Government denies mismanagement

Opposition raises Chris Palmer’s PNP statements from spring during question period

Economic Development Minister Chris Palmer came under fire Wednesday for statements he made months ago about the provincial nominee program.

The grilling in question period comes two days before a court hearing involving the owners of the Sherwood Motel is set to begin. The two owners of the motel, Ping Zhong and Yi Zhong, have been charged by the Canada Border Services Agency with multiple counts of aiding and abetting misrepresentation under the federal Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

Opposition Leader James Aylward began question period Wednesday by noting Palmer ended the business stream of the PNP program earlier in the fall, but the minister had praised the successes of the program during the spring sitting of the legislature.

“What happened this summer to make you change your story so abruptly?” Aylward asked Palmer.

Palmer said the program nominated a number of new immigrants to come to P.E.I. and had contributed to economic growth on the Island.

In response to further questions from Aylward, Palmer then became visibly agitated.

“There was no mismanagement of our PNP program,” Palmer said.

He said changes were introduced to the program to better understand the intent of PNP applicants, but the business stream of the program was ultimately discontinued because it was “not operating as well as we wanted it to.”

Retention rates for immigrants who arrive in P.E.I. have been among the lowest in the country.

Georgetown-St. Peters MLA Steven Myers then took up the quizzing of Palmer about his past statements on the matter.

During question period on May 8, 2018, Palmer stated only 17 of 600 individuals who were being investigated by the Canada Border Services in relation to the Sherwood Motel had applied for permanent residency through P.E.I.’s PNP program. The rest, Palmer stated, were “going somewhere else in Canada.”

The CBSA has alleged hundreds of PNP applicants gained permanent residency under P.E.I.’s program using the Sherwood Motel as a permanent address.

Myers asked a series of questions about Palmer’s statements in May. He stated that the opposition caucus had received e-mails after they submitted a freedom of information request.

One message, sent from Palmer’s assistant, suggested a meeting time for Palmer to be briefed by CBSA officials on the morning of May 8.

“Why would you give an answer like that when your own staff knew the facts in the case?” Myers asked.

“We were working with border services then. We’re working with border services now,” Palmer said.

“We’re there to make sure that if there is any wrongdoing, we’re there to support the federal government in any of the charges they have laid.”

Myers said the emails, though heavily redacted, indicated a “frenzied crisis of communications at the highest level of government,” in relation to the PNP program.