The rate of illegal immigrants who have decided to take refuge in Canada has increased significantly since the discovery of the coronavirus in 2019.
This is what the Canadian Minister of International Development and the Pacific Economic Development Agency said.
In an exclusive interview granted to ZoomHaitiNews, Harjit Sajjan boasted about the generosity of Canada in the way of immigration. The doors of Canada are always open to all those who have decided to go there, said Mr. Sajjan. “Even during the Coronavirus pandemic, Canada has kept its acceptance rate of migrants up,” the Canadian official said, adding that his country has a strong and robust immigration system, but also very welcoming. The files of illegal immigrants will be processed according to the laws in force, he warned.
The minister in charge of the Pacific economic development agency also stressed that some of the immigration restrictions due to the Coronavirus outbreak have been relaxed. Now, all legally documented persons wishing to travel to Canada can do so properly. However, they must present a document attesting that they are fully vaccinated. This provision is not valid for Canadian citizens who must have a negative test to COVID-19 to enter Canada, explains Mr. Sajjan.
During this interview with ZoomHaitiNews and CaribbeanTelevisionNetwork, the head of Canada’s international economic policy also welcomed the support of his country to Haiti. Since the earthquake of January 12, 2010, Canada has already disbursed more than 1.8 billion dollars in the reconstruction efforts of Haiti, said the former Minister of Defense.
Invited to comment on the socio-political situation in Haiti, Harjit Sajjan refrained from making comments, reiterating his country’s support to the Haitian people. However, he did not rule out the possibility of meeting with Haitian actors in the search for a solution to the crisis.
On January 21, the Canadian authorities had organized a virtual meeting in support of Haiti. During this meeting with foreign ministers, Canada announced a contribution of 50.4 million dollars to Haiti. These funds should be allocated to “health services for Haitians, strengthen Haiti’s security capacity and infrastructure, support sexual and reproductive health and rights, and help address food insecurity and other humanitarian challenges,” according to a statement on the Canadian Foreign Affairs website.
Of this amount, $15.35 million should be allocated to strengthening the Haitian National Police, including $3 million to increase the number of female police officers within the PHN, $17.48 million to improve the rights of women and adolescent girls, and $12 million to fight food insecurity.
