WASYLYCIA-LEIS INTRODUCES BILL TO MAKE IMMIGRATION FAIRER FOR THOSE WITH DISABILITIES

WINNIPEG – NDP Critic for Persons with Disabilities Judy Wasylycia-Leis (Winnipeg North) has introduced a bill in Parliament to eliminate a hurdle to immigration for applicants with disabilities who have been approved by provincial nominee programs.

“This bill will right a wrong in the Immigration Act that gives overseas officers the power to keep applicants with a disability out of Canada,” says Wasylycia-Leis. “Excluding immigrants who would otherwise qualify, on the basis of their disability, shows the government is still hung up on unfair and out-dated assumptions and stereotypes.”

Wasylycia-Leis’s bill, C-524, would add candidates who qualify for provincial nominee programs to those family class immigrants and refugees who are already exempt from being turned away due to the “excessive demand” provisions of Section 38 of the Immigration Act.

“It’s like a cost-benefit analysis that blanks out the benefits,” says Wasylycia-Leis. “Selecting nominees for their abilities has proven hugely successful for provinces like Manitoba. Rejecting them and the benefits they bring to Canada because of their disability makes absolutely no sense. Last year Canada signed the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and we expect our government to live up to its commitments.”

Wasylycia-Leis will continue to press the government to eliminate other areas within the immigration system that may discriminate against those with disabilities.