***
Canadian Council for Refugees E-Chronicle Vol. 4 #3, 8 June 2009
CONTENTS:
- Take Action! Refugee Appeal Division bill stuck in House of Commons Committee
- Lives in the Balance: CCR responds to challenges to the refugee determination system
- In Review: Protecting Refugees and Immigrants in Hard Times: the CCR Spring Consultation in Quebec City, 28-30 May 2009
- CCR Resolutions Adopted at the Consultation in Quebec City
- New CCR Anti-Oppression Policy Adopted
-----
Adoption of Bill C-291 and the Refugee Appeal Division is in jeopardy. Liberals and Conservatives have joined together to block the bill in the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration.
A committee motion June 2 calling for immediate study of the bill was defeated by combined Liberal and Conservative votes.
Refugees need the appeal in order to protect them from being sent back to face persecution following an error in the determination of their claim. Canada needs the refugee appeal in order to comply with our international human rights obligations not to refoule refugees.
The CCR has written to the Liberal members of the Standing Committee expressing dismay at this reversal of the Party’s support for the refugee appeal: http://www.ccrweb.ca/documents/RADlettersjune09.htm
Please join the CCR in calling for the Standing Committee to ensure the rapid passage of Bill C-291 at one of their meetings on 18 or 23 June.
For more information, please contact Colleen French at cfrench@ccrweb.ca
Canada’s refugee determination system has been the subject of recent public commentary, much of it focusing on “abuse” and alleged problems in the system. The realities of refugees in the system have received less attention.
The Canadian Council for Refugees has prepared some answers to current questions and concerns about the system, as well as information about a few of the individuals in the system.
We encourage you to use this information to raise public awareness and when speaking with the media about refugee rights.
Understanding current challenges to the refugee claim process: Lives in the balance - http://www.ccrweb.ca/documents/refugeeclaimsFAQ.pdf
For additional, recent news stories that illustrate the realities of refugee claimants in Canada, see:
Top Czech Radio Roma reporter applies for asylum in Canada, Radio Praha, 4 June 2009, available at: http://www.radio.cz/en/article/116943
The man who outran drug assassins, Toronto Star, 2 June 2009, available at: http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/643918
- In Review: Protecting Refugees and Immigrants in Hard Times: the CCR Spring Consultation in Quebec City, 28-30 May 2009
Thank you to everyone who helped in making the CCR Spring Consultation in Quebec City a success! The consultation was well-attended with 420 participants from across Canada, and the most bilingual one in the history of the CCR, with almost half of the participants being francophone. If you attended, we hope that your experience at the Consultation was a rewarding one and we look forward to working with you in the future.
To see the online collection of photos that were taken at the Consultation, see:
http://tinyurl.com/lyk4gu
We will be preparing a brief summary report of workshops. When completed, it will be posted on the CCR recent information page, http://ccrweb.ca/eng/issues/recentinfo.htm
For an interview on the consultation with CCR Executive Director, Janet Dench, on Tam-Tam Canada, Radio Canada International, which aired on Monday, June 1st go to http://tinyurl.com/mgfdce (in Part II, starts at 27:00 min.). (The interview is in French).
The resolutions passed by the CCR members at the General Meeting concluding the consultation are available at: http://www.ccrweb.ca/documents/resmay09.htm
At the General Meeting, CCR members adopted an Anti-Oppression Policy.
You’ll find the text of this new policy on the CCR website at: http://www.ccrweb.ca/documents/aopolicy.htm
We encourage you to consider how this policy might be a useful resource within your own organization.