On Dec. 22, as Ottawa shut down for the holidays, Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced what many in Canada with loved ones in Gaza had been seeking for months: special immigration measures that allow Palestinians with family in Canada to seek temporary refuge here from the bombing, mass displacement, and impending crises of famine and disease in Gaza.
These conditions led Global Affairs Minister Melanie Joly, as early as Oct. 14, to describe Gaza as “one of the worst places on Earth to be right now.”
The policy as announced, however, suffers from serious deficiencies. It excludes the families of Palestinians who are in Canada seeking protection, even if they have already been found to be refugees under Canadian law.
