Winnipeg Free Press

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But as time passes, he worries the wider popu- lation is no longer heeding the message. “Unfortunately this year, there was not much enthusiasm from our Quebec brothers who did not answer the call of our mosque open house and open door conferences,” he said. Attendance at the events and lectures, which were organized to build bridges between com- munities in the lead-up to the anniversary, was disappointing, Labidi added. “It seems like people are starting to forget.” On Wednesday, more events were planned in Montreal and Quebec City to mark the anniver- sary. Mayor Valérie Plante presided over a cer- emony and moment of silence at Montreal City Hall, while the events in Quebec City included a discussion on Islamophobia, prayers and a cous- cous dinner in memory of the victims. The Canadian Muslim Forum, which helped organize Wednesday evening’s commemoration at Montreal City Hall, warned that Canada’s Muslims continue to be the target of bigotry. “In the years since the massacre, Islamopho- bia has spread far beyond the fringes of extrem- ist ideologies,” the group said in a news release. “It is present in political platforms, mainstream media, workplaces, public spaces, and many facets of daily life.” A vigil took place at 4 p.m. Wednesday outside Montreal’s Parc metro station to remember the victims. “Their violent deaths left six widows without their husbands and 17 orphans without their fathers,” Samira Laouni, one of the vigil organizers, said in a news release. “Their stories should never be forgotten. We must always remember.” On Saturday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau travelled to Quebec City to meet with the fam- ilies of the victims. Quebec City’s mayor and Amira Elghawaby, Canada’s special represen- tative on combating Islamophobia, attended a public ceremony earlier in the day. “When I met once again this past weekend with the widows and children of those who were killed, they shared their hope that fellow Cana- dians will stand together in solidarity. And never forget,” Elghawaby wrote on X Wednesday. Alexandre Bissonnette pleaded guilty in March 2018 to six counts of first-degree murder and six counts of attempted murder, and has been sentenced to life in prison with no possibili- ty of parole for at least 25 years. The gunman admitted to walking into the mosque and opening fire just after evening prayers, killing six people and injuring several others, including a man who was left paralyzed. Labidi believes there has been a “general im- provement” in attitudes toward Muslims since the attack — despite some setbacks — and praised the federal government for its actions to fight Islamophobia, such as appointing Elghawaby. However, he is more critical of the Quebec government, which said recently it plans to strengthen the province’s secularism laws and end prayer in public places. Premier François Legault said last year that he wanted to send a “very clear message to Islamists” that Quebec will fight against any disrespect of its funda- mental values, including secularism. Labidi says many of the families of the vic- tims are still members of the mosque commu- nity, such as the many children the six men left behind. He said the pain of the loss has never faded, adding that all of Quebec has a “duty to remember” the tragedy. “We have to keep it alive so that no minority community has to go through what we went through.” In a statement Wednesday, Trudeau called for an end to hate targeting Muslims in Canada. “They were murdered because of their faith,” Trudeau said of the victims. “We stand in solidarity with Muslim commu- nities in Canada and around the world to fight the hate that led to this attack. We are also not immune to its resurgence, especially as we see the rise in Islamophobia and hate across our communities,” he said. Quebec Premier François Legault said on X the province was “shaken by a horrific trage- dy” eight years ago. “In the days following the tragedy, thousands of Quebecers showed their solidarity. We must always remain vigilant against intolerance and hatred.” — The Canadian Press JACQUES BOISSINOT / THE CANADIAN PRESS Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with the families of the victims of the Quebec City mosque attack on Saturday. Ukrainian emergency visas set to expire OTTAWA — Many of the 300,000 Ukrainians who have come to Canada on three-year emer- gency visas since 2022 face an uncertain future as their temporary resident permits come closer to expiring, the Ukrainian Canadian Congress warned Wednesday. Congress executive director Ihor Michal- chyshyn said he met with Immigration Minister Marc Miller last week to ask his department to automatically renew the visas for another three years. “We have invited them to flee the war zone here. They’re working here now. We think they deserve a clear extension of the invitation from Canada to not cause them problems with their employers, problems with their health care,” he said. But Michalchyshyn said Miller showed no sign of openness to the idea. The minister’s office confirmed that a systematic renewal is not being considered. Last Friday, the minister told report- ers Ukrainians must apply for an extension to a working permit or a student visa in order to stay longer as temporary residents. “I am not sending them back to Ukraine as long as the war continues. We renew work permits and permits to stay so there is nothing to fear, but you have to make an application,” Miller said in French. According to his department, about 106,000 “temporary resident documents … are expiring in 2025.” Most of those affected are among the Ukrai- nians who fled to Canada under the Cana- da-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel program, launched by the federal government weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine in Febru- ary 2022. Ukrainians were accepted under the program until July 2023. Michalchyshyn said “this group of Ukrainians in Canada is in a very precarious temporary status” and they should not have to go through an application process. “I hear all the time that the ability to get answers from that department is less and less because there are big staffing shortages and people are just not able to get information about their situation,” he said. He said some people may not even know they have to apply and will miss the deadline. Miller’s office said in a media statement that the 106,000 Ukrainians will have 90 days after the deadline has passed “to apply for restoration of temporary resident status.” The statement said those whose applications are refused “may qualify” to work under a “non status working permit” because of a directive that prevents the Canada Border Services Agen- cy from deporting Ukrainians currently. It is not clear how long that directive will last but Miller’s office said it will not be lifted until “the situation in their country or region stabiliz- es.” “However, those who are not allowed in Canada for security reasons or on grounds of criminality, international or human rights vio- lations, or organized crime can still be removed despite the (directive),” says the department’s statement. In a letter sent to the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, the government of Newfoundland and Labrador said it supports their request for an automatic extension of the expired emergency visas until March 31, 2028. Last Friday, Miller also pointed out that Ukrainians can become permanent residents under the family reunification program. Appli- cations could be submitted from October 2023 to October 2024 by extended family members of Canadian citizens and permanent residents, such as grandparents. The department said, as of the end of Decem- ber, approximately 23,000 applications have been received under that program, with 367 processed, 341 approved and 26 denied. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Can- ada also said that, as of last December, approx- imately 21,000 applicants to other streams of access to permanent residency were Ukrainians with three-year emergency visas. — The Canadian Press ÉMILIE BERGERON ;