(la version française se trouve en bas)
(scroll down to the end for Tagalog)
For Immediate Release
TORONTO / Feb 14, 2014 / - A coalition of community based organizations and academic institutes across Canada are calling on the Hon. Chris Alexander, the Federal Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, to mark Family Day 2014 by making a commitment to strengthen the family class immigration program.
“Canada needs to renew its commitment to families and send a strong message to immigrants that not only their skills and human capital but also their families are welcome,” said Harald Bauder, Academic Director of the Ryerson Centre for Immigration and Settlement and Professor at Ryerson University.
Up until the early 1990s, Canada had a world renowned family reunification program which saw family class immigrants make up the majority of immigration to Canada each year. Over the last two decades, the proportion of family class immigrants has gradually declined, and currently represents less than a quarter of the total annual immigration intake.
Further restrictions to family class sponsorship were introduced by the previous Minister of Immigration. These changes which took effect on January 2, 2014 are making it much more difficult for Canadians to be reunited with their parents and grandparents.
“All families regardless of socioeconomic conditions should be able to reunite with their parents and grandparents. Extended family is important to all Canadians, including immigrant and refugee families” said Debbie Douglas, Executive Director of OCASI – Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants.
Community organizations in the “My Canada Includes All Families” Campaign recently wrote to the new Minister of Immigration, asking him to increase the number of family class immigrants allowed into Canada each year, to lower the income requirement for sponsorship eligibility, and to broaden the definition of “family members” with respect to who can be sponsored.
“Family class immigrants of all ages and backgrounds contribute significantly to the economic, social and cultural advancement of Canada. They form the backbone of our communities and their presence allows their families to flourish. Canada as a whole is better off because of the sacrifices all of our parents and grandparents make to keep our families strong,” said the coalition in its letter to the Minister.
“The changes to family class immigration which took effect on January 1, 2014 vis-à-vis the sponsorship of parents and grandparents are making it much more difficult for Canadians to be reunited with their loved ones. Moreover, these changes have a disproportionate negative impact on women, refugees, and other marginalized communities who are now facing greater challenges in meeting the hardened financial eligibility for sponsors,” the letter continued.
“The Federal Government has said that it wants to support Canadian families and promote family values. Then let it show support by allowing all Canadians an equal opportunity to be reunited with their families”, said Avvy Go, Clinic Director at Metro Toronto Chinese and Southeast Asian Legal Services.
As Canadians in many provinces are getting ready to celebrate Family Day or other parallel mid-February holidays, the Campaign calls on all Canadians to contact the Minister of Immigration as well as their local Member of Parliament to ask for their renewed commitment to family sponsorship, and as an expression of that commitment, their reversing of the newly-introduced changes.
The letter to the Minister has been endorsed by the following organizations: Canadian Arab Federation, Canadian Council for Refugees, Chinese Canadian National Council Toronto Chapter, Coalition of Black Trade Unionists Ontario Chapter, Colour of Poverty - Colour of Change, FCJ Refugee Centre, Metro Toronto Chinese & Southeast Asian Legal Clinic, Migrante Canada, Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants, Ryerson Centre for Immigration and Settlement, South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario, African Canadian Legal Clinic and YWCA Canada.
For more information, please contact:
Avvy Go – Clinic Director, Metro Toronto Chinese & Southeast Asian Legal Clinic
Tel: 416-971-9674 goa@lao.on.ca
Amy Casipullai – Senior Policy and Communication Coordinator, OCASI – Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants
Tel: 416-524-4950 amy@ocasi.org
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Pour diffusion immédiate
Les canadiens et canadiennes invitent le Ministre de l'Immigration à célébrer la Fête de famille en renforçant la réunification familiale
Toronto, Le 14 février 2014. À l'occasion de la Fête de la famille, une coalition d'organismes communautaires et d'universitaires à travers le Canada invitent l'Hon. Chris Alexander, Ministre fédéral de la Citoyenneté et de l'immigration à manifester son engagement pour le renforcement du programme d'immigration par regroupement familial.
