NDP reacts to announcement of new immigration measures for Hong Kongers fleeing persecution « Canada’s NDP

July 12, 2023 at 2:00 am  Federal, Politics

In response to the government’s announcement regarding immigration measures for Hong Kongers who risk facing persecution for their pro-democracy activism if they are forced to return to Hong Kong, NDP Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship critic Jenny Kwan issued the following statement:

“No one should ever be persecuted or threatened for fighting for the rule of law and their democratic rights. Since the implementation of the draconian National Security Law in Hong Kong in June 2020, Hong Kongers who have been advocating and fighting for democracy have been targeted and hunted down by Hong Kong authorities. They have been labelled enemies of the state, and their family members are being harassed. Returning to Hong Kong would mean risking imprisonment.

New Democrats welcome the federal government’s changes to Canada’s lifeboat scheme that will clear a pathway to Permanent Residency for Hong Kongers in Canada. The NDP has called on the Minister of Immigration to remove the education requirement that restricted Hong Kongers from a pathway to permanent residency right at the start. Alongside advocates for Hong Kongers, I had pointed out that the restrictive 5-year graduation rule meant that many Hong Kongers would not be eligible under the program. Hong Kongers have contacted me and were extremely anxious that they would face deportation especially at a time when the Hong Kong police is escalating their hunt by placing a million-dollar bounty for the arrest of prominent Hong Kong pro-democracy activists that fled abroad in search of safety.

New Democrats have opposed the imposition of the draconian National Security Law since its installation by the Hong Kong government that violated the Sino-British Joint Declaration of One Country, the Two Systems Rule, and the United Nations Charter of Human Rights.

The NDP urges the federal government to take further action by lifting the criminal record check requirements for individuals accused of violating the National Security Law or in the very minimum substitute that requirement with an alternate means to satisfy public safety concerns. This is an essential component to ensure the pathway to safety is workable on the ground for Hong Kongers.”

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