Leona Alleslev, Deputy
Leader of Canada’s Conservatives and of the Official Opposition and Shadow
Cabinet Minister for Foreign Affairs, issued the following statement:
“As a result of this crisis, many Canadians have been stranded abroad and are
now desperately trying to make their way home. Canadians stranded abroad
are facing increasing uncertainty and anxiety as COVID-19 spreads, borders
close and countries rapidly restrict peoples’ movements.
“Over the past week, Conservatives have been contacted by numerous Canadians
who are frustrated with the repatriation system that the government has put in
place. This includes many vulnerable Canadians who were advised they had been
selected for a repatriation flight only to discover the system would not allow
them to purchase a ticket.
“Conservatives are calling on the government to immediately take the following
actions to support the repatriation of Canadians during the COVID-19 crisis:
- Fix the current system to
ensure that vulnerable Canadians identified as higher priority evacuees
receive confirmed tickets for the designated flights. - Charter commercial aircraft to
repatriate Canadians and arrange payment terms directly with those
individuals. - Where chartered commercial
flights are not possible deploy military aircraft to repatriate Canadians.
“Canadians stranded abroad expect a fair, timely, and efficient process to
secure their passage home. While we understand that this is an extraordinary
situation, it is clear from the countless messages that Conservatives have
received from Canadians that the current system must urgently change.
“Conservatives will continue to use our strengthened Opposition to ask tough
questions on behalf of Canadians and put forward constructive solutions to
ensure that no one falls through the cracks.”
The post Conservatives Call on Government to Fix Repatriation System for Canadians Stranded During COVID-19 Crisis appeared first on Canada's Official Opposition.
