News reports covering the arrival of Tamil refugee claimants on the MV Sun Sea have provoked many and varied public reactions. Some responses fail to get to the heart of the matter: the human element. We don’t know for sure what caused the passengers to make this dangerous trip, but likely some if not most were fleeing persecution. If you were in a similar situation – what would you do?
In presenting his proposed Refugee Reform, Minister Kenney has repeatedly referred to the supposed 97% of Hungarian refugee claims that are withdrawn or abandoned (e.g. CBC)
So how many Hungarians withdrew or abandoned their claims in 2009?
Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Jason Kenney has once again made damaging and inappropriate comments about refugee claimants and Canada’s refugee claim process (CTV, March 2, 2010, Refugee claims from Olympics 'ridiculous': minister).
An Ontario court has just ordered the federal government to make a better effort to produce all documents relating to their transfer of Benamar Benatta, a refugee claimant, to the US on 12 September 2001.
Yesterday, December 10, the House of Commons celebrated Human Rights Day by defeating Bill C-291, the bill that would give refugee claimants access to an appeal in the merits.
It is not clear how many Members of Parliament saw the irony - immediately after announcing the defeat of the bill, the Speaker wished everyone the best for the Christmas season.
Many in Canada might be surprised to know that children are routinely held in immigration detention, for weeks and even months at a time.
– A three-year-old boy was detained for 30 days with his mother when they made refugee claims on arrival in Canada. He had difficulty sleeping and eating while in detention.
So how many Hungarians withdrew or abandoned their claims in 2009?
