Palestinian Canadians have renewed their calls for Canada to take concrete steps to get their loved ones out of the Gaza Strip amid Israel’s relentless bombardment, calling the temporary Gaza visa program launched earlier a failure This year.
Omar Omar, a representative of the advocacy group Gazan Families, said Tuesday that he had been trying to get his relatives out of Gaza for months.
“It’s been over a year now, and I still ask that my family – stuck in Gaza, under constant threat of losing their lives at any moment – be treated with the same urgency, the same humanity, as Canada granted to others. “, he declared during a press conference in Ottawa.
“This long fight, this exhausting plea has exhausted our resources and everything we have. We have lost so much in Gaza, and here in Canada, this struggle is destroying the lives we tried to build.
The Canadian government launched the Special Gaza Visa Program earlier this year to allow Canadian citizens and permanent residents to apply to bring extended family members from Gaza to the country.
But from the start, families and immigration lawyers said the process was confusing and included invasive questions that went beyond what is typically required, including detailed work history and scars or injuries requiring medical attention.
They also accused the government of imposing stricter requirements on Palestinians than on others who have applied for temporary visas in recent years, such as Ukrainians.
Canada approved more than 960,000 visas for Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s invasion of their country – an approval rate of 81 per cent – and nearly 300,000 people arrived over a two-year period.
In contrast, the Gaza visa program was capped at 5,000 visas.
Canada’s Immigration Department told Tel Aviv Tribune last month that as of October 5, only 733 applications from Palestinians “who left Gaza on their own” – without government assistance – had been approved .
On that same date, only 334 Palestinians had arrived in the country, the ministry said, without specifying why the others had not yet landed in Canada.
“When I saw Canada welcoming thousands of Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war, I had hope. I thought the same compassion would extend to my family,” Omar said during Tuesday’s press conference.
“But that’s not the case. The betrayal – the cold refusal – made me wonder if there is any heart left in this government, if there is any compassion left for people like us.
Canada said it could not decide who would leave the Gaza Strip.
Israel and Egypt control the Rafah border crossing, south of the enclave, and it has been closed for months due to the Israeli military offensive, which has killed at least 43,972 Palestinians across Gaza since October 2023.
“The main challenge remains the ability of people to leave Gaza, as leaving Gaza remains extremely difficult, if not impossible, due to various factors beyond Canada’s control,” an Immigration spokesperson told Tel Aviv Tribune , Refugees and Citizenship Canada. email in October.
“Canada will continue to work closely with local authorities – at all levels – to facilitate the departure of extended family members and defend their safety. »
But rights advocates said the Canadian government should put more pressure on Israel to allow Palestinians allowed to come to Canada under the visa program to leave the bombed coastal territory.
“If this government truly wanted to save the Palestinians, Israel would face serious consequences if it prevented their exit from Gaza,” Alex Paterson of the advocacy group Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East said at the conference. press release on Tuesday.
Ultimately, the success of Ukraine’s visa program “shows what is possible,” said David Matsinhe, director of research, policy and advocacy at Amnesty International Canada.
“This demonstrates very clearly the government’s ability to act with urgency and determination during humanitarian crises,” he told reporters in Ottawa.
Matsinhe released a list of demands asking Canada to strengthen the visa system for Gaza, including removing the cap on the number of applicants and increasing diplomatic pressure on Israel and Egypt to facilitate the exit of Palestinians.
“This delay, even as the relentless bombing continues, is a tragedy and raises a frightening question,” he said. “Was this program deliberately designed to fail?