Inland Protection

That the CCR call upon the IRB to:

1. Withdraw the requirement that the Refugee Protection Officer or Member examine a claimant prior to the claimant's counsel.
2. Withdraw the ability of the IRB to schedule hearings without regard to counsel's calendars.
3. Direct Members not to impose a video-conferencing hearing on a claimant in the face of a claimant's objection.
4. Amend the guidelines to delete the direction to Board members to restrict the length and content of a claimant’s counsel’s submissions.
5. Add clear guidelines on the treatment of vulnerable claimants in the Guidelines on the Conduct of Hearings.

That the CCR:

1. Call on the Immigration and Refugee Board to ensure that in all of its regions a request for change of venue not be rejected where a claimant can show that hardship would result from such a rejection.
2. Call on the IRB and CIC to allow persons to choose their place of hearing where hardship would result from a refusal to grant this choice.

That the CCR:

1. Write to CIC to request that CPC-Vegreville be instructed to give the processing of refugee claimants' work permits a priority in order to avoid an extended period of undue hardship and vulnerability; and that the work permits issued be for a minimum of one year.
2. Write to CIC to request an increase in resources to CPC-Vegreville and to medical services to allow for priority processing of work permit applications.
3. Send copies of these letters to the relevant provincial authorities.
4. Request that CPC-Vegreville be instructed to stop the practice of setting an arbitrary date for leaving Canada under the Conditions of Issue.

That the CCR:

1. Request CIC to develop an immediate protection mechanism leading to permanent residence in Canada to protect trafficked women and children and that the necessary resources and support structures be put in place to sustain the program.
2. Urge that the Urgent Protection Program be expanded to include trafficked persons and that their immediate family grouping be kept intact since family members left behind may be at risk.

That the CCR:

1. Call on the Government of Canada to expand the definition of protected persons to include trafficked persons.
2. Call on the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration to urgently develop a regulatory class.
3. Call on CIC to give trafficked persons special consideration under H&C, and to accompany this with a regulatory stay.
4. Insist that these measures not be tied to providing testimony and not be punitive.
5. Call on CIC to give trafficked persons access to Interim Federal Health (IFH) benefits, work permits and legal aid.
6. Call on the IRB to address the special circumstances of trafficked persons in the gender guidelines.
7. Call on the federal and provincial governments to ensure that separated children have guardians assigned to them.

That the CCR request that CIC and the IRB review their data management and reporting systems to ensure the accurate and timely collection and reporting of statistics relating to statelessness, in particular:

• refugee status determination hearings when statelessness was a factor (numbers, country of residence)
• H&C applications of stateless cases (numbers accepted, numbers rejected, countries of habitual residence)
• detention of stateless persons (length of detention, reason for detention, country of habitual residence, place of detention, age, gender)
• removals of stateless persons (including country of habitual residence, age, gender, country removed to).
• resettlement of stateless persons.

That the CCR ask CIC and the IRB to release refugee claimants who satisfy their identity requirements, without a bond.

That the CCR call on the government of Canada (CIC and IRB) to adhere to international standards with respect to detention of refugee claimants, and to ensure that refugee claimants not be detained for more time than is required to conduct initial enquiries as to the person's identity. Ascertaining a person's identity should not be dependent on an ability to produce an identity document.

That CCR call upon the federal and provincial governments to establish procedures to ensure effective access to counsel for all immigration detainees, including free telephone access and face to face communication with counsel.

That CCR, together with other organizations and coalitions working for the rights of Palestinian refugees, raise with the IRB and with PRRA officials the need for better and more consistent information regarding the legal status of Palestinian refugees and the rights violations they face.