Nancy-Ann Adams said she is struggling to care for three children on her own. (CBC)

The wife of a controversial Muslim cleric deported to Tunisia in October is protesting in front of the Parliament Buildings in an effort to push the federal government to allow his return to Canada.

Nancy-Ann Adams arrived on Parliament Hill Monday with the couple's six-month-old son and said she will remain there until her husband, Said Jaziri, gets temporary authorization to return.

Jaziri, who headed the Al-Qods Mosque in Montreal, was granted refugee status in 1998, but had that status revoked in 2006 after the Immmigration and Refugee Board said he presented false information to get into Canada and lied about having a criminal record in France, where he served jail time.

While in Canada, he vocally supported the creation of faith-based Shariah law for Canadian Muslims and has publicly denounced homosexuality as a sin.

Adams said she is hoping to meet with Prime Minister Stephen Harper about her situation. She said she is in poor health and struggling to care alone for her three children, including a sick daughter and an infant son.

She said paperwork was filed in February requesting authorization for her husband's return and for a temporary visa for him, as the legality of his deportation has been called into question.

However, she said she felt a need to act, as the process did not seem to be progressing.