As Russky Toronto writes, the essence of the scandal surrounding former Canadian Minister of Immigration and Citizenship Judy Sgro is as follows. As a member of Parliament for York West, she allegedly promised Hardjit Singh, the owner of a pizzeria in Brampton (a Toronto suburb populated mainly by immigrants from Southeast Asia), help in resolving his immigration problems. In exchange, he would provide volunteers and supply the minister's election headquarters with pizza for free during the elections.
However, when Singh's case was brought to an open court, the minister refused her promise, and the pizzeria owner faces deportation. After that, he publicized the results of his agreements with Judy Sgro, calling her reputation into question. And although the former immigration minister denies even the very fact of meeting with Hardjit Singh and having had a conversation, in the last few days several of Singh's acquaintances have come forward as witnesses against her, which makes the accusation against her quite substantial.
Hardjit Singh, along with his two sons and daughter, is accused of credit card fraud, through which his clients paid for orders. He is also charged with having left Canada several times using a fake passport. And statements that Ms. Sgro promised to help such individuals with their immigration problems, especially in exchange for offerings from them, are taken quite seriously in Canada.
The most unpleasant thing for Judy Sgro is that this is not the first such accusation against her. A few months ago, her name already appeared on the front pages of newspapers in connection with the case of 25-year-old Romanian stripper Alina Balajkan, to whom the minister, by her order, issued a permit to stay and work in Canada in exchange for the girl's participation as a volunteer on her election campaign staff in the past elections. Earlier, the newspapers also discussed information about how much the first months of Sgro's stay in an Ottawa hotel cost the state after she was appointed minister. When things went too far, Sgro was forced to resign.
What changes can now be expected in connection with the change of minister?
On the one hand, Sgro's resignation occurred because of a scandal not directly related to the policy of the immigration ministry, which is currently in a state of compromise that suits both supporters of stricter screening of candidates and those who advocate liberalizing this process. On the other hand, even though the resignation was unplanned, this does not mean that behind all the accusations against Sgro, which have been raining down on her since she assumed the post of Minister of Immigration and Citizenship, there are no forces interested in tightening Canada's immigration policy.
One has to talk about the existence of such forces, given the persistence with which the new immigration law was pushed through. In September 2003, the government had to significantly soften the selection criteria, but this does not mean that the forces that initially stood behind the development of deliberately impracticable conditions will not try to take revenge.
It is particularly worth noting that the change of ministers of immigration and citizenship in Canada occurs with surprising frequency. The appointment of Joe Volpe is the fifth in the past four years – since the beginning of the third millennium, the head of the Ministry of Immigration and Citizenship of Canada has been occupied by Lucienne Robillard, Eleanor Caplan, Denis Coderre, and Judy Sgro. Apparently, not everything is calm in this department if ministers cannot keep their seats for long.
About Joe Volpe, it is known that before working in the field of political activity, he was a school principal. Then, after being elected to the House of Commons in 1988, he served as Minister of Human Resources and Vocational Education, was a member of standing committees on industry, science and technology development, as well as the committee on natural resources. He worked for a long time in the Ministry of Health and in committees related to health care. Currently, he is the co-chairman of the Canada-China Friendship Society and the Canada-China Legislative Association.
Judging by Joe Volpe's track record, one gets the impression that he is not inclined to take reckless steps and is unlikely to repeat the mistakes of his predecessors – Kaplan and Coderre, who pushed through absolutely thoughtless decisions with energy worthy of better use. At least, one can expect that the decisions made by the new minister will be more balanced and built with a view to long-term policy in this area. The question is: what will this policy be?
Probably, as experts of Russky Toronto assume, one can expect changes in the system of selecting applicants under the Skilled worker category. It is not ruled out that a number of professions with which one can currently immigrate will fall out of the list, and the road to Canada will be closed for their representatives. It is also possible that the criteria for assessing education and its correspondence to work experience may be changed.
In addition, the Minister of Immigration and Citizenship has the right to periodically adjust the minimum passing score. When the new law was adopted in June 2002, a passing minimum of 75 points was introduced, which practically closed the door to Canada for most applicants. In September 2003, it was lowered to 67 points. Another change in the passing minimum is possible. Although it is unlikely to happen before the middle of this year.
Given Volpe's current chairmanship of the Canada-China Friendship Society and the Canada-China Legislative Association, it is not excluded that immigrants from China will gain an advantage. And this could negatively affect opportunities for applicants from other countries.
Starting in September 2003, immigration conditions to Canada were noticeably eased compared to the unpassable requirements of the new law of June 28, 2002. Therefore, those who plan to immigrate to Canada should use the opportunity that has appeared as soon as possible. After all, there is no guarantee that such a situation will last long. Practice shows that after the liberalization of immigration legislation, it gradually becomes stricter through the introduction of by-laws. Therefore, experts at Russian Toronto do not advise delaying the start of the immigration process.