Malton MP questions immigration policy
By: John Stewart
Mississauga.com
June 12, 2008 12:45 PM –
A Mississauga MP says there is something funny about the number and locations of people who have become Canadian citizens in the past year under Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government.
The number of new Canadians rose dramatically in Conservative strongholds while falling dramatically in the rest of Canada, according to Gurbax Singh Malhi, the Liberal MP representing Bramalea-Gore-Malton.
With Bill C-50, the Conservative government showed its willingness to manipulate the immigration system for partisan gain, Malhi said in a press release yesterday. These statistics suggest that the government may also be playing games with the citizenship program.
In response to a question by Malhi, figures were released that show the number of new Canadians rose by 37.1 per cent in Manitoba, 24.5 per cent in Alberta, 17.3 per cent in Saskatchewan in the past year, while falling 35.1 per cent in Ontario, 33.6 per cent in Quebec and 14.4 per cent in B.C.
The trend is clear, said Malhi. In areas of core Conservative support, the number of new citizens increased. In areas where the Conservatives did not do well last election, the number of new citizens went down dramatically.”
