Motion on Israel-Hamas war will have consequences for asylum seekers in Gaza, minister says - Action News
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Motion on Israel-Hamas war will have consequences for asylum seekers in Gaza, minister says

Immigration Minister Marc Miller says the amended motion on the Israel-Hamas war the House of Commons passed Monday could make it harder for people seeking asylum in Canada to get out of Gaza.

State of Canadian program, which Marc Miller calls a 'failure,' could get worse

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister Marc Miller rises during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Monday, March 18, 2024.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister Marc Miller rises during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Monday, March 18, 2024. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)

A parliamentary motion on the Israel-Hamas war the House of Commons passed Monday could make it harder for people seeking asylum in Canada to get out of Gaza, Immigration Minister Marc Miller said Wednesday.

He said it could make the situation worse for a Canadian program that has already been, in his words, a "failure."

The motion, initially brought forward by the New Democrats, was dramatically amended by the Liberals with NDP consent shortly before a late-night vote on Parliament Hill.

The amended version of the motion, which had been altered to reflect the 14 separate changes proposed by the Liberals, was fair and principled, Miller said.

The final version eliminated a standalone call to recognize Palestinian statehood and instead saw MPsvoice support for a peace process and a two-state solution, in keeping with existing Canadian policy.

But Miller said the motion has upset Israel's government and will have consequences.

Israel's foreign minister said Tuesday that measures outlined in the motion, including the suspension of arms exports to Israel, would undermine his country's ability to defend itself and that history would judge Canada harshly.

The government always knew the program to offer asylum to extended family members of Canadians who are in the Gaza Strip could fail, Miller said.

It was designed to offer as many as 1,000 temporary visas to people in the Gaza Strip with extended family in Canada, but the minister warned from the outset that getting people out through the tightly controlled Rafah border crossing would be a challenge.

Only 14 people have been able to complete the visa process and get out through the crossing, which is controlled by Egypt and Israel, and all of them have done it without Canada's aid.

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The motion could have consequences for others who are waiting, he said.

"The adoption of that motion doesn't help getting people out," Miller said, noting thatthe Israeli government has made it clear that it is watching what Canada does.

"Any actions that are seen as to be unfavourable can affect their decision-making at the highest political level," he said.

"And so we can't be naive as a country as to the actions that we take and the impact that can have on the ground and for actual people's lives."

Israel's Ambassador to CanadaIddo Moeddid not quell those concerns when asked about Miller's comments Wednesday.

"I just can't say anything about it at the moment," he said in an interview.

NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan called the minister's comments "outrageous."

"Not one person has made it to Canada in safety," Kwan said. "And now he wants to blame the NDPfor standing up for human rights, for standing up for international law and the rule of law?"

NDP MP Jenny Kwan speaks to reporters about her briefing with CSIS where they confirmed that she was a target of foreign interference, in the Foyer of the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Monday, May 29, 2023. It took about an hour for Jenny Kwan to be briefed by Canada's spy agency and not even a second for her to decide it won't let her bend.
NDP MP Jenny Kwan speaks to reporters in the Foyer of the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Monday, May 29, 2023. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)

Miller said he was not saying that the motion was "a bad thing to adopt," adding it represented a "principled position" as amended.

"But the actions of the government of Canada (have) consequences," he said. "And on the particular impact of that program, I don't think that motion is necessarily a good thing."

Kwan led calls for a special immigration program to bring the extended family members of Canadians out of Gaza to safety in Canada, and has been a vocal critic of how the program has since unfolded.

She has called on the minister to lift the 1,000-visa cap, which the minister has pledged to do, and process applications more quickly to get people to safety.

Some people have made it out of Gaza at great cost, without Canada's help, and have completed their biometric screening only to find themselves stuck in Egypt awaiting a Canadian visa, Kwan said.

"He cannot point the figure at anyone else but himself for that failure," Kwan said.