OTTAWA -- In light of China鈥檚 ongoing crackdown on democracy, the federal government is offering new immigration programs aimed at attracting young people from Hong Kong to Canada, and is promising to expedite paperwork for Canadians living there to come home.
Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Marco Mendicino made the announcement on Thursday, saying that he remains 鈥渄eeply concerned鈥� about the imposition of a sweeping national security law that鈥檚 prompted large pro-democracy demonstrations in Hong Kong.
In an effort to attract students and youth, Canada will be offering a new expedited three-year open work permit to recent Hong Kong graduates and those with essential work experience who want to come to Canada to continue their studies or find employment. Eligible applicants are those who have graduated from a recognized post-secondary institution in the last five years, and their spouses and children will also be eligible to seek permanent Canadian residency.
There will also be two new streams to permanent residency for 鈥渢he best and the brightest鈥� Hong Kong residents already in Canada who have graduated with a degree in the last three years, and for those with recent degrees and a year of full-time work experience in Canada who want to come back here, once the existing COVID-19 travel restrictions are lifted.
Mendicino said the first applicants could be eligible to come to Canada in 鈥渆arly 2021.鈥�
These new measures come on the heels of China removing four democratically elected lawmakers from office in Hong Kong, which Canada鈥檚 Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne has called 鈥渁 further assault on Hong Kong鈥檚 high degree of freedoms.鈥�
In a statement Champagne called it a 鈥渃oncerning disregard鈥� for Hong Kong鈥檚 autonomy and said Canada stands with the people of Hong Kong.
鈥淲e are deeply disappointed that China has chosen to break its international obligations,鈥� the foreign affairs minister said.
In response to the legislation, Canada has frozen its extradition treaty and revised its Hong Kong travel advice, but has yet to move to offer a more widespread asylum stream or expedite asylum claim approvals to Hong Kong residents looking to leave.
Mendicino said that pro-democracy protesters are able to claim asylum or apply to other Canadian immigration programs so long as they have not committed any crime that would be recognized by Canadian law.
鈥淲e remain very concerned with the situation in Hong Kong and as I said, that is very much the backdrop to this announcement today, but at the same time what we are highlighting is that in these new immigration routes, we see a silver lining. A silver lining for young Hong Kongers who may wish to come work in Canada, study in Canada, bring their families in Canada and build a better life in Canada,鈥� Mendicino said.
However, Alliance Canada Hong Kong's Cherie Wong told CTV News that when protesters are arrested in Hong Kong, their travel documents are often confiscated so additional resources may be needed to help eligible applicants leave.
鈥淚 fear for the safety of a lot of folks, my frontline activist friends, my fellow Canadians in Hong Kong and in China,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 think today is a great example that Canada has taken a strong step in protesting what China has been doing to Hong Kong, but it is only one first small step and we have more to do.鈥�
From the perspective of Vivian Tam, a Canadian professor living in Hong Kong, every day the situation gets 鈥渁 little bit worse.鈥�
She said that she has peers who are looking to get out of Hong Kong and are assessing the offerings from the U.K. and Canada, and right now the U.K. is processing applications faster.
Conservative immigration critic Raquel Dancho echoed this, saying in a statement that Canada should 鈥減ut in place a clear, expedited path for pro-democracy protestors and political refugees fleeing Hong Kong.鈥�
鈥淐anada needs to do more than offer Hong Kong鈥檚 pro-democracy activists an economic immigration system crippled by years-long backlogs and beset by ongoing delays because of the COVID-19 pandemic,鈥� Dancho said.
But immigration lawyer Chantal Desloges is questioning the rationale behind the federal government鈥檚 decision to target these programs at younger, highly-educated foreign nationals.
鈥淭here are all around the world various situations where people are under threat of political persecution or other very serious situations, and why do we have a special program for Hong Kong that exists only for these people as opposed to a broader program that might help people from other countries?鈥� she said.
鈥淲hat is so special about the situation in Hong Kong that is compelling the government to take this exceptional measure?鈥� asked Desloges.
HELP FOR CANADIANS ABROAD
These measures come in addition to a promise of expediting document application such as family sponsorship for Canadians currently living in Hong Kong who want to come home.
The minister emphasized in his announcement that Canadians and Canadian permanent residents in Hong Kong can return to Canada at any time, and family members in Hong Kong of Canadians and Canadian permanent residents can also travel to Canada under the current compassionate exemptions to travel restrictions, though they must quarantine for 14 days upon arrival.
Ottawa鈥檚 top diplomat in Hong Kong told MPs on the that the federal government had made preparations to evacuate some 300,000 Canadian citizens out of Hong Kong should the situation worsen.
鈥淲e have detailed plans in place, and we have resources available and identified to cover a range of situations up to and including a situation where the urgent departure of a large number of Canadians would be necessary,鈥� Jeff Nankivell, Canada鈥檚 consul general in Hong Kong and Macau said.
CONDEMN GENOCIDE OF UYGHURS
In a separate press conference where Canadian politicians focused in on the situation in China, MPs on the House of Commons Subcommittee on International Human Rights, discussed on the situation of the Uyghurs in China, saying they felt it was important for Canadians to be aware of what has been occurring.
In its findings released on Oct. 21, the committee unanimously agreed the actions of the Chinese government constitutes a genocide of the Muslim minority in Xinjiang through mass detentions, forced labour, state surveillance, and imposed population control.
鈥淭his is a non-partisan issue, this is a humanitarian issue, this is an issue of genocide, of crimes against humanity,鈥� said Liberal MP Sameer Zuberi.
The MPs warned in the report that 鈥渋f the international community does not condemn the human rights abuses in Xinjiang province by the Government of China, a precedent will be set, and these methods will be adopted by other regimes.鈥�
Last month during a press conference reflecting on the 50th anniversary of the establishment of now-strained diplomatic relations between China and Canada, China鈥檚 Ambassador to Canada Cong Peiwu cautioned the federal government about interfering in internal Chinese affairs.
With files from CTV News鈥� Solarina Ho
