CCR blog

  • Canadian immigration - changing priorities

    Janet Dench
    Chart: New permanent residents, by class, 2005-2010

     

    Recently released statistics show us changing trends in the immigrants and refugees Canada is admitting.

    Over the last six years – 2005-2010 – the total number of new permanent residents has gone up. There were 277,575 in 2010, up 10% over the number in 2005 (252,182).

    Within this total, there has been a major shift towards immigrants in the economic class, at the expense of Family Class immigrants and refugees.

  • Canada’s stateless children

    Janet Dench
     
    Chloé GoldringSnug in the womb of her mother in April 2009, Chloé couldn’t know that a change in Canadian law was about to make her stateless.
     
    Chloé was born in July 2009 in Belgium, to an Algerian mother and a Canadian father. She is denied Canadian citizenship because her father was born outside Canada to a Canadian father. Nor is Chloé eligible for citizenship under

  • Forget the refugee claimants, it’s the Canadian citizens we can’t afford!

    Janet Dench

     

    “It is estimated that each failed asylum claim costs Canadian taxpayers $50,000, mostly in provincial social service and health costs...”

  • Baby steps: When will the government absorb refugee transportation loans?

    Colleen French
    transportation loans campaign button

    ‘Ping’ – that’s the sound of a new message in my inbox.  ‘Hooray!’ is rarely the sound you’ll hear from me when opening an email, but yesterday’s news was one of those rare exceptions.  We received news that the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) has passed a resolution calling on the Canadian government to absorb the cost of refugee transportation loans.  This is a tremendous endorsement for a change that the Canadian Council for Refugees has been pushing for the past few years.&

  • Opening our eyes to the children

    Janet Dench

    “Five young children are currently being detained and incarcerated with their mothers. They have already gone through a gruelling journey, which could leave them with severe emotional and psychological scars. Moreover, some of them are of an education age and have had no schooling for almost a year. Their prolonged detention could only aggravate their misery.”

  • Put yourself in a refugee’s shoes: What would you do?

    Colleen French

    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? 

  • What’s in a number? The Hungarian claims

    Janet Dench

    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?

    259.

    How many Hungarians made claims in 2009? 

    2,440.

    Clearly not 97%! 

  • Minister's comments undermine refugee protection

    Janet Dench

    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).

  • Opening a window for Benamar Benatta

    Janet Dench
    Benamar Benatta

    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.

    Fingered as a suspect in the 9/11 attacks, Mr Benatta spent nearly five years in detention in the US despite being quickly cleared of any terrorist involvement.

  • Parliament denies refugees appeal on the merits

    Janet Dench

    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 on 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.