The government of Canada is open to resolving the situation of Portuguese people working in the country but in an illegal situation, according to the president of the republic, who admitted that there are “tens of thousands of them”.
“They are working hard in Canada, and I think there is a great openness in the Canadian government to solve the problem,” Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa told journalists during a walking tour of Toronto’s most Portuguese neighborhood, known as “Klein Portugal”. “.
The Head of State was questioned on this topic at the end of his five-day official visit to Canada, dedicated to the Portuguese expatriate communities in this country.
“During my stay I spoke with Prime Minister Trudeau, who agreed that it was necessary to legalize them. Some of them have been here for ten years, fifteen years, twenty years, others for five years. I met several who waved at me on the way here for college [de Toronto]are not legalized, not documented”, replied the President of the Republic.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa added that he also spoke about this issue with Canada’s Immigration Minister “and he was the first to recognize that it needs to be resolved urgently.”
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa emphasized that “Canada is committed to an open position on immigration” and argued that “it seems fair that before dealing with immigration in general, we deal with those who are already working and already creating wealth.”
According to the President of the Republic, the 2021 census indicated that there are almost 450,000 people of Portuguese descent living in Canada, but in addition there are “probably tens of thousands – 10,000, 15,00, 20,000 – spread around the world. this continent” that “are not legalized, but are fundamental” in sectors such as water and sanitation, infrastructure and public works.
Source: DN
