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Saturday, June 25, 2005
Why on earth are we doing this?
This sounds absolutely crazy...Why on earth are we allowing family members of a Syrian general to come to Canada and give birth????
Canada has issued visitors' visas to the daughter and daughter-in-law of a hard-line Syrian general so they could give birth to their children in Canada, says a published report.
Zeina Khair, daughter-in-law of Syrian Gen. Bahjat Suleiman, left Canada this spring after giving birth to a girl in Montreal, the Globe and Mail reported Friday. The visit was sponsored by a friend of the family who lives in Montreal.
Suleiman is the former head of Syrian interior intelligence and a key figure in the country's dictatorial government.
His seven-months pregnant daughter Randala Suleiman has also received a tourist visa and intends to visit Montreal to give birth, said the Globe.
According to the report, which cites sources close to the situation, it's common for the children of senior Syrian officials to deliver their children in Canada to give them citizenship and a place to receive a low-cost education.
Posted by gayandright on June 25, 2005 | Permalink
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Comments
This is hardly surprising considering Canada's warped immigration policy that it has had for years.
Posted by: Michael Dabioch | 2005-06-25 3:43:05 PM
It's not for the "low-cost education", it's to give them somewhere safe to escape to when the shit hits the fan in their home country.
Posted by: random | 2005-06-25 5:06:37 PM
Here's a better question: Why are we allowing members of the Syrian royal family to work in the Canadian embassy in Syria?
Posted by: Kate | 2005-06-25 5:15:55 PM
Hey no worries. Ask Maher Arar about how good Canadian citizenship is in Syria!
Posted by: Scott | 2005-06-25 10:28:37 PM
The confering of Canadian citizenship on someone simply because they were born in Canada should end. The legislation which allows this is obsolete and was intended to naturalize slaves and their children centuries ago. Imagine someone in line to be a Syrian military or government official having Canadian citizenship.
Can you say confict of interest? I knew you could.
Posted by: Speller | 2005-06-26 10:55:48 AM
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