Canada urged to create dedicated asylum pathway for Hong Kongers fleeing political persecution theglobeandmail.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from theglobeandmail.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Ottawa Must Create Asylum Pathways For Hongkongers Fleeing Persecution, Committee Hears
Canada’s current immigration and refugee policies need to include a dedicated pathway for Hongkongers fleeing persecution, a parliamentary committee heard on Feb. 1.
“This is not a conventional humanitarian crisis, so conventional solutions are not effective for those who need our help,” said Cherie Wong, the executive director of pro-democracy group Alliance Canada Hong Kong.
Wong was testifying before the Standing Committee of Citizenship and Immigration about the plight of Hongkongers under Beijing’s draconian national security law, which took effect on June 30, 2020.
Wong said Canada’s existing immigration programs aimed at supporting Hongkongers may appeal to upper-middle-class migrants, but are not accessible for “most Hongkongers” and fail to “consider the realities of everyday people” in the city.