Overseas Protection and Resettlement

That the CCR:

1. Strongly urge the Minister to amend IRPA to include statelessness as a ground for protection (both in Canada and for resettlement).
2. In the alternative, use the authority of subsection 25(1) to establish "protection of stateless persons" as a public policy category for permanent residence and amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations to include statelessness as a ground for resettlement to Canada.
3. As an interim measure urge CIC to amend the Immigration Manual, Chapter IP5, to include statelessness as a factor for landing in H&C applications. ID requirements and establishment requirements should be waived in view of the special hardships faced by stateless persons.

That the CCR:

1. Urge the UNHCR to ensure that conducive conditions exist before beginning any voluntary repatriation of refugees from the camps.
2. Urge the UNHCR to continue to promote resettlement as a durable solution for these refugees.
3. Encourage the Canadian government to continue to actively assist the UNHCR in promoting resettlement as a durable solution for these vulnerable populations;
4. Encourage the Canadian government to increase funding to the UNHCR and WFP programs and services in the camps.

That the CCR:

1. Call on the Government of Canada to urge the UNHCR to provide humanitarian aid adequate for the safety, health and maintenance of these vulnerable populations.
2. Urge Citizenship and Immigration Canada to expedite early resettlement of persons in urgent need of resettlement.

That the CCR urge the Canadian government to:

1. Send a strong protest to the government of Sudan condemning its deliberate policy of ethnic cleansing in Darfur region and requesting the government of Sudan to grant full and unhindered access to Darfur region by international organizations.
2. Raise the issue of ethnic cleansing in Darfur at the UN Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) and other international for a.
3. Explore the possibility of joining in a fact finding trip to Darfur region.

That the CCR write to the Prime Minister of Canada demanding that Canada:

1. Make a public condemnation of torture in Iraq and Afghanistan by US and coalition forces, and ask for the US administration to:
   a) Adhere to the international legal instruments against torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
   b) Train US military personnel and other enforcement official to adhere to these human rights standards.
   c) Allow outside inspection of US-controlled jails, detention centres and other facilities where persons are detained.
   d) Designate an independent ombudsperson to receive complains about torture and other human rights abuses.
2. Accede to the UN Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and encourage other countries – including and especially the USA – to do the same.

That the CCR ask the Government of Canada to urge UNHCR to insist as a matter of principle in its discussions and negotiations with host governments and governments of countries of origin that refugees, especially refugee women, be included as active partners in the negotiation, planning and implementation of all voluntary repatriation processes.

That the CCR urge Medical Services Branch to mobilize the IFH Advisory Committee to develop solutions to: a) registration problems b) the complex claim process c) the slow reimbursement scheme d) inadequate resources for increasing special needs.

That the CCR urge CIC to simplify the overseas refugee determination process, and to eliminate the perennial backlog by not re-interviewing UNHCR referred GARs, and through temporary staff re-deployments.

That the CCR:

1. Urge CIC to abandon the use of concepts of ‘signatory countries’ and ‘fair and effective protection regimes’ and focus its attention on the availability of a durable solution for the individual applicant.
2. Urge that OP5 be amended to conform to IRPA and to set out that there is no reasonable prospect of a durable solution in all those situations where it has been improperly applied, and in particular, those situations where: a)    a refugee claim has been made in the country where the person is located and rejected.

    

    b)    the determination of a refugee claim in the country where the person is located is subject to undue delays.

    

    c)    a refugee claim is pending in the country where the person is located and likely to be rejected for the reason that the concept of protection is applied more narrowly by that country than by Canada.

    

    d)    the person has been denied access to the local refugee determination regime because of the person’s own prior irrevocable waiver of the right to access the refugee determination system.
3. Request that CIC:
   a) make it clear to sponsors and the applicant when CIC believes that applicants are in a country where local integration may represent a durable solution.
   b) indicate concretely what the proposed durable solution is.

    

    
   c) allow the sponsors and the applicant to rebut that presumption.
4. Urge its members to litigate failed resettlement cases where ‘signatory country’ was the issue.

That the CCR:

1. Urge CIC to keep all current private sponsorship files in Turkey open until all avenues have been pursued and until such time as an agreement can be reached with the SAH representatives, and to lift the ban on new undertakings, pending a solution(s) to the exit permit issues.
2. Urge the government of Canada to continue working with the Multilateral Technical Committee to find a solution(s) to the current and future Turkish exit permit issues.
3. Urge CIC to respect the terms of the SAH agreement (Principles b and g) and work in full collaboration with elected SAH representatives in further negotiations.
4. Urge UNHCR to take proactive steps to assist in facilitating the departure from Turkey of persons accepted by the Canadian visa post.