麻豆影视

Politics

    • Syrian-Canadians call on federal government to fast-track immigration applications for family in earthquake zone

    Share

    The catastrophic 7.8 magnitude earthquake that slammed southwestern Asia is adding to the misery of Syrian refugees who fled to Turkiye to escape civil war.

    There are more than 3.5 million registered refugees in Turkiye, many of whom live along the border straddling Turkiye and Syria near the epicentre of Monday鈥檚 quake, which has decimated the region.

    From her apartment in Mississauga, Ont., Syrian-Canadian Amal Shwikh constantly checks her phone for WhatsApp messages from her older sister Zahra. On Monday, the seven-storey building where Zahra lived with other refugees in Urfa, Turkiye, cracked then crumbled. 

    For the past few days, her 47 year-old sister has been taking shelter in a stranger鈥檚 car.

    鈥(Zahra) is doing bad. Scared because (her) house going down and she don鈥檛 have nothing,鈥 said Shwikh in an interview with CTV National News.

    鈥淚t was very cold, with rain and snow and she slept in a car. Maybe she will move to a (refugee) camp,鈥 she added, when asked about her sister鈥檚 living conditions.

    Frustration with Canada鈥檚 immigration system is compounding Shwikh鈥檚 concerns. She applied to sponsor her sister under the family reunification category in 2021. Shwikh says Zahra had already completed her security and medical checks in July of last year and was waiting for Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to issue travel documents when the earthquake struck. Shwikh wants IRCC to issue the travel permits now, so her sister can get to Canada.

    鈥淚 can pay the ticket for the flight鈥 I just want (Zahra) to come here - to be safe.鈥

    UNKNOWN IF APPLICANTS WERE INJURED OR DIED

    On Wednesday, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser said that the government is discussing the possibility of fast-tracking permanent resident applications from both Syrians and Turks caught in the earthquake zone.

    鈥淭his is a conversation that we鈥檙e having,鈥 Fraser told reporters on his way into a caucus meeting. 鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to understand what the impact is on the clients who are in the system.鈥

    In an email statement to 麻豆影视, IRCC says processing times have not been impacted by the earthquake. 麻豆影视 asked how many immigration applications were being processed through the Canadian Embassy in Ankara and the consulate in Istanbul, but IRCC was unable to provide that number.

    Currently the only existing immigration pathways for those who qualify in the region are through family reunification and parent or grandparent super visa applications, IRCC said. 

    It鈥檚 possible those applicants may have been injured or even died in the earthquake zone.

    SURVIVOR'S 'GUILT' IN CANADA

    The promise to bring in 25,000 Syrian refugees by the end of 2015 was a key plank of the Liberal party鈥檚 platform in that year鈥檚 election and arguably helped them sweep to power.

    At the time, photos of a two-year-old Syrian boy Alan Kurdi washed ashore alongside his older brother and their mother in Turkiye dominated headlines. The boy鈥檚 aunt, Tima Kurdi, who lives in B.C. that seeing the images 鈥渋s not easy鈥 but that 鈥渋f it brings a positive effect and it鈥檚 going to help other peoples' lives, we are honoured.鈥

    In the more than seven years since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau greeted the first planeload of families, IRCC says more than 80,000 Syrians have settled in Canada.

    Manar Chabouq was granted asylum in 2018. After finding a home in Toronto she started volunteering with the , the team of rescuers dedicated to salvaging lives after bombings in northern Syria during the country鈥檚 civil war. The White Helmets are now picking through the remnants of a natural disaster searching for survivors. Since the disaster struck, Chabouq has spent many hours on WhatsApp trying to connect Syrian-Canadians with relatives in the quake zone.

    Chabouq is pleading for the Canadian government not just to fast-track the processing of existing immigration applications, but to reduce the financial requirements so more Syrians can sponsor loved ones.

    鈥淭here is war and now there is the violence of this earthquake. I appeal to the Canadian government to open the doors for sponsors,鈥 said Chabouq as she choked back tears during a Zoom interview.

    , sponsoring a family of four requires at least $28,700 of income support.

    Chabouq says that amount is too high for refugees who need to rebuild their lives here before they can redirect funds to sponsoring relatives.

    鈥淲e want to bring our family here - so you know your mom is safe, your brother is safe, your nephew is safe. How can we eat healthy food and have electricity and heat and know that our family is suffering?鈥 asks Chabouq. 鈥淲e have survivor鈥檚 guilt.鈥

    WILL CANADA ACCEPT CLIMATE REFUGEES?

