Proposed amendments in Canada’s immigration laws: Bill delayed until next week; ignite debate over its net effects

Though the second (and final) reading on Bill C-50 was scheduled on March 31, 2008 in the ongoing 2nd session of 39th Parliament, but it has been postponed by the government until later this week or early next week.

This delay, as I think, could have some hidden political agenda, which would not be discussed here, but on the other hand, this postponement is providing an opportunity to businesses, policy groups, lawyers and advocacy groups to comment on the net effects of proposed legislation.

As this debate is getting fire in Canada, immigration groups and lawyers are overwhelmingly opposing the proposed changes to Canada's immigration laws. Their main concern is that the changes will give open-ended powers to the Immigration Minister to instruct the department. In their opinion, the legislation does not say what those instructions would look like because they would be made public only after the bill is passed by Parliament through a notice in the Canada Gazette. Departmental officials say the instructions would be solely focused on fast-tracking skilled workers to meet demand, but critics say the law as worded could allow instructions that block the processing of applications based on country of origin, race or religion thus promote a fundamentally unfair system. It will likely encourage the use of labor exploitation through temporary work permits. There are also objections to the changes relating to mandatory review of humanitarian applications.

Policy groups and major business organizations backing this initiative on simply one point: it would give officials the authority to prioritize and process immigration applications made under the skilled worker class according to Canada's labor market needs. This group has urged that immigration policy must work as an investment for the future of Canada, rather than simply put pressure on already stretched social programs. They are certain that the government is moving in the right direction by focusing on Canada's economic needs. Last year, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) issued a report on immigration and labor shortages in Canada that called for a reduction in immigration waiting times and more emphasis on skilled workers.

The two major political parties of Canada have their own specific agendas on this issue, however, NDP is quite clear and openly opposing the proposed changes in immigration laws. The Liberals, on the other hand, are not disclosing their position but it seems that they may abstain from voting.

It would further be important to note that if the proposed bill passed by the House of Commons at the end of this week or early next week, it will likely go to a Parliamentary Committee for consideration, which can take up to 60 days. If this would be the situation, the proposed bill may become the law in the end of May or beginning of June. However, I am not certain of a definitive timeframe.