Today for whatever reason there have been several comments left on a blog entry I published on November 2, 2008 about the plight of Mikhail Lennikov and his family, who if all goes according to plan will be deported back to their native Russia where at one time Mikhail Lennikov was employed as a KGB contractor, the latter being information that to my understanding was deliberately omitted from the Canadian permanent residency visa he applied for about 10 years ago.
Of course the commentators at that particular blog entry suggest otherwise, going so far as to suggest that Mikhail Lennikov was up front and transparent about his KGB links from the get go.
It boils down to which reporter telling the story you are going to believe, but the way I see it, Lennikov wouldn’t have been able to remain in Canada, in fact his visa application would have been rejected had he told the truth about his KGB history. Funny thing, the commentators that left their two-cents worth failed to mention that. Obviously they, like they accuse me of, are more than a little lacking in knowledge when it comes to the circumstances that led to the Lennikov family being issued with a deportation order. They obviously believe that disclosing such information after Mikhail Lennikov was called up on it makes him transparent, and makes up for his failure to disclose pertinent information regarding his KGB association.
Anyway, I didn’t know what all the fuss was about today and after doing a quick Google search I have learned that D-Day is on the horizon for the Lennikov family as they must leave Canada on February 28, 2009 unless Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan says otherwise. The latter scenario could play out, and the Lennikovs could be granted a reprieve, but that wouldn’t sit too well with the Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Association who has called on the Canadian government for years to immediately denaturalize and deport anybody who is found to be a member of any Soviet secret police organization.
It’s not unreasonable request for a Ukrainian to make really when one considers the horrors and atrocities the Ukrainian people have suffered at the hands of the former Soviet Union, in fact Russia is still punishing them to this day. The last thing a Ukrainian in Canada needs is to be living amongst KGB agents in Canada. What a scary thought it must be for the elder Ukrainians living in Canada knowing that there is ex-KGB living amongst them.
Of course the UCCLA doesn’t really have that much clout with the Conservative government when it comes to their demand, and the chances of the Lennikov family remaining in Canada are pretty good right now, provided of course Van Loan agrees that allowing the Lennikovs to stay in Canada isn’t detrimental to the country, which I don’t think it is. But I am not calling the shots.
In just over two months Nazampal Jaswal, the Byrne Creek High School student who I also think is 17-year-old Dimitri Lennikov’s girlfriend will find out if her high school sweetheart will be forced to return to Russia where he will forced to serve in the Russian army, and to her all I have to say is, “It sucks to be you.” She needs a history lesson when it comes to the KGB and Ukrainians, the tortures, the abuses inflicted by the KGB in the former Soviet Union. She should also come to terms with the fact that former KGB operatives, including translators or whatever title people want to use to minimize the fact that somebody worked for the KGB, are pretty active in organized crime in Canada and abroad. In fact they are pretty brutal.
Does this Jaswal girl truly believe that there is no loyalty among KGB members, and that one day her boyfriend’s father won’t be called upon to return a favour or do one out of loyalty for a former KGB member? The Lennikovs weren’t able to set up in Canada without the help of the KGB, whether financial or otherwise. She would be naive to think that.
That said…
I really don’t care one way or the other if the Lennikovs are deported or not, but if immigrants are allowed to continuing lying on their immigration applications and they are not held accountable for those lies, than our immigration system is a lot weaker than I thought, and immigration should strike off asking perspective immigrants about their past affiliations with security forces and military duties. What’s the point of asking such questions if immigrants are going to be allowed to get away with lying or failing to disclose such information every time they apply for some sort of residency visa?
Enough already either hold them accountable or don’t bother investigating them for deportation. It’s a waste of Canadian taxpayer’s money if at the end of the investigation if a deceptive immigrant isn’t held accountable for their actions.
It costs $4 million to prosecute a war-criminal in Canada. I wonder how it much cost taxpayers to pursue dodgy immigrants like Mikhail Lennikov. Seriously.
Either strike such questions from the applications, or start holding people accountable for their lies and failure to disclose such information.
Personally, I’m thinking deceptive immigrants who can convince the public safety minister that allowing them to stay wouldn’t be detrimental to Canada should at the very least pay a heavy fine for their deception, be forced to register with a national security agency, and report monthly to their local police station for at least the first two years of their continued residency. They certainly shouldn’t be afforded all the rights that Canadian citizens and law-abiding immigrants are afforded that’s for sure.
It’s an unreasonable consequence to expect, but lying to gain entry into Canada shouldn’t be allowed to go unpunished, especially when taxpayer’s, whether the deceptive immigrant wins his or her case or not, is going to be on the hook for such costs. Deceptive immigrants war-criminal, KGB operative, translator, agent or not must be held accountable for their actions. Funny how all the do-gooders, mostly from the left, fail to ever mention that.
