OTTAWA- New Democrat Citizenship and Immigration critic Don Davies (Vancouver Kingsway) introduced a bill this week that will establish an appeal process, under section 38 of IRPA, when a person is denied permanent residency due to health issues or disabilities.
“The purpose of the current policy is to ensure that immigrants to Canada do not place an undue strain on our social safety net,” said Davies. “But it is often used to deny people with disabilities or other differences such as Down syndrome or autism. Canada is a signatory to the UN Convention on the rights of the disabled and yet our immigration system is often used to discriminate against these people.”
Davies says that this discrimination was recently illustrated by a case in Vancouver where Kevin Patel, a successful, bright, young accountant, was not allowed to sponsor his family to come to Canada because his sister has Down syndrome.
“There is no evidence that people with Down syndrome place an undue burden on our system,” said Davies. “People with disabilities, Down syndrome or autism are not ‘burdens’ on anybody. They are hard working people who contribute greatly to our families, communities and economy. Our immigration system should not exclude them.”
