General

Ottawa calls for investigation into PEI immigration regime

Follows allegations of fraud and bribery that allowed hundreds into Canada

The federal government has asked the RCMP and the Canada Border Services Agency to look into Prince Edward Island’s immigration program, after alleged fraud and bribery allowed hundreds of people—mainly from China—to buy entry into the country. Premier Robert Ghiz has been dogged by such allegations for years since some of his relatives, as well as those of other ministers and MLAs, benefited from the province’s immigrant investor program, wherein immigrants invest in local companies. The federal Citizenship and Immigration Department called in the police after a provincial official described an incident at a Hong Kong hotel where PEI bureaucrats accepted cash filled envelopes from would-be immigrant investors to have their applications approved. Ghiz questioned the timing of the allegations, which come three weeks before Islanders head to the polls for a provincial election. “Although there are clear political motivations to these allegations—which have been raised repeatedly in the past and have been shown to have no substance—government will cooperate fully with any formal inquiries into these matters,” he said in a statement to the Globe and Mail. The province has never released a full list of companies that received investment through the program.

The Globe and Mail

Looking for more?

Get the Best of Maclean's sent straight to your inbox. Sign up for news, commentary and analysis.
  • By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
FILED UNDER: