Federal Conservatives say they want the Liberal government to clearly explain whether the controversial Irish hip-hop group Kneecap is barred from entering Canada or not as questions swirl about the case.
Liberal MP Vince Gasparro, the parliamentary secretary for combating crime, announced nearly two weeks ago “on behalf of the Government of Canada” that the band’s members had been deemed ineligible for entry ahead of scheduled concerts this month.
Yet the group says it has still not received official notice about being barred or any rejection of their electronic travel authorizations, which Irish citizens require in order to enter Canada and which the group says they obtained.
Gasparro and other cabinet officials have refused to provide clarity in the days since the announcement.
“He either lied or he has no clue how it works,” Conservative Deputy Leader Melissa Lantsman told Global News in an interview. “And I find it hard to believe that he has no clue how it works.”
Lantsman suggested Conservatives would support an investigation into whether Gasparro’s announcement was made without knowledge of other government departments, including the Prime Minister’s Office and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
“We have a parliamentary secretary that, again, either doesn’t know what’s what’s happening within his own government or clearly lied,” she said. “I would suspect that in any other workplace you would be reprimanded for that. And in this case, you wouldn’t be a parliamentary secretary anymore.
“We certainly want to know if the parliamentary secretary lied to Canadians. That’s part of our job as the opposition: not only to oppose the government where it makes sense … but also to expose what they are not telling us.”
In his video announcement on Sept. 19, Gasparro cited a U.K. terrorism-related charge against Kneecap member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh as a reason for denying entry to Canada. A British judge tossed out the criminal case last Friday, but Gasparro has not said if the apparent entry ban remains in place.
A spokesperson for Gasparro’s office said he had “no further comment” in an email Wednesday and deferred questions to IRCC, after making a similar comment on Friday.
Get daily National news
Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
Immigration Minister Lena Diab did not stop to answer questions from reporters on Kneecap’s case while heading into the Liberal caucus meeting in Ottawa on Wednesday.
An IRCC spokesperson told Global News on Monday it could not comment on Kneecap’s specific case due to privacy reasons and did not confirm whether a formal entry ban was put in place, or if one remains.
The department’s statement said that applicants for electronic travel authorizations “are informed of their visa status through the email provided on their applications.”
That line was added to the department’s official messaging on Kneecap’s case by a spokesperson for Diab’s office, Global News learned after being included on an internal email exchange Monday.
Asked Wednesday by Global News if Kneecap’s members or its team have heard anything from the Canadian government on its entry status beyond Gasparro’s announcement, band manager Daniel Lambert replied in an email: “Not a thing.”
In a social media message responding to Gasparro’s video, Kneecap said its members had already been issued valid electronic travel authorizations.
“It would be nice to hear from the government on what their position is,” Lantsman said. “Clearly, that they’re not coordinated on this and they don’t have an answer.”
The Prime Minister’s Office has not responded to questions about Gasparro or Kneecap’s immigration case.
A spokesperson for Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree’s office declined to comment Monday when asked by Global News if Gasparro consulted with the minister before his announcement, and also deferred questions to IRCC.
Lantsman said the confusion has undermined the Liberals’ commitment to fighting antisemitism and hate speech.
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs and Jewish advocacy organization B’nai Brith Canada, which had advocated for the ban, have praised the government for Gasparro’s announcement.
“Conservatives have been crystal clear on our position on antisemitism, and clearly the Liberals have not,” Lantsman said. “We’ve maintained a strong stance, including on the refusal (of Kneecap) to enter the country, and we ask where the Liberals stand on this.”
Kneecap has accused critics of trying to silence the band because of its support for the Palestinian cause throughout the Israeli military’s destruction of Gaza.
The U.K. terror charge, which was dismissed after a British court said it had been laid too late, came after authorities had alleged Óg Ó hAnnaidh waved a flag of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah during a London concert last year.
Hezbollah is a listed terrorist organization in both the U.K. and Canada.
The band says it doesn’t support Hezbollah and Hamas, nor condone violence.
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
