The atrocity is that there is no transparency in this system. The atrocity is that there is no accountability. The atrocity is that the rights of law-abiding, taxpaying Canadian citizens as sponsors are placed below the rights of refugees or foreign students (see right to healthcare of spouses). The atrocity is that a minister can keep on lying in Parliament with no consequences whatsoever. The atrocity is that the life of applicants is put on hold for indeterminate duration with absolutely no information as to how long and why they are kept waiting. The atrocity is that people in this process are going emotionally, mentally, financially bankrupt.
I am from an ex-communist country and can say it based on my own personal experience: this is like being there in the seventies. Look around this forum, read the desperate, clueless, confused posts. There is real suffering, there are real personal tragedies. This is Canada, where one would expect to be treated according to the norms of a civilized country. To talk about genocide is a mockery. Or should one think of Canada being comparable to those places?
If Canada wants to treat aspiring immigrants as dirt it should advertise it clearly.