Here is a story from Canada.com. Not surprisingly, most mass conferences in the past, especially those dealing with religious or AIDS groups, have served as an excuse for hundreds of people remaining in Canada and asking for "refugee" status.
Hundreds of religious conference delegates in Que. denied visas
Marianne White
Canwest News Service
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
QUEBEC - Organizers of a series of conventions to be held in Quebec City in the coming weeks are pulling their hair out over Immigration Canada's decision to turn down the visa requests of many African citizens.
Citing fears that the delegates will refuse to leave the country after the events, Ottawa has refused to let many of them in.
Among those rejected candidates are priests and participants in the International Eucharistic Congress expected to bring together 11,000 delegates starting June 15.
Of the more than 1,200 people who have requested a visa to attend this specific event, fewer than 500 have so far received their visa. Many have been sponsored by local religious groups.
Organizers are baffled by the situation, especially since they notified Canadian immigration authorities more than two years ago about the event.
"I got calls from four different embassies asking me if I personally know the people requesting a visa," said Msgr. Jean Picher, secretary general of the event. "Of course I don't know them all personally, but they are not random people, they were selected by bishops in their country."
The situation is also causing headaches to organizers of a meeting of young people of the Francophonie. Their meeting started Tuesday without their president, a Guinea resident whose visa request was turned down like that of 12 other participants.
"What does it say about Canada, this so-called open and welcoming country?" said disappointed Mohamed Salem, organizer of the event.
A meeting of international librarians and an international conference on seniors also bumped into problems with Immigration Canada.
Opposition parties in Ottawa jumped on the story Wednesday and accused the federal government of being overzealous.
"We are talking about priests and laymen recommended by religious authorities in their country, not about bad terrorists. What can explain this zeal?" Bloc Quebecois MP Pierre Paquette asked in the House of Commons.
"It's impossible to guarantee that all requests will be approved because every single one has to be reviewed individually," Immigration Minister Diane Finley replied. "That being said, I asked my civil servants to treat all requests in a timely and fair fashion."
Paquette fired back that the situation is shameful and hurts Canada's image.
"The security and protection of our people here is our first responsibility as government," Finley said, refusing to explain why so many requests were turned down.
The Quebec government also voiced its concern and asked the federal government to speed things up.
"We have voiced concerns repeatedly," said Philippe Couillard, the minister responsible for Quebec City's 400th anniversary celebrations.
As part of the year-long festivities, dozens of major conventions are held in the city this year, including the Francophonie Summit in October.
"I understand that security matters, but this being said, this situation is not good for our country. It doesn't convey a good image of Canada and Quebec," he added.
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