    Canada usually only accepts refugees fleeing conflict, but it has in the past provided a path for refugees fleeing natural disasters.

    In 2010, the federal Conservative government under Prime Minister Stephen Harper accepted applications from Haitians impacted by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake. Thousands of permanent resident applications, temporary visas and emergency adoptions of orphaned children were processed

    But Ottawa immigration lawyer Warren Creates is sceptical that will happen in the current political and economic climate. Creates says the 2010 measures were driven by a large and politically-connected group of Haitian-Canadians, concentrated mainly in Quebec. He doesn鈥檛 think Syrians can exert the same type of political pressure.

    鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to provide an immigration solution to every disaster,鈥 said Creates, who has been in practice for 35 years. He says it will also be difficult to fast track applications given the current backlog in the system that worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Creates calls IRCC 鈥渙verstretched鈥 and says it doesn鈥檛 have enough staff to handle existing commitments.

    He points out that training a visa officer to assess an application takes at least a year.

    鈥淚f you add capacity for this particular humanitarian disaster, you need to take it from some other place. That鈥檚 not really fair to the others who are coming from Ukraine or Afghanistan,鈥 said Creates.

    IS THERE POLITICAL WILL TO HELP?

    University of Ottawa immigration law professor Jamie Liew says bringing earthquake survivors from Turkiye and Syria to Canada through immigration measures will require 鈥減olitical will.鈥

    鈥淲hen push comes to shove Canada is capable of shifting resources,鈥 said Liew. She highlights the fact that in 2015, the government brought back retired visa officers to process claims. Liew says that staff can also be diverted from other departments and the application process can be streamlined to cut red tape.

    And when it comes to helping new Syrians ravaged by the quake, Liew says the government can leverage the experience of past sponsorship groups who already know what it takes to settle refugees successfully.

    鈥漈he Canadian government can use this opportunity to reignite the resettlement infrastructure that's already there. People have the know-how of organizing teams of volunteers,鈥 said Liew.

    As for Shwikh, she already has the supports in place to help her sister Zahra start a life in Canada. Shwikh is a single mother with five children under the age of 11 years old. Her family was among the first wave of government-sponsored Syrian refugees who arrived in 2015.

    Since then, Shwikh has learned English, found work as a dental assistant and become a Canadian citizen. She has also saved the required funds to support her sister for a year.

    鈥淐anada helped me. Now I can help her,鈥 she said. All Shwikh needs now are travel documents for her sister - a way out of the quake zone only the federal government can provide.

    IN DEPTH

    Opinion

    opinion

    opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike

    When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.

    CTVNews.ca Top Stories

    Toronto police have identified the woman who was allegedly killed by a suspected serial killer earlier this month.

    A man who stabbed a senior to death in Vancouver's Biltmore Hotel building in 2020 has been given a conditional sentence for the killing, meaning he will not serve any jail time if he remains on good behaviour in the community.

    British Columbia billionaire Chip Wilson has put up yet another billboard message to voters, his third post outside his multimillion-dollar mansion in NDP Leader David Eby's own riding.

    More than a month after the murder of Nova Scotia woman Esther Jones, her family continues to grapple with the loss.

    In a rare occurrence, a bona fide great white shark washed up on a B.C. beach Thursday.

    A woman from Montreal's South Shore appeared in court on Friday on charges of aggravated assault after allegedly scalding a 10-year-old boy with boiling water more than one week ago.

    Canada

    • More than a month after the murder of Nova Scotia woman Esther Jones, her family continues to grapple with the loss.

    • Border guards in Montreal intercepted millions of amphetamine tablets concealed in hundreds of PVC panels inside a container from China.

    • A woman from Montreal's South Shore appeared in court on Friday on charges of aggravated assault after allegedly scalding a 10-year-old boy with boiling water more than one week ago.

    • A man who stabbed a senior to death in Vancouver's Biltmore Hotel building in 2020 has been given a conditional sentence for the killing, meaning he will not serve any jail time if he remains on good behaviour in the community.

    World

    Politics

    Health

    Sci-Tech

    Entertainment

    Business

    Lifestyle

    • James Taylor never expected to be walking home with a bag full of groceries he didn't buy.

    • This weekend marks the fifth anniversary of a large blizzard that paralyzed Manitoba.

    • Two sisters from Ontario travelled to Newfoundland to spend time with their mom after they learned she lost $20,000 to a romance scam.

