A nominee for the Conservative Party candidacy in Prince George-Peace River says he'll seek reform of Canada's "open-house immigration and refugee system" if elected.
Bob Zimmer said he would work to streamline the immigration process for productive immigrants who work hard to come to Canada while getting tough on immigrants involved in criminal activity.
"Further we need to focus on victims rights, not coddle criminals and gangsters," he said.
Zimmer's comments, made in a statement released Friday, follow on news an alleged gangster, Francois Meerholz, who is facing deportation to South Africa, was released back into Prince George on $5,000 bail.
Meerholz has been scheduled for deportation on Monday although he continues to fight the case. Meerholz, now 23, and his brother Dillan, now 20, moved to Canada in 1999 to live with relatives but the ended up in the foster care system.
After convictions for theft and possession of stolen property in 2007, Francois Meerholz was ordered deported in November 2008. But he was given a reprieve in March 2009 when federal officials stayed his deportation for 18 months provided he live up to a number of conditions, including "not committing any criminal offences," and "if charged with a criminal offence, immediately report that fact in writing" to the Canada Border Service Agency.
Meerholz now faces seven firearms related charges and, from a separate case, charges of driving while impaired, dangerous driving and flight from a peace officer, and after failing to report those charges to CBSA, he was taken into custody.
In a previous appearance earlier this month before an immigration board adjudicator, Meerholz was ordered held in custody pending his removal from Canada. But that decision was overturned in a second hearing on Jan. 20.
Meerholz's lawyer has said he failed to report the charges to CBSA under the mistaken belief he no longer needed to do so.