To all of those commentators I referred to earlier in this article, put that in your effing’ left-wing pipes and smoke it.
Something that is on my mind about this case; we elect our legislators to do many things, one of which is draft legislation and then implement it and of course uphold that legislation.
As archaic or unacceptable some our laws are to us, it doesn’t mean that just because we disagree with them that authority shouldn’t enforce them while they still remain on the books. Even a former KGB agent would know that right, especially an educated one.
I’m not saying that Demitri (his son) should have to suffer the consequences of his father’s actions either, it isn’t is fault his father was deceptive then decided to come clean about his KGB affiliation a couple of years later when he applied for his residency visa, but I don’t see the harm in making his father accountable for his actions, and if that means sending him back to Russia, then so be it. Mikhail Lennikov is the maker of his family’s fate.
Which reminds me, if Mikhail was a nobody in the former KGB, why would they even be interested in him. I’ve read stories where Mikhail seems to think that Russia won’t be so kind to him if he sent back to Russia. Of course how much truth there is to that I’m not sure.
But let’s say that story is true; for somebody who claims to be a bit player in the KGB, he thinks he is of great interest to Russian authorities. And for somebody claiming to be a bit player, why would he think that the Russians would care about him, want to kill him, try him for being a traitor or anything like that? By his own admission he was a low-ranking nobody. Hmm…Confusing isn’t it?
19 responses so far ↓
1 Regina // Feb 14, 2009 at 2:17 PM
So did Lennikov mention his work for KGB in his immgration application 11 years ago or not?
Your words “but the way I see it, Lennikov wouldn’t have been able to remain in Canada, in fact his visa application would have been rejected had he told the truth about his KGB history” tell me your imagination is pretty good but what about the facts?
2 CG // Feb 15, 2009 at 11:03 AM
So Regina, friend of the Lennikovs are you?
No he didn’t mention anything about his work for the KGB until after the fact. Have you not been paying attention to what I have written with the help of my “pretty good imagination?”
3 Regina // Feb 19, 2009 at 12:57 PM
I asked you – did you really know – whether he told or he did not about his connection to KGB when he applied to come to Canada.
If he lied- then he (and his family) should be deported. If he told CIC everything at that moment and they checked, and issued him permanent residence, they should blame only themselves and leave him alone.
So, I ask you once more and try to answer me, please – do you really know he lied 11 yrs ago? Media sources tell different stories.
4 Regina // Feb 19, 2009 at 1:01 PM
what I have written with the help of my “pretty good imagination?”
====================
Give me , please, a link to a serious source (not only your words )
As I said Media tell different stories.
5 Regina // Feb 19, 2009 at 1:42 PM
Here you are! I found the source by myself.
http://www.notjustchance.net/docs/Brifing%20Note.pdf
You see? It was easy. So, in your article, why did not you give a link to the reliable source ?
Sorry, but I do not trust “just stories”.
NOW I can agree with you, they should be deported.
6 Regina // Feb 19, 2009 at 1:57 PM
It is your day!
)))
Why did you mention Ukrainians? Do you really think they suffered from KGB more than, let’s say, Lithuanian , Moldavian or Russian? Come on, you are Canadian, you cannot be so naive or nationalistic!
7 CG // Feb 19, 2009 at 3:49 PM
Why did I mention Ukrainians? Hmm, could it be because it was the Ukrainians who raised the bigger stink? I don’t recall reading anything that mentioned the Lithuanian, Moldavian or Russian communities demanding that Lennikov be deported. Should you find evidence of that, please post it here.
Normally I post links to back up my information, but for some reason I didn’t with this article. Merely an oversight.
The link below is of interest. Had I posted it in this particular article, we wouldn’t be having this discussion. The comments that followed that article might be of interest to you.
http://crookedincanada.com/2008/11/02/mikhail-lennikov-is-another-immigrant-that-should-be-deported-from-canada/
8 CG // Feb 19, 2009 at 3:55 PM
I don’t always trust what I read either, but…
Absolutely they should be deported, and so should anybody else who is deceptive, lies, or used fraudulent means to gain immigration status in Canada.
There should be a zero tolerance for something like that. As far as I’m concerned, the moment they are caught out, they should be deported almost immediately. Give them a couple of days, maybe a week to get their affairs in order, and then send them on their way. Nobody who presents themselves to immigration authorities or our border patrol fraudulently should be given a second chance. Allowing people like the Mikhail Lennikov to play “our system” is unacceptable, and more Canadians need to stand up and demand that our immigration rules be tightened up, and followed to the letter of the law. Enough with the BS already.
