Justin Trudeau’s immigration critic was sharply rebuked by the governing Conservatives after he said delays in visa processing were separating family members during funerals and weddings.
“Day after day, I see cases in my office where families have been unfairly separated by a system that is slow and full of red tape,” Liberal immigration critic John McCallum said. “This needs to change. I look forward to hearing fresh ideas from Canadians across this country on how we can do this better.”
The Harper government blasted McCullum’s remarks saying they inherited the visa backlog from the Liberals who cut immigration levels.
“As a result of our actions, we have cut the backlog of applications by almost half, eliminated the backlog for economic immigrants, and lowered wait times for skilled workers coming to Canada,” said Alexis Pavlich, press secretary to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration.
“John McCallum and the Liberal Party continue to mislead Canadians on their shameful record on immigration.”
Immigration is set to be a hot topic in the lead-up to the 2015 general elections in Canada.
