Bill Siksay

It has been another rewarding and hectic Parliamentary session in Ottawa.
I am proud of what my NDP colleagues and I have accomplished for Canadian families. Some of this work includes a
Green Strategy for Canada, a Campaign to End Poverty, a Seniors Charter, and Early Learning Child Care Act. Also,
the NDP has made a strong statement for peace.
As NDP critic for Citizenship and Immigration, I would like to update you on some of the highlights of the work I have
done in this area both in the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, and in the House of Commons.
As always, I hope to hear from you with your comments or suggestions. Please don’t hesitate to contact me at 613-
996-5597 or by email at Siksay.B@parl.gc.ca.
I look forward to continuing to work with many of you on the important citizenship and immigration issues that affect us
all. Have a great summer!
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN OTTAWA
Lives on Hold Campaign
This spring I was very happy to co-host, along with some of my colleagues, and the Canadian Council for Refugees
(CCR) a reception in support of the CCR’s Lives on Hold campaign.
The Lives on Hold campaign is in support of thousands of people living in legal limbo in Canada. Many of these
people have made unsuccessful refugee claims. Canada will not return them to their home country because the
situation there is too dangerous, but they are not allowed to fully settle in Canada. I have joined the CCR in calling on
the government to grant permanent residence status to these people after they have been here for three years or
more.
I was very moved by the presentations and stories people shared at the reception about how their lives have been
affected by the government’s inaction on this issue. I will continue to work to see that these people’s lives are no
longer indefinitely in limbo.
Still no Refugee Appeal
It has been five years since Parliament passed the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act in which a refugee appeal
was included. The government has continued to defy the will of Parliament and refuses to give refugees the right to
appeal. I have continued to press the government to follow the law and implement the appeal division without delay.
House of Commons Question April 10, 2006
Mr. Bill Siksay (Burnaby—Douglas, NDP): Mr. Speaker, last week the Prime Minister, on the matter of border issues
with the United States, said: “However, this is a law passed by Congress. President Bush must respect it”.
Citizenship and
Immigration Update
Summer 2006
Bill Siksay, MP,
NDP Critic
In 2001, this Parliament passed a new immigration act which included a provision for a fact-based appeal for
refugees through a refugee appeal division. Will the Minister of Immigration and the government do what the Liberal
government refused to do and respect the law passed by this Parliament, and immediately implement the refugee
appeal division?
Hon. Monte Solberg (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, CPC): Mr. Speaker, we have discussed this. I
take the hon. member's concerns very seriously, but I point out that under the current provisions, people who are
refugee claimants have many avenues of appeal and some of them take years to go through the process. We have
one of the most generous acceptance rates in the world. We will consider what the member is saying, but right now
people do have many avenues of appeal and often they are successful.
War Resisters
I recently participated in the Our Way Home Reunion which marked the contributions of the 100,000 Vietnam War
resisters who made their way to Canada. I was a panellist at a workshop regarding current US resisters to the war in
Iraq who are seeking refuge in Canada.
I have called repeatedly on the government to cease immediately all removal actions against the current war resisters
and implement a special in Canada program that will allow them permanent resident status. I have tabled a motion in
Parliament which reads:
M-130 That, in the opinion of the House, the government should immediately implement an in-Canada program to
allow conscientious objectors and their immediate family members, in particular those from the United States of
America, who have refused or left military service related to the war in Iraq, to apply to remain and work in Canada
and, after a period of two years, be eligible for permanent resident status; and that the government should immediately
cease any removal or deportation actions that may have already commenced against such individuals.
I also recently introduced a Bill in Parliament (C-348) which would respect conscientious objection to the use of taxes
for military purposes. Bill C-348 would allow Canadians who object on conscientious or religious grounds to paying
taxes which benefit the military to have a prescribed percentage of their income tax diverted into a special
conscientious objector account.
Security Certificates
The use of security certificates in Canada is deeply disturbing. Those being held under these certificates and their
lawyers are not given any details as to why they are being detained. I was able to participate in raising awareness
about this draconian measure that the government uses against non-citizens they believe pose a threat to Canadian
security. I was pleased to see the recent release of Adil Charkaoui, and Mohamed Harkat. Both men were released
under very strict conditions and both still face deportation to torture or even death. Three other men remain detained
indefinitely under security certificates at a special prison in Kingston. I am encouraging the Standing Committee to
visit the prison.
I have tabled a motion in Parliament that calls on the complete abolition of security certificates. The text of my motion
follows:
M-138 That, in the opinion of the House, the government should abolish the use of security certificates and repeal
sections 9 and 76 to 87 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
Undocumented workers
At the last meeting in June of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration I proposed a motion which was
drafted by my colleague Olivia Chow, MP(NDP deputy critic of Citizenship and Immigration for Toronto) The motion
passed. It calls on the Conservative government to implement an immediate moratorium on the deportation of
undocumented workers until new immigration policy is established. The deportation of undocumented workers hurts
our communities, and our economy. The government needs to come up with a plan to allow these contributing
members of our society to continue their lives here in Canada.
The text of this motion as it was reported to the House of Commons follows:
On Wednesday, June 21, 2006 and pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the Committee adopted the following
motion: That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the Committee recommends that the government place an
immediate moratorium on deportations of all undocumented workers and their families who pass security and
criminality checks while a new immigration policy is put in place.
Foreign Credentials
This is a key issue for me and my colleagues in the NDP. Although the Conservative government announced funds to
be dedicated to regulate foreign credentials, the Conservatives have yet to announce a plan. Foreign trained
professionals are still unable to secure employment in their field because there is no comprehensive system for
accepting international credentials. Canada must provide new immigrants with the opportunity to use their education
and work experience here in Canada. I have consistently pressed the government to develop a workable program in
consultation with all the relevant stakeholders. We must match the immigration application points system to the reality
of work in Canada.
