A high-powered delegation of
influential Pakistani community members, led by Team Leaders of Pak Seniors
Forum (PSF), despite worst weather warning and condition, braved the chilly and
snowy winter storm and held an important meeting with John Carmichael, MP for
Don Valley West, and Costas Menegakis, MP for Richmond Hill, on Saturday,
December 14, 2013, at the office of John Carmichael at Suite # 704, 18 Wynford
Drive, Toronto, Ontario, M3C3S2, Canada.
The meeting lasted for over an hour and proved very successful in the sense that
it provided an opportunity for both the parties to better express and understand
each other, the issues and problems.
In short, after healthy discussion, it was observed and found that priorities
and policy changes are urgently needed and extremely necessary with serious
consideration of issues and problems to save the people from great painful
suffering, mental torture, frustration, disappointment and uncertainty and
Canada from tremendous losses in the shape of waste of these genius and their
talents, skills and experiences. Canada and the people could benefit greatly if
the outdated and wrong policies and bad leadership are replaced with the right
and true ones.
Only true leadership is capable of bringing the changes and doing this otherwise
the parties and THEIR leaders with VESTED INTERESTS would keep exploiting and
playing with the stability, progress, prosperity and the future of the people
and Canada---The cause of all sufferings.
Both the MPs, John Carmichael and Costas Menegakis, not only warmly welcomed the
PSF team and Pakistani community leaders of other groups, addressed them, heard
them patiently but also held meaningful discussion on various important issues
and problems including unnecessary extraordinary delays in immigration,spousal
and other sponsorship and citizenship processes, recognition of accreditation,
extreme hardships and difficulties in settlement, adjustment and employment due
to lack of Canadian experienceand renewal of expired permanent resident (PR)
card.
Costas Menegakis, MP, who is Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of
Citizenship & Immigration, in response to the questions on immigration said: “We
inherited from Liberals a broken immigration system with a huge pile of
increasing backlog. We looked into the system to fix it and worked hard to cut
the backlog which climbed over a million. We have greatly reduced the backlog.
Our priority and greatest focus is on backlog.We just don’t want to keep
accepting applications to increase the backlog. We are screening the
applications to avoid abuses.”
He said: “We enjoy good relations with Pakistan and a great number of Pakistanis
are being accepted for immigration to Canada. The delay is due to the processes
of selecting, screening and security checks in order to avoid abuses and ensure
selection of those who really deserve to qualify.”
He cited the Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration, 2013 and highlighted
the salient.