"Harper and Finley again fail Lebanese Canadians" - Karygiannis
OTTAWA - The Honourable Jim Karygiannis, Member of Parliament for Scarborough-Agincourt, is calling on the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Diane Finley, to immediately expedite Lebanese spousal and parental immigration cases.
"Last year, we witnessed the botched efforts of Harper's government to evacuate Canadians from Lebanon." said Mr. Karygiannis. "Time and again, this "New Government" has failed Canadians. Protocols to re-unite families were in place - Harper and Finley are ignoring them."
Following the South Asian Tsunami in 2004, Mr. Karygiannis urged that protocols be established to expedite family re-unification from countries affected by disasters, natural or man-made. The former Liberal government established these protocols, which were successfully used following the earthquake in Pakistan in 2005.
"The situation in Lebanon is critical. Immediate action must be taken to help the loved ones of Canadians." Mr. Karygiannis further commented. "What is the Minister waiting for? Action must be taken to re-unite these families."
"Upon passing the required background checks, sponsored family class applicants should immediately be issued a Temporary Resident Visa." Mr. Karygiannis further stated. "This will take these people out of harm's way. We cannot wait for this Minister to ponder this issue."
Mr. Karygiannis is also calling for independent applicants, with family in Canada, to have their applications expedited.
