Senator Gerba: Thank you, Senator Gold. However, does the government have a reliable schedule in place for making changes to its immigration policies, particularly for Africans who are travelling to Canada on business?

Hon. Amina Gerba: My question is for the Government Representative in the Senate. Senator Gold, in my former life as an entrepreneur, I saw just how long it took to process visa applications and how many of those applications were denied. As a result, we have missed out on the participation of many Africans in our cultural and economic events.

This situation has been going on for decades and is only getting worse. Recently released figures indicate that a person from Senegal or Gabon who wishes to come to Canada must wait 320 days for an answer they cannot appeal, whereas an Indonesian visa applicant must wait only 11 days for a response.

Senator Gold, why the disparity in processing times, and what is the government doing to change this discriminatory policy, which is having a negative impact on our international events, particularly in Montreal?