Media release
For immediate release
27 November 2015
Supreme Court decisions on people smuggling welcomed
The Canadian Council for Refugees welcomes the decisions rendered today by the Supreme Court, finding that it is not a crime to help refugees find safety.
In the midst of the Syrian refugee crisis, when Canadians are acutely aware of refugees’ need for protection, these decisions are particularly timely. They make clear that under Canadian law humanitarian workers and refugees who aid others in the flight to safety will not be subject to prosecution or be found inadmissible under immigration rules, on the basis of these actions.
The CCR was an intervener in the cases, R. v. Appulonappa and B010 v. Canada, represented by Angus Grant, Laura Best, Catherine Bruce and Fadi Yachoua.
Appulonappa decision: http://scc-csc.lexum.com/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/item/15648/index.do
B010 decision: http://scc-csc.lexum.com/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/item/15647/index.do
CCR’s factum: http://www.scc-csc.ca/WebDocuments-DocumentsWeb/35388/FM040_Intervener_Canadian-Council-for-Refugees.pdf
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Contact:
Colleen French, Communication Coordinator, 514-277-7223, ext. 1, 514-602-2098 (cell), cfrench@ccrweb.ca