The reception process for Ukrainian refugees is too slow and could be greatly improved by putting an end to the selection criteria and setting up an aerial “humanitarian gateway”, according to Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet.
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“It’s not an immigration operation, it’s a rescue operation,” complained the Bloc leader. “We must save the lives of Ukrainian refugees.”
After delivering a speech in the Commons in support of the Ukrainian people and their president Volodymyr Zelensky, Mr. Blanchet pleaded for the government to step on the accelerator.
Nearly 3 million Ukrainians have left the country since the start of the Russian invasion nearly three weeks ago, according to the United Nations.
“It’s just too long. Stop the criteria, the parameters, the procrastination, the calculations, ”reacted Mr. Blanchet.
The Department of Immigration has introduced the Canada-Ukraine Emergency Travel Authorization, which speeds up the immigration process by removing a host of criteria normally required to obtain a visa.
The program should come into effect this Thursday, March 17, according to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly.
“All scenarios are on the table” regarding the repatriation of refugees, said the minister.
Note that the Polish Prime Minister Andrzej Duda had added his voice to those who asked for the chartering of planes to transport the refugees to their host country.
Poland is the main country of exile for Ukrainians who leave their country at war.
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Reference-www.journaldemontreal.com