R.
Chouhan: I have written various letters to the Minister
of Employment and Income Assistance regarding the problems
that sometimes confront sponsors when their spouses or ex-spouses
incur debts or social assistance obligations without the
knowledge of their sponsors. This matter is apparently now
under joint review by MEIA and the Ministry of Small Business
and Revenue, which is responsible for the collection of
sponsorship default debt.
Almost all of the people affected are persons of colour.
Some of them are immigrants. Has the Attorney General taken
any action with regard to these problems?
Hon. W. Oppal: The short answer is no. While I'm
aware of the issue raised by the member, I have not been
asked to get involved in it for reasons that appear apparent,
on their face, in any event, and that is that they belong
in other ministries. But there may well be issues there
that may overlap into the Ministry of Attorney General and
Ministry Responsible for Multiculturalism.
R. Chouhan: Yes, the ministries are looking into
it, but it's also an issue of immigration settlement, so
I would urge the Ministry of the Attorney General to look
into this matter and do something to correct that situation.
Also, my next question is…. The Attorney General is
no doubt aware of the problem of what are sometimes called
fraudulent marriages or sham marriages. You must have read
about it in newspapers these days. What steps is the Attorney
General taking to protect women from this form of exploitation?
Hon. W. Oppal: The matters of sham marriages and
marriages of convenience have been with us for 25 or 30
years. I recognize that in recent times we have seen an
exploitation of women, particularly women from South Asia,
who have been exploited for purposes of immigrant status
and the like.
The issue raised by the member is a valid one, but thus
far I have not been asked to specifically get involved in
the issue. I know of no offence that's being committed at
this stage. I recognize that the women who are the victims
of the sham marriages are put in a very difficult position,
and it may well be that they need some form of assistance.
I suppose it's taken me a long time to tell you that I haven't
done anything because nobody's asked me to do anything,
but it's an issue worth examining.
R. Chouhan: The Attorney General is responsible for
immigrant settlement services, and nobody has to ask the
Attorney General to do it. It's the Attorney General's responsibility
to look into these kinds of matters before being asked.