Jusqu'au début des années 1990, le Canada avait un programme de réunification familiale de renommée mondiale dont la catégorie de regroupement familiale constituait la majorité de l'immigration au Canada chaque année. Au cours des deux dernières décennies, la proportion de personnes immigrant à travers le regroupement familial a progressivement diminué, et actuellement constitue moins d'un quart de l'immigration totale.
D'autres restrictions au parrainage familial ont été introduites par le précédent Ministre de l'Immigration. Ces changements, qui ont pris effet le 2 janvier 2014, font en sorte qu'il est beaucoup plus difficile pour les Canadiennes et canadiens d'être réuni(e)s avec leurs parents et grands-parents. En particulier, pour les communautés francophones, cette politique aura des effets néfastes notamment en ce qui concerne la vitalité et la dualité linguistique. Depuis plus d'une décennie le gouvernement fédérale cherche à croitre la population francophone en dehors de Québec et la réunification familiale est une méthode importante à ce but.
Les organismes communautaires collaborant sur la Campagne «Mon Canada inclut toutes les familles» ont récemment écrit au nouveau Ministre de l'Immigration pour lui demander d'augmenter le nombre de personnes admises à travers la catégorie d'immigration par regroupement familial chaque année, d'abaisser le seuil de revenu pour le parrainage, et d'élargir la définition des membres de la famille qui peuvent être parrainés.
«Les personnes immigrant par regroupement familiale - toutes catégories d'âges et de provenances confondues - contribuent énormément au progrès économique, social et culturel du Canada. Ils constituent des piliers cruciaux de nos communautés, et leur présence permet à leurs familles de s'épanouir. L'ensemble du Canada se porte mieux grâce aux sacrifices que nos parents et grands-parents doivent faire pour garder nos familles fortes», a déclaré la coalition dans sa lettre au Ministre.
La lettre continue en soulignant que «les modifications mises en place le 1er janvier 2014 par rapport à l'immigration par réunification familiale au sujet du parrainage des parents et des grands-parents rendent la réunification de canadiens et canadiennes avec leurs proches beaucoup plus difficile. En outre, ces changements ont un impact disproportionnellement négatif sur les femmes, les réfugiés et d'autres communautés marginalisées qui font maintenant face à de plus grands obstacles pour atteindre l'admissibilité financière des sponsors qui a été endurcie.»
En cette période où beaucoup de canadiens et canadiennes dans plusieurs provinces s'apprêtent à célébrer la Fête de la famille et d'autres fêtes de mi-février, la Campagne les invite toutes et tous à contacter le Ministre de l'Immigration ainsi que leurs députés locaux pour leur demander un engagement renouvelé au parrainage familial en inversant les changements récemment mis en place.
La lettre au Ministre a été approuvée par les organismes suivants: La Fédération canado-arabe, le Conseil canadien pour les réfugiés, le Conseil national des canadiens chinois - chapitre de Toronto, la Coalition des syndicalistes noirs - chapitre de l'Ontario, La couleur de la pauvreté / La couleur du changement, Le centre des réfugiées FCJ, Metro Toronto Chinese and Southeast Asian Legal Clinic, Migrante Canada, Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants, Centre Ryerson pour l'immigration et l'établissement, South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario et YWCA Canada.
Pour plus d'information, veuillez contacter:
Lumembo Tshiswaka - Coordonnateur de la Promotion et Liaison pour Etablissement.Org, OCASI
Tel: 416-322-4950 poste 235 ltshiswaka@ocasi.org
Aline Nizigama - Responsable des programmes et projets, YWCA Canada
Tél. : 416-962-8881 poste 225, portable : 643-886-1977 anizigama@ywcacanada.ca
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NANANAWAGAN ANG MGA TAGA-CANADA SAMINISTER OF IMMIGRATION NA IPAGDIWANG ANG ARAW NG PAMILYA SA PAMAMAGITAN NG PAGPAPALAKAS SA PROGRAMA PARA SA MULING PAGSASAMA-SAMA NG MGA PAMILYA NG MGA MIGRANTENanawagan kay Hon. Chris Alexander, Federal Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, ang koalisyon ng mgaorganisasyong nakabase sa mga komunidad at unibersidad naipagdiwang ang Araw ng Pamilya sa pamamagitan ngpangakong palalakasin ang programa para sa mulingpagsasama ng mga pamilyang nagkahiwalay dahil samigrasyon.
