gasparro’s public announcement;
- Confirm what steps your government will take to ensure that immigration decisions including those announced by any members of your parliamentary secretaries, are communicated lawfully, responsibly, and exclusively through the appropriate channels; and
- Provide a definitive statement on the admissibility status of Kneecap’s members.
In this time of heightened misinformation and eroding public trust, it is essential that your government demonstrate a commitment to procedural integrity and non-partisanship in immigration decision-making.
I look forward to your prompt response.
Sincerely,
Jenny Kwan
Member of Parliament for Vancouver East
NDP Critic for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
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The rally is organized by the Hong Kong Pathway Alliance. Similar events are also taking place in Calgary and Toronto.
The pathway allows eligible Hong Kong residents in Canada, including people who studied or worked here, to apply for PR.
People here say they have waited for years and still do not know when their applications will be finished.
“Right now I’m stuck in limbo. It’s been a year and a half. I haven’t heard back from the IRCC regarding my application, and we’re continuously arguing with, we’re continuously hoping that IRCC sees our cases,” said Vikrambir Singh, another demonstrator.
“There’s not just me, there’s 40,000 plus applications that are stuck in limbo, and we don’t know when they’re going to get processed.”
They also point to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC) processing time tool, which now suggests new applicants could wait more than 10 years for their PR.
The Immigration Minister recently told Parliament that there have been more than 46,000 applications under the Hong Kong PR pathways, and just over 13,000 had arrived.
“And the minister’s solution is, “don’t apply under the lifeboat scheme”. What is she even talking about? That scheme was specifically designed for Hong Kongers, said MP Jenny Kwan, representing Vancouver East for the NDP.
“So, it is absolutely outrageous that she would renege on the government’s promise in suggesting that the Hong Kongers should apply under a different stream. It is absolutely unacceptable.”
The federal government introduced special measures for Hong Kong residents in 2020, after China imposed the national security law in Hong Kong.
*Click image or link to read or watch the TV news story - https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2026/06/07/demonstrators-rally-hong-kong-pr-processing-backlog/
OTTAWA—The Canadian government is considering the use of artificial intelligence to save time creating influential assessment profile reports of offenders as they go to federal prisons, and is running a small-scale trial to test it, the Star has learned.
Carney government releases AI road map that aims to make Canada a leader
Federal Politics
Carney government releases AI road map that aims to make Canada a leader
Mentioned in lengthy documents tabled in Parliament last month and confirmed by Correctional Service Canada (CSC), the test run comes as the Carney government tries to ramp up AI adoption, including with billions in a national strategy released this week.
But the prison trial, which CSC says has not yet been used in real cases, is raising concerns from AI experts, criminal defence lawyers and the federal NDP’s public safety critic, who argue a widespread adoption could lead to crucial errors, exacerbate racial biases and put offenders and victims at risk.
Criminal profile reports, as they are called, are detailed “foundational documents” prepared by CSC staff during a prisoner’s intake process that identify risks and play a role in major decisions like access to programs and likelihood of parole.
Drawing from scores of official documents, they include details about an offender’s criminal history, the circumstances of their crimes, patterns of violence or behavioural, mental health and addiction issues, family and social background, trauma history, education and employment records, and even victim impact statements.
“This is what defines your offence cycle,” criminal defence lawyer Nora Demnati said of those reports. “It will have an impact on everything else that comes.”
That’s why the Carney government should slow down and consult widely, including with the CSC union, its lawyers and the Privacy Commissioner of Canada before going further, said NDP MP Jenny Kwan, the party’s public safety critic. Neither the Union of Safety and Justice Employees or the Office of the Privacy Commissioner have been consulted yet, they told the Star.
Kwan warned of a multitude of legal concerns that go both ways and can have a “cascading impact”: Violating the rights of inmates if mistakes are added to reports, on one hand, or hurting victims and prison staff if crucial information is missed by the AI summaries, on the other.
“When you have those kinds of risks associated with correctional policing matters, you can imagine what the huge ramifications might be,” Kwan told the Star. “You could potentially compromise people’s legal rights.”