Canada's Immigration Policy: Sklarzyk Family

By Christopher Walsh
January 15, 2002
Have you been reading the newspaper lately? Or how about 11 o'clock news? If you have, you must have heard about the Polish family that's being deported because of a $50 mix up. The family paid $1150.00 confused about the actual cost of $1200.00. They are being kicked out of our great country because of $50. Is that pathetic or what?

Elinor Caplan, our minister of immigration, did tell our whole country that she would not let a mixup of $50 have a whole family deported, of which two of the children were born in Canada. The family has been in Toronto, Canada, since 1994. Living here for that time on renewed visitor's permits. Caplan told us they were not going to be kicked out, and infact, they are being deported.

Thankful to the media, things could be turned around. The family might be given the right to stay in Canada. Would our idiotic government make up their mind. The Government of Canada isn't totally to blame for this. You must have a look at it in their eyes. They family DID send in some money for the processing fees. But what the media isn't telling you is that they never sent in the forms to complete the process.

They are here illegally. But shouldn't they be given the right to stay in Canada, we are the second biggest country in the world, and have one of the smallest populations in the G7, and if that isn't bad, our population is not growing rapidly.

The media is really making this look bad to the government, and Elinor Caplan herself. She isn't bad, I've met here, I should know. Canada really needs to revise their policies for their own sake, and for our sake.

All in all, these people should be given a chance to stay here. It just isn't fair if they can't. Even when two of their kids we're born here.




Followup:
John Smith writes: Concerning Mr. Sklarzyk and his family, I have no problem not letting someone stay in Canada once their visitors’ visa has expired but I do have a problem taking seven years to do it. Enough time to start a business and have two kids, enough time for the older kids to have most of their education here.

“Judge Romain Pitt of the Ontario Court ruled a week last Monday that the law prevents him from reviewing a recent Federal Court ruling that permitted the deportation. He said the Sklarzyk family appears to be a victim of an "administrative foul-up" by immigration authorities. He pointed out that Mr. Sklarzyk had, in fact, paid the administrative fees twice and has yet to receive a refund. Judge Pitt pointed out that immigration officials have the power to defer deportation orders if they are likely to result in considerable heartbreak and dislocation.”

Are the immigration officials so embarrassed by the whole affair that the making a decision based on protecting their respective Asses. The Sklarzyks should leave their two youngest Canadian children and leave them for us to raise but they are far to humane and compassionate to do that “(……they launched an application to remain on humanitarian and compassionate grounds. A few months later, immigration officials began deportation proceedings.)” Please ask Ms. Caplan to wake up and smell the roses. These are the kind of people we need in Canada.

Another interesting question is why does it cost $1200 to make an application to stay in Canada on humanitarian and compassionate grounds? This sounds usury to say the least.


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