9 Regina // Feb 20, 2009 at 3:03 AM
“Why did I mention Ukrainians? Hmm, could it be because it was the Ukrainians who raised the bigger stink? I don’t recall reading anything that mentioned the Lithuanian, Moldavian or Russian communities demanding that Lennikov be deported. Should you find evidence of that, please post it here.” Unfortunately, that means only that “Ukrainians”(and mostly descendans of galician and members of Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA)) in Canada just hate Lennikov because he is RUSSIAN. They never protest against any Ukrainian KGB member, you will never even know about any Ukrainian illegal immigrant, they will cover him(her/them). Not everybody will cover, of course, but most of them will do.
10 Regina // Feb 20, 2009 at 3:12 AM
As far as I’m concerned, the moment they are caught out, they should be deported almost immediately. Give them a couple of days, maybe a week to get their affairs in order, and then send them on their way.
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Exactly! It’s amazing how slow CIC and IRPA work. Such cases should be priorities! And Lennikov should never get any “student visas” since the moment his KGB activities has been discovered. He should be deported then, not 10 yrs later.
And the first reason for his deportation should be his LIE. Not even so much his KGB membership in the first place.
11 Regina // Feb 20, 2009 at 3:24 AM
As concerns Josip Budimcic, I do not know much about him. Is he Serbian?
But I an see a pattern that war crimes in the West are only Serbians and never Croats or Albanian. So I would be very surprised if any Croat or Albanian war crime has been found in Canada. Do you really think all Albanians in Kosovo and all Croats in Bosnia were just victims?
12 CG // Feb 20, 2009 at 9:14 AM
Budimic isn’t exactly a Croat. He’s got some Serbian in him too. I can’t remember if it is from his mother or father’s side however. As far as I’m concerned he is one bad dude, and like Lennikov he lied to immigration officials. His lie began in Belgrade, and also included forged documents.
He should be out of here too, and I don’t care what nationality he is.
13 CG // Feb 20, 2009 at 9:17 AM
I lived with a Ukranian woman for 10 years, and I got to know her family pretty well. Her cousin married a Croatian by the way. I remember that his bride’s parents managed to get out of Bosnia during the war Budimic was a part of, for their daughter’s wedding in Calgary. They brought this “home brew” with them that knocked us on our butts.
Funny thing, they could have applied for some form of immigration status in Canada at the time, but they chose not to.
I know a little bit about what went on in Bosnia, some of the players, and how Ukrainians feel about this, that, and other things.
14 wendy craighead // Feb 28, 2009 at 7:17 PM
I may be missing the point but I fail to see why this family after 11 years is being sent back.When entering Canada if they were less than honest it could be fear or something else. My point is they have been law abiding for 11 years.Cant we get the street racers who kill,the rapists,the gang members,the drug dealers out of this country first?
15 CG // Mar 1, 2009 at 9:53 AM
Law abiding? Are you serious, the guy fraudulently entered the country, and you expect us to consider him law abiding. Get effin real Wendy.
16 an actual journalist // Mar 11, 2009 at 4:58 PM
not sure if you know anything about defamation and libel, but writing that someone lied on their application is a very serious allegation.
Unless you have proof of this – that the CBC doesn’t have, for example, since they recently reported that Mikhail did inform CSIS about his KGB activities, which CSIS has confirmed – you had better be sure that you are right.
A little research might be in order…but then again, it doesn’t look like you are a journalist of any description anyway, so why bother?
17 CG // Mar 11, 2009 at 5:10 PM
Hey actual journalist, where did you get your degree, out of Crackerjack box?
Listen up, pay attention:
On his immigration app. he signs a little something that says that the information he provided is true and complete. Guess what mate he signed off on it. You know what that means don’t you, “He lied.”
Why don’t you do yourself a favour and do a little research yourself ya moron.
Furthermore, he only confirmed his KGB activities after they came to light, not when he started the immigration process.
When you get out of high school Josh, get back to me…Let me know how that journalism career you’re pursuing goes.
18 May 29, 2009 – The story of the Lennikovs « AROUND THE BLOCK // May 30, 2009 at 6:21 AM
[...] some Canadians are with the government on this one. Others don’t. Hopefully, these interviews will help [...]
19 Official Russia | The Mikhail Lennikov Story // Jun 4, 2009 at 6:00 PM
[...] rule escaped the grasp and persecution of KGB agents like Lennikov. Some of these people aren’t comfortable having such an individual in their mists, and seem to be encouraging this deportation [...]