    Sports

    Autos

    • Elon Musk unveils his 'Cybercab' robotaxi

      Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled on Thursday his vision of a 'a fun, exciting future,' an 'age of abundance' full of his company鈥檚 self-driving cars without steering wheels, parking lots turned into parks and robots that will walk among the population 鈥 that he once again promised would be available within a few years.

    • video

      video

      Dozens of cars were pulled out of the Detroit River in west Windsor on Tuesday, causing many questions for Windsorites.

    Local Spotlight

    James Taylor never expected to be walking home with a bag full of groceries he didn't buy.

    This weekend marks the fifth anniversary of a large blizzard that paralyzed Manitoba.

    There was an eye-catching mix of rainbows and lightning over Vancouver following a brief downpour this week.

    Jeff Warner from Aidie Creek Gardens in the northern Ontario community of Englehart has a passion for growing big pumpkins and his effort is paying off in more ways than one.

    Saskatchewan鈥檚 Jessica Campbell has made hockey history, becoming the first ever female assistant coach in the National Hockey League (NHL).

    Have you ever seen videos of hovercrafts online or on TV and thought, 'Wow, I wish I could ride one of those.' One Alberta man did, and then built his own.

    A B.C. couple is getting desperate 鈥 and creative 鈥 in their search for their missing dog.

    Videos of a meteor streaking across the skies of southern Ontario have surfaced and small bits of the outer space rock may have made it to land, one astronomy professor says.

    A unique form of clouds made an appearance over the skies of Ottawa on Sunday evening.

    • Greater Vancouver hosting multiple Northern Lights displays is part of a "very natural cycle", says UBC professor.

    • More than nine years after her brother was killed during an arrest by Vancouver police officers, Melissa Gray is losing hope that her family will get justice, after the officers involved have once again avoided discipline.

    • James Taylor never expected to be walking home with a bag full of groceries he didn't buy.

    • Cindy Ali, the Toronto mother who was acquitted in the 2011 death of her 16-year-old daughter Cynara after serving more than four years in prison, is suing Toronto police and the city for more than $10 million.

    • A pedestrian is in hospital with serious injuries after a driver struck them with their pickup truck before careening into a residential fence and ending up in a backyard swimming pool.

    • Police are looking for a suspect who allegedly threw a coffee at a woman鈥檚 vehicle and then shot at her windshield following some sort of dispute that began at a Tim Hortons in Pickering on Friday morning.

    • Police are looking for a driver involved in a hit-and-run in the northeast Calgary community of Pineridge that sent a man to hospital in serious condition.

    • Calgary Public Library (CPL) locations will be closing early on Friday following a cyber attack.

    • As work on the Green Line gets ready to roll again, the biggest question about the LRT project continues to be about its route through Calgary's downtown.

    • The temporary LaSalle Causeway bridge in Kingston, Ont. will be fully closed on Tuesday to create temporary access for marine traffic, according to Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC).

    • A Manotick business has been left stunned as thieves made off with $90,000 worth of jewelry.

    • The Ottawa Police Service is asking the public for help in identifying a suspect involved in an alleged "possible" attempt to abduct a group of children in the Orleans area last weekend.

    • Montreal police have arrested two young adults in connection with the deadly fire in Old Montreal last week that killed a mother and her young daughter.

    • A woman from Montreal's South Shore appeared in court on Friday on charges of aggravated assault after allegedly scalding a 10-year-old boy with boiling water more than one week ago.

    • Border guards in Montreal intercepted millions of amphetamine tablets concealed in hundreds of PVC panels inside a container from China.

    • A week ago today, Lita Pawliw was on the receiving end of a phone call no mother ever wants to get.

    • Alberta's United Conservative Party members will soon debate 35 policy resolutions that include banning transgender people from women's washrooms, prohibiting non-binary gender identifiers on government documents, and ensuring trans medical treatments are not publicly funded.

    • Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi is taking legal action against three people he alleges spread inflammatory and libelous allegations about him.

    • More than a month after the murder of Nova Scotia woman Esther Jones, her family continues to grapple with the loss.

    • It's not the most auspicious Thanksgiving weather for the Maritimes as a series of low pressure systems and weather fronts move through the region bringing inclement weather.

    • One of Halifax鈥檚 16 mayoral candidates, Andrew Goodsell, is pushing for voting access for people experiencing homelessness, like him.

    • Two Winnipeggers have been arrested after images and videos were posted online of animals being tortured and killed.

