Chronicle

Canadian Council for Refugees
Media release

16 December 2021

Supreme Court decision to hear Safe Third Country Agreement appeal
is a promising step for refugee rights

Amnesty International, The Canadian Council of Churches, and the Canadian Council for Refugees are welcoming the Supreme Court of Canada’s decision to review the constitutionality of the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA). 

Press release

8 December 2021

Aleks Dughman-Manzur elected President of Canadian Council for Refugees

The Canadian Council for Refugees is pleased to announce that Aleks Dughman-Manzur was elected President at its Annual General Meeting on December 3. Aleks (they/them) was the Vice-President of the CCR for the past two years and is the Programming Director and Co-Lead of Rainbow Refugee, based in Vancouver.

Jenny Jeanes was elected Vice-President, representing Action Réfugiés Montréal.

The Canadian Council for Refugees calls on the Government of Canada to respect its fundamental obligations towards refugees by ending the pandemic ban on refugee claims at the US-Canada border.

The Canadian government justifies its prohibition of refugee claims by arguing that it is necessary on public health grounds. This was never acceptable, since refugee travel is essential travel. The Canadian government must show the world that it is not taking advantage of this pandemic to further restrict access to refugees.

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation 2021

Today, September 30th, marks the first ever National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. As defined by the Federal government, this day is meant to “honour the lost children and Survivors of residential schools, their families and communities. Public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process”.

18 August 2021

In Loving Memory

17 June 2021

Processing times for family reunification have reached absurd new lengths

Press release

21 April 2021

Separated children must be reunited with a parent in Canada in 6 months or less

The Canadian Council for Refugees (CCR) called today on the federal government to establish a standard of 6 months to reunite separated children with a parent in Canada. Currently, many children wait years to be reunited with one or both parents in Canada, while the government processes the immigration application.

Canadian Council for Refugees
Media release

15 April 2021

Federal Court of Appeal decision disappointing but acknowledges ineffectiveness of review process

The Canadian Council for Refugees, Amnesty International and The Canadian Council of Churches responded with disappointment to the Federal Court of Appeal’s decision overturning the lower court’s ruling that the Canada-US Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) is unconstitutional.

The Canadian Council for Refugees calls on the Government of Canada to recognize that refugee travel is essential, and to introduce exemptions to the pandemic travel measures for people being resettled as refugees and those entering to make a refugee protection claim.

One year ago, as Canada was locking down in response to the pandemic, new travel rules were introduced that severely blocked entry to the country by refugees. These bans led to:

Canadian Council for Refugees
Press release

22 February 2021

Federal Court of Appeal must uphold decision to strike down Safe Third Country Agreement