LILLEY: Mom with autistic son being kicked out of Canada Jacquie Scott wonders if she had simply walked across the border illegally from New...
Jacquie Scott wonders if she had simply walked across the border illegally from New York State into Quebec whether she̢۪d have a work permit by now.
“If my son were a refugee, he’d be treated better,†a frustrated Ms. Scott says over a coffee steps from Parliament Hill.
Scott is a mother that had to give up her career for a while to look after her high needs son. Now she is facing what amounts to effective deportation because the government won̢۪t let her work so that she can look after her son.
Scott is from Scotland, her son Conorr Cici is born and raised in Canada.
“I don’t want benefits, I want to work,†Scott says.
Once upon a time Jacquie Scott did work. She worked all over the world, including in Canada, as a cost engineer making very good money.
“I was making $1,500 a day at one point,†Scott says.
She met Conorr̢۪s father, a Canad ian, while working in Dubai back in 2002. They fell in love and moved to Canada the next year.
Jacquie continued to work in the oil industry with stints in Fort McMurray, Houston, Singapore and other exotic locales. All the while the Canadian government was happy to take taxes from Jacquie.
In 2008 they had a son. Life was good for a while.
Then the relationship fell apart.
That is where things got dicey.
Conorr has autism and didn̢۪t adjust well to school.
In fact, they kicked him out, more than once, from schools in Toronto and Oakville.
“The school would call every day to tell me to come pick up my son,†Scott says. “Some days he would be there for an hour, sometimes less.â€
It got to the point where Jacquie had to stop working to care for Conorr. She lived off savings and did what she could to care for him.
That is when the Canadian government revoked her work visa.
Jacquie took Conorr to Scotland with her for a time, then to a job placement overseas. Neither worked out very well.
In Scotland the school couldn̢۪t deal with Conorr. In Singapore there were six nannies in a matter of days.
Plus, the young boy, then just 7, missed his father.
Jacquie came back to Canada and settled in Aurora. There she found a school that worked for her son.
“He’s doing amazing. He got a report card with all Bs for the first time ever. All the professionals think it’s a miracle,†Scott said.
But Jacquie still can̢۪t work.
“I’ve been fighting with Ahmed Hussen since January, he doesn’t care,†Scott told me.
The federal Ministry of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship doesn̢۪t comment on individual deportation cases.
Jacquie describes her old work visa as being stolen from her when she was looking after her son. She simply wants it back but the government isn̢۪t budging.
If something doesn̢۪t change soon Jacquie and Conorr will be forced out of Canada by October.
“I’m really angry,†Scott says when asked how it feels to be denied a work visa while those that walk across the border get them on an expedited basis.
She says people have told her to drive down to the infamous Roxham Road and cross into Canada illegally, she doesn̢۪t want to. She wants to follow the rules.
Chris Alexander served as immigration minister under Stephen Harper. While he doesn̢۪t like the comparison between Jacquie Scott and asylum claimants, he does say this can and should be easily fixed.
“This strikes me as a classic case where the minister’s discretion should be used. We are talking about the well being of a child,†Alexander said.
“When you have a chance to ensure that a Canadian child gets the support they need, we should be taking it.â€
Alexander said the use of ministerial discretion should be rare but it is made for cases like Jacquie Scott, describing her case as a “square peg t rying to fit a round hole.â€
Let̢۪s hope Minister Hussen is listening then or Jacquie will be sent back to Scotland, her son̢۪s life turned upside down.
All because the government wouldn̢۪t let his mother work and provide for young Conorr.
Source: Google News Canada | Netizen 24 Canada
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