Hanggang sa unang bahagi ng 1990s, itinaguyod ng Canada ang programa nito para sa muling pagsasama ng mgapamilyang migrante na siyang bumubuo sa karamihan ng mgapamilyang dumarating sa Canada sa bawat taon. Sa loob ngnakaraang dalawang dekada, unti-unting bumaba ang bilangng mga migranteng pamilya, at sa kasalukuyan ay sangkapatna lamang ng kabuuang dami ng migrasyon ang pinapayagangpumasok sa bansa. Ipinatupad rin ng nakaraang Minister of Immigration ang mas mahigpit na mga batas para sa pagi-isponsor sa pamilya ng mga migrante. Ang pagbabagong itona nagsimulang ipatupad noong Enero 2, 2014, ay lalongnagpahirap sa mga taga-Canada na muling makasama angkanilang mga pamilya.
Sumulat sa bagong Minister of Immigration ang mgaorganisasyong kasapi sa kampanyang "My Canada Includes All Families". Hiniling nila sa Ministro na itaas ang bilang ngmga migranteng pamilya na maaaring makapasok sa bansa sabawat taon, babaan ang kinakailangan kita para sa pagi-isponsor, at palawakin ang sakop ng mga miyembro ngpamilyang maaring maisponsor.
Malaki ang ambag ng mga migranteng iba’t iba ang edad atpinanggalingan sa pang-ekonomya, panlipunan at pang-kulturang pag-unlad ng Canada. Sila ang bumubuo sagulugod ng ating mga komunidad at dahil sa kanila, nagigingmaayos ang buhay ng mga pamilya. Naging maunlad ang Canada dahil sa mga sakripisyong ginawa ng ating mgamagulang upang mapalakas ang ating mga pamilya,” ayon sakoalisyon sa sulat nito sa Ministro.
"Ang mga pagbabago ng mga pangangailangan para sa pagi-isponsor, na naging epektibo noong Enero 2, 2014, ay lalong nagpahirap para sa muling pagsasama ng mga pamilya atmahal sa buhay. Dagdag pa, ang mga pagbabagong ito ay may negatibong epekto sa mga kababaihan, sa mga nangingibang-bayan, at sa iba pang mga marginalisadong sektor nakasalukuyang humaharap sa mas mabigat na rekesitongpinansyal para sa pagi-isponsor," patuloy pa ng sulat.
Habang naghahanda ang mga taga-Canada para sapagdiriwang ng Araw ng Pamilya at sa iba pang mgapagdiriwang na ginagawa tuwing kalagitnaan ng Pebrero,nananawagan naman ang koalisyon sa lahat sa mgamamamayan ng Canada na makipag-ugnayan sa Minister of Immigration at sa kanilang mga lokal na Miyembro ngParliyamento at hingin ang kanilang komitment sa pagi-isponsor sa pamilya ng mga migrante sa pamamagitan ngpagwawalang-bisa nila sa mga pagbabagong idinagdag dito.
Ang sulat para sa Minister of Immigration ay inindorso ngmga sumusunod na organisasyon:
Canadian Arab Federation, Canadian Council for Refugees, Chinese Canadian National Council Toronto Chapter, Coalition of Black Trade Unionists Ontario Chapter, Colour of Poverty/ Colour of Change, FCJ Refugee Centre, Metro Toronto Chinese & Southeast Asian Legal Clinic, MigranteCanada, Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants, Ryerson Centre for Immigration and Settlement, South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario and YWCA Canada.
Para sa karagdagang inpormasyon, makipag-ugnayan sa:
Christopher C. Sorio - Migrante Canada
Tel: 1-800-559-8092