Proposed immigration bill gives life to family's dream woman has tried for 20 years to bring her sister to Canada
Jason Bell Jason Bell Sonja Leung has lived what she calls a dream life in Canada, but the dream is not nearly complete. For more than 20 years, Leung has tried in vain to sponsor her older sister, Linda, into Canada from the Philippines. Now, the Oakbank resident is hoping a new bill -- it's called the "once in a lifetime" bill -- proposed by the federal NDP will make it possible for her family to be reunited. The private member's bill, C-436, would amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to allow for a one-time-only sponsorship of a relative who would not otherwise be considered under the family class sponsorship rules. "We miss her very, very much," said Leung, among a diverse crowd of about 140 people who packed a small meeting room at the Filcasa Housing Co-op last night as Winnipeg MPs Pat Martin(Winnipeg Centre) and Judy Wasylycia-Leis (Winnipeg North Centre) discussed the bill. "Every year, I pray they will be with us at Christmas. But we have been frustrated and disappointed so many times. There are so many roadblocks." Leung has only seen her sister twice since 1975 when she immigrated to Winnipeg. Linda Sison is a teacher, and is married with three children. "Canada is like paradise to someone from the Philippines," said Leung, who began as a waitress in Winnipeg and now owns a restaurant in Oakbank with her husband and daughter. Five years after arriving in Canada, Leung sponsored her parents and two younger siblings to join her in Winnipeg. Linda, however, was over the age of 18 and was not able to join the family. Currently, a spouse or partner, a dependent child under 22, a parent or grandparent, or a brother, sister, niece, nephew or grandchild under 18 may be sponsored. But, under the proposed bill, a Canadian citizen or permanent resident could sponsor a relative from the following list: a brother or sister of any age; a first cousin; an aunt or uncle; a son or daughter over the age of 22; and a niece or nephew of any age. The bill was initiated by Vancouver East MP Libby Davies and is co-sponsored by Martin and Wasylycia-Leis. Martin said his party is preparing to garner thousands of signatures from Canadians to present to the Liberal government when Parliament re-opens in the new year. "We hope to present 50,000 names along with the introduction of our bill," he said.
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