Poor, poor Joe Volpe. Today he unveiled a new plan to cut down on the near-impossibility of sponsoring parents and grandparents into Canada. He's got so much going against him.

First of all, it makes no economic sense. In an age when our healthcare system is near collapse, with long lines and a shortage of doctors, it hardly seems reasonable to import more weak and infirm people - especially those who are no longer functioning in the workplace. They would be using the system without ever having paid taxes into it. You can make all the humanitarian arguments you want, but the fact is, we're not able to support them.

Second of all - nobody believes Volpe. We all know that the Liberal government is bringing out every vote-grabbing ploy they've ever used, in order to postpone or win a snap election. And who better to pander to than Canada's ever-growing immigrant population? After all, the Conservatives would never make such promises to the ethnic community, would they? Well, no, not without planning to keep them, anyway.

Some were skeptical of Ottawa's intentions, given the precarious state of Prime Minister Paul Martin's Liberal minority government.

They said Volpe was simply trying to shore up support among ethnic voters, an important part of the Liberal constituency.

"What about the last nine, 10 years? There have been too many people suffering (because) families were never reunited," said Sam Hundal, a local real estate agent.

"Now they really come out because an election is looming and they've got problems. They are actually deceiving the public."

New Democrat Leader Jack Layton was equally skeptical. "Most Liberal announcements never happen," he said.

And thirdly, the immigrants are beginning to turn against the Liberals, anyway, thanks to their zealous quest to destroy marriage as we know it.

However, Ottawa has yet to address far more serious issues in the country's immigration policy, such as ensuring skilled immigrants can find appropriate work once they get here, Reitz added.

"The trend over time is toward an increasing problem of unemployment and higher poverty rates for newly arriving immigrants," he said.

During the announcement, a handful of Sikhs protested against same-sex marriage. Volpe dismissed them as a Conservative plant.

And you, Mr. Volpe, I dismiss as a Liberal fruitcake.

Cross-posted to The Shotgun.