Where is Canada’s immigration minister? Community groups are asking

Don’t expect her to survive the next shuffle:

When Lena Diab was appointed head of Canada’s Immigration Department, community expectations were high.

The new minister is the daughter of immigrants, is trilingual and spent part of her childhood in Lebanon. Diab had also previously served in cabinet in her home province of Nova Scotia.

“It seemed like the perfect plan,” said Stephan Reichhold, executive director of the Quebec-based Table de concertation des organismes au service des personnes réfugiées et immigrantes.

But Reichhold quickly became disillusioned with a minister who, in his opinion, was conspicuous in her absence.

Members of Parliament are also expressing disappointment in Diab’s performance — including some of her fellow Liberal caucus members.

‘She is completely absent’

Reichhold said he has never managed to speak directly with Diab, despite repeatedly asking to meet following her swearing-in last May.

“I have seen 14 immigration ministers come and go, and it is truly surprising. We are really astonished that she is completely absent,” Reichhold said.

That’s in contrast with her predecessor Marc Miller, who Reichhold said had frequent contact with stakeholders in the field even when his government lowered its immigration targets.

Radio-Canada spoke with five other organizations that criticized Diab’s availability. Among them is the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, which spoke with the minister only once, via videoconference, last spring.

The organization is seeking to open a path to permanent residency for Ukrainians who have fled the war, but has still not managed to secure an in-person meeting with Diab. Her predecessors were more readily available, said the CEO of the congress, Ihor Michalchyshyn.

“It’s frustrating,” he said. “We haven’t been able to schedule a meeting despite several attempts.”

Organizations also note that the minister is not very visible in the media, even as the immigration issue was widely covered in Quebec.

When asked to comment, Diab declined Radio-Canada’s request for an interview and did not provide a written response.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Mark Carney said that “as minister of immigration, [Diab] plays a key role in the government’s mandate to bring immigration back to sustainable levels, while attracting the best talent in the world to help build our economy.”

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) did not comment on the criticism from community groups.

Committee presence criticized

On the few occasions when Diab has been visible — in parliamentary committee, for example — her performance has raised eyebrows.

At the end of October, the minister had difficulty answering a question from the Bloc Québécois about processing times for refugee status applications and sought information from the civil servants sitting next to her.

Exasperated, MP Claude DeBellefeuille snapped, “Madam minister, why won’t you answer me? It’s your power. Why are you delegating it to your civil servant?”

“There are many laws governing these issues,” Diab replied, adding that “it depends on the circumstances.”

A few weeks later, Conservative immigration critic Michelle Rempel Garner, known for her sharp tongue in committee, questioned Diab about the possibility of extending the visas of millions of temporary residents and called her a “very bad minister.” The exchange was widely shared on social media.

“I understand as a woman in politics, sometimes you can get framed unfairly,” said Rempel Garner in an interview with Radio-Canada. “But she is the minister of immigration. She has to step it up, right? And I just, I haven’t seen that.… I feel like I know the file far better than she does.”

The minister testified this month before two Senate committees studying the border security legislation Bill C-12. On several occasions, Diab had to give the floor to the officials accompanying her, visibly unable to answer the questions.

“She doesn’t have a strong command of her file,” said Bloc Québécois MP Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, who was present during some of these committee exchanges and who, until recently, was the Bloc’s immigration critic.

Discouraged Liberals 

Criticism is coming not only from opposition parties, but also from Diab’s own Liberal colleagues.

Away from the cameras, 10 Liberal MPs spoke to Radio-Canada about her performance. They were granted confidentiality in order to express themselves freely.

Of those, only one defended Diab’s job performance. Although several of them emphasized that she is a “good person” in charge of a “difficult” portfolio, nine MPs said they believe that the minister is overwhelmed and are openly questioning her place at the cabinet table.

“It doesn’t make sense. In the House of Commons, many MPs hold their breath when she answers questions from the opposition,” said one Liberal elected official.

“We’re afraid she’ll put her foot in her mouth.”

Source: Where is Canada’s immigration minister? Community groups are asking