A federal humanitarian program to bring migrants from the Caribbean and South America to Canada has reached capacity fewer than two months after its launch, prompting criticism that it’s an inequitable approach to immigration from certain countries.
Ottawa resident Nixon Valere, 54, was ecstatic when the federal government announced in October it would open the door to 11,000 people from Colombia, Venezuela and Haiti who have immediate family members living in Canada, either as citizens or permanent residents.
The program was officially launched the following month.
For years, Valere has wanted to bring his six brothers and their children from Haiti to join the rest of his family in Canada because it’s a dangerous and even deadly place