    • A 37-year-old Winnipeg man has been charged with multiple offences after videos filmed in a public pool change room were seized by police.

    • Thanksgiving shoppers will have something to be thankful for this year.

    • There is a lot on the line in Saturday鈥檚 matchup between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and BC Lions as a Rider win will secure them a home playoff game.

    • Regina will vote for a new mayor, city council and public and separate school board trustees on Nov. 13.

    • The Saskatchewan New Democratic Party laid out its platform on Friday, ahead of the Oct. 28 provincial election.

    • Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest has officially begun! Here's what happened during Friday's big Bavarian celebration at Willkommen Platz.

    • Five weeks into the new school year and parents of children in the Waterloo Region District School Board are already raising concerns about classroom shuffling and a supposed lack of support staff.

    • Kitchener, Ont. native Steven Lorentz scored his first goal for the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday night.

    • The leaders of Saskatchewan鈥檚 two major political parties are sharing their plans to tackle the growing homelessness crisis.

    • The Saskatchewan New Democratic Party laid out its platform on Friday, ahead of the Oct. 28 provincial election.

    • A Prince Albert woman has developed an app that allows people to lend and borrow items from each other.

    • Two sisters from Ontario travelled to Newfoundland to spend time with their mom after they learned she lost $20,000 to a romance scam.

    • An Ontario man said he feels 'devastated' after learning his identity was stolen to take out two fraudulent loans under his name.

    • Glenn Thompson packs his E-bike to make the short trip back to the room he鈥檚 renting. Just a few short weeks ago, he was living in a tent.

    • Striking union workers at Western University have voted in favour of their new contract.

    • Around 3:45 a.m. on Thursday, police said two men forced their way into a home in the area of Ashley Crescent and Ashley Place where the homeowner woke up to the commotion.

    • Grey Bruce OPP have charged a 63-year-old driver from Toronto for failing to stop for a school bus after a student was struck by a passing vehicle while boarding a bus Friday morning in West Grey Township.

    • Police say the victim of an armed robbery shooting at a gas station has since died of his injuries, and the suspect remains at large.

    • A family of six has lost all their personal belongings after their house was destroyed by an explosion on the eve of the Thanksgiving Day long weekend.

    • Provincial police remind motorists about the importance of buckling up after an officer discovered a passenger sitting on a kitchen chair inside the vehicle during a traffic stop in the Town of the Blue Mountains.

    • A Windsor man testified in his careless driving trial in a Chatham-Kent courtroom on Friday.

    • A University of Windsor board member is calling for a pause on controversial agreements made with pro-Palestinian protesters who occupied part of the campus earlier this year.

    • Windsor residents are reacting to the proposed involuntary treatment for mental health and drug addiction.

    • B.C. Conservatives Leader John Rustad says it will be up to voters to judge his party's candidates as he stood by a pair whose remarks on Indigenous and Muslim people drew condemnation from election rivals and other critics.

    • James Taylor never expected to be walking home with a bag full of groceries he didn't buy.

    • A suspect was arrested at a Vancouver Island Walmart after allegedly lighting a clothing rack on fire Thursday night.

    • Dave Lindsey began growing giant pumpkins to bring a bit of magic to his grandkids' Halloween.

    • A U.S. District Court judge in Montana has sentenced a 27-year-old man from Kelowna, B.C., to 18 months in prison for using fake names to buy guns with the aim of selling them in Canada.

    • Nearly two years after a man was stabbed to death in downtown Kelowna, RCMP have made an arrest in the case.

    • Local photographers were amazed by the aurora borealis display in the night sky over Lethbridge on Thursday night.

    • Lethbridge- The latest monthly report from the Alberta Real Estate Association shows Lethbridge has seen one of the biggest year over year increases in home prices.

    • The Interfaith Food Bank is busy preparing Thanksgiving bundles and has some tips for anyone hoping to cut down on their holiday dinner costs.

    • A closer look at preventing graffiti will be looked at in Sault Ste. Marie, after a string of offensive displays by one man, including spray painting anti-Indigenous language and painting over the pride crosswalk.

    • Even on an average day, the intersection of Highway 17 at Highway 6 near Espanola is busy, but it鈥檚 especially steady on a Friday before a long weekend.

    • A 34-year-old in Sault Ste. Marie who was wanted for a probation violation was found this week with a switchblade, drugs, a digital scale and $5,170 in cash.

    N.L.

    Stay Connected
    Follow 麻豆影视