Canada's Response to the Protests in Kazakhstan
Georgia, Crimea, Donbass, Belarus, and now Kazakhstan. There is no stability anywhere, except in calm Canada.
In Kazakhstan, the year 2022 did not start well. The price of liquefied gas doubled there, and because of this, protests began in one city, which then spread to other cities. The government has already announced its resignation, gas prices have been reduced, but the protests still continue, because people are not only dissatisfied with the prices, but also with the government, living conditions, salaries, and so on.
Canadian media on events in Kazakhstan
Despite the fact that the protests are quite large-scale, and the demonstrators set fire to the president's residence, seized the airport and the headquarters of several TV channels, the Canadian press does not write much about this situation, and the news is mostly very restrained and neutral, that is, journalists simply describe events that are taking place in the country, cite comments by police, officials and so on, but few people criticize the Kazakh authorities or, conversely, the opposition. Perhaps it is good that the news is objective, but the opinion of Canada is unclear.
Canadian government on events in Kazakhstan
The official Canadian website has only short statement about the protests and warnings that Canadians are not advised to fly to Kazakhstan now because there are demonstrations, reports of arson and looting, and a state of emergency. For those currently in Kazakhstan, the Canadian government recommends avoiding areas where there are protests and following the instructions of local authorities and media reports.
It is possible that there will be statements later, because Canada usually reacts to such events. When a plane was grounded in Belarus to arrest a journalist, Canada imposed additional sanctions on Belarus, and then Belarus closed its embassy in Canada.
Also during the protests in Russia, Canada called for the release of political prisoners, and then the Ministry of Immigration launched a new stream for refugee journalists and human rights activists. In theory this stream might suit those involved in the protests in Kazakhstan, but I always recommend choosing the usual immigration routes unless you personally are in real danger.
What's going on in Canada?
I think the instability in the country is another reason to move to Canada, because everything is calm here. Of course there are rallies from time to time, for example, in 2021 there were several at once. Canadians have demonstrated because of covid restrictions and because of a high-profile story where Indian graves were found in former boarding schools. But this happens peacefully, there are rarely any riots, much less open confrontations with the police.
I can give a very telling example about the police. In Ontario, where I live, last spring the police were given new powers and ordered to stop people on the streets and find out where they were living and why they weren't staying at home. But the police refused to do this, and eventually the powers were removed.
Protesters can get their way, too. If you take that story about the schools, they lowered the flags in the country for a while, then introduced a national day to remember those who died in boarding schools and promised to help their families. I don't know if they did or didn't.
Immigration due to instability in the country
I personally know people who moved to Canada when events like those in Kazakhstan started in their countries. Last year I published a interview with a girl who immigrated at the height of the protests in Belarus, soon to come an interview with another girl who moved during the war in Ukraine. There's a very interesting story there, by the way, about how she came on a student visa for a 3-month course and is now one of the top 30 female entrepreneurs in the world, so don't miss it.
I also recorded interviews with guys from Kazakhstan where they share their impressions of Canada. They were tourists in the country at the time and were considering different options for permanent residency, but then got a job in the province of New Brunswick.
If you want to move to Canada, contact our legal immigration company. We assess your chances of immigration, select immigration programs and process documents.
