Family Reunification: Immigration Minister

Jason Kenney Dept: The four arrested men are not alleged to be international players. Rather they are said to have been crewmen and organizers aboard a ship known as the Ocean Lady who arrived to Canada along with more than 70 other migrant Sri Lankan Tamils in late 2009, according to Globe And Mail. Under current smuggling laws, if convicted the suspects face sentences of up to life in prison, and $1-million fines. Following an initial bail hearing in Brampton, Ont. on Wednesday, they are to be transported to Vancouver to await trial. “All of our intelligence indicates that people are prepared to pay these operations up to $45,000 to be smuggled to Canada in part because they are calculating that they will shortly thereafter be able to sponsor several family members through our very generous family reunification process,” Immigration Minister Jason Kenney told reporters in Ottawa. “They were crew members, so yes, they were in the cabin … they were responsible for the navigation of the boat,” Sergeant Marc LaPorte, an RCMP spokesman, told reporters. As reported in the news.
@t sri lankan tamils, globe and mail