Our Flawed Visitor Visa System

Why are thousands of people not allowed to visit their families in Canada? We don't know.

Close to 300,000 applications for visitor visas were turned down last year because of Regulation 179, a section of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act that allows immigration officers to deny visa requests if they believe the person is a threat to stay in the country. However, the regulation has been criticized because of its lack of specificity and transparency. For instance, those who are denied visas are told they do not meet the requirements, though no requirements are written down in Regulation 179.

Olivia Chow, NDP MP for Trinity-Spadina, joins The Mark to speak about why she thinks the visitor visa system in Canada is flawed, and why she hasn't gotten any constructive feedback from the Conservative government.