Canadian Prime Minister Steven Harper spoke at an Indo-Canadian gala event held in downtown Toronto on Saturday, April 19, 2008. In his speech, he repeated his government’s desire to implement the proposed legislative changes to revise the Canadian immigration system. The changes would place highly coveted immigrants – like doctors or other skilled labourers – on the fast track through the Canadian Immigration system. But while their papers would get processed quickly, other immigrants would be forced to wait behind them in the queue. The new rules would apply only to those applications received on or after February 27, 2008. The opposition Liberals have allowed the changes to pass through the legislature so far to avoid triggering an election over the issue, however there may be opportunities for the Liberals to oppose the reforms to Canada’s immigration process later on. The backlog of applications must be dealt with and it remains to be seen whether the Conservative government’s proposal will enable more effective management of the Canadian immigration system.
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