Foreign workers
I have been concerned about the situation of temporary foreign workers who have been granted work permits in
Canada. Live in Caregivers, agricultural workers and skilled labourers, these are some of our most vulnerable
workers, and they must be protected. Temporary foreign workers must not undercut hard fought wage levels and
working standards won by Canadian workers. I asked the Minister to explain claims that workers on a rapid transit line
were being paid well below acceptable Canadian wages. The text of the question follows:
Mr. Bill Siksay (Burnaby—Douglas, NDP): Mr. Speaker, yesterday it was revealed that up to 60 foreign workers
were doing tunnelling work on the new rapid transit line in Vancouver. Most of these workers earn as little as $5 per
hour. They work nine to 10 hours a day, six days a week, workers that this employer brings in from Costa Rica,
Colombia and Peru and are paid four to five times less than their Canadian counterparts.
This clearly violates foreign worker criteria that wages and working conditions must be comparable to those of
Canadian workers.
Does the minister believe that this exploitation should be tolerated in Canada and, if not, what is he going to do to
stop it?
Hon. Monte Solberg (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, CPC): Mr. Speaker, the issue of temporary
foreign workers is a very important one today. There is about $120 billion in projects in Alberta that are being held up
for a lack of workers, something like $90 billion worth of projects in B.C. being held up for a lack of workers.
Sometimes there are rubs with these things.
Safe Third Country
I am very concerned about the December 2004 implementation of the Safe Third Country Agreement between Canada
and the United States. As a result, the number of refugee claims at our land borders has diminished by 50% in the last
year. Refugee serving groups maintain that the US is not a safe country for all refugees. The agreement was to be
closely monitored by the UNHCR. But, over 18 months later we are still waiting for formal reporting by the two
governments on the UNHCR’s findings. In the meantime refugees’ lives are being endangered and Canada may be in
violation of its international human rights obligations. I will continue the fight to see that refugee rights are recognized.
Vietnamese Sponsorship
Just over 2000 Vietnamese boat people have been left stateless in the Philippines for over 15 years. Countries such
as Australia, the UK, Norway, and the US have resettled the majority of these individuals. Canada had agreed to take
200 of these refugees. Unfortunately, under the program introduced by the former Liberal government only 27
qualified to come to Canada. There are 188 individuals who have been left without status and without the legal ability
to work and go to school in the Philippines. I have called on the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration to allow the
urgent resettlement in Canada of the remaining 188 Vietnamese refugees on humanitarian and compassionate
grounds. To this end, I tabled a motion at the Standing Committee of Citizenship and Immigration. The text of this
motion is available on my website in the issues section at www.billsiksay.ca. It is my expectation that this motion will
be dealt with at the first committee meeting this fall.
Family reunification
Family class immigration must become a priority for this government. It is central to our immigration system. Canada
was built on family class immigration. Unfortunately, the policies of the Conservative government do not reflect this
priority, and the Minister has failed to mention family reunification as a central part of his vision for immigration. There
is still a significant backlog in immigration applications in the system. Families are facing lengthy waits, sometimes
even years to be reunited. I have consistently urged the government to make families a priority and speed up the
processing of family class immigration.
New Citizenship Act
The current Citizenship Act came into force in 1977. Under the Liberals there were three attempts to update this
legislation, but all failed. Issues such as the revocation of citizenship and the oath of citizenship must be addressed.
The importance of citizenship, the duties of citizens, and the obligations of the state to its citizens must be reflected in
a modernized citizenship Act.
The Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration was asked by previous Ministers to study the Act, and last
year, the Committee travelled across the country and consulted with over 130 witnesses. This spring, I again called on
the new Conservative Minister to review the recommendations the committee tabled in Parliament and to introduce a
new Citizenship Act without further delay.
Recent events in Lebanon and Israel have prompted some Conservative politicians to suggest there should be two
levels of citizenship or, and end to the possibility of dual citizenship. I strongly supported the effort to evacuate all
Canadian citizens from Lebanon. Canadian citizens have a right to expect the support and protection of Canada in
times of trouble. Furthermore, Canada does not now and should not in the future, have different classes of citizens.
Settlement Funding Inequities
In the spring budget, the Conservatives announced 307 million dollars for settlement funding. Unfortunately, not all
settlement agencies will be seeing more money in their budgets. There is still great disparity between the provinces in
funding for settlement agencies. This leaves many immigrants without the support and resources like language
training that they need to adjust to life in Canada. Some provinces receive only half or one third of the amount of per
immigrant funding than other provinces received.
Settlement support for immigrants should be a key element of our immigration program. Effective settlement services
benefit everyone. All immigrants, in every province should have equal access to supports and services they need
while adjusting to life in Canada. I will continue push the government to rectify the inequities in settlement funding.
Upcoming priorities of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration
The House of Commons Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration has set priorities for study in the fall
session of Parliament. The top three issues we will be working on are:
1. Refugee Issues:
- private sponsorship of refugees
- the Refugee Appeal Division (RAD)
- persons in sanctuary (churches)
- persons from countries where there are moratoria on removals
2. Undocumented Workers
- examination of point system
- Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants (CSIC)
3. Temporary Foreign Workers
If you would like to present to the Committee on any of these issues, I encourage you to make a request to appear
before the Committee. This would entail a short presentation to share your views, followed by a question and answer
session with members of the Committee. To make your request, contact the Chair of the Committee, Norman Doyle,
MP, at doyle.n@parl.gc.ca (613) 996-7269 or the Clerk of the Committee, Bill Farrell at cimm@parl.gc.ca (613-995-
8525. I would appreciate receiving a copy at siksay.b@parl.gc.ca