“They work hard in Canada and I think there is a great openness on the part of the Canadian government to solve the problem,” Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa told reporters, during a walking tour of the most Portuguese neighborhood of Toronto, known as “Little Portugal”. “.

The Head of State was questioned on this subject at the end of his five-day official visit to Canada dedicated to the Portuguese emigrant communities of this country.

“Throughout my stay, I spoke with Prime Minister Trudeau, who agreed that it was necessary to legalize them. Some of them have been here for 10 years, 15 years, 20 years, others for five years. I met several who waved at me on the way to the university. [de Toronto]are neither legalized nor documented,” replied the President of the Republic.

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa added that he had also spoken about this issue with the Canadian Minister of Immigration “and he was the first to recognize that it needed to be resolved urgently.”

Stressing that “Canada is committed to adopting an open position regarding immigration”, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa argued that “it seems right that before dealing with immigration, in general, we deal with those who are already working and already creating wealth.”

According to the President of the Republic, the 2021 census indicated that nearly 450,000 people of Portuguese origin live in Canada, but, in addition to these, “there are probably tens of thousands — 10,000, 15,000, 20,000 — all over the world. this continent” which “are not legalized, but are fundamental” in sectors such as water and sanitation, infrastructure and public works.

IEL // MCL

By Impala News / Lusa

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