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Overseas Protection and Resettlement

Corporate responsibility for forced displacement

Resolution number
2
Whereas
  1. It has become clear over the last decades that many corporations are complicit in human rights violations that contribute to forced displacement;
  2. Many governments increasingly support these corporate activities through their economic development policies, further undermining protection of vulnerable populations;
Therefore be it resolved

that the CCR oppose corporate activities that contribute, directly or indirectly, to forced displacement.

Working Group
Overseas Protection and Resettlement

Inadmissibility and national security

Resolution number
8
Whereas
  1. There have been many refugees found ineligible for government or private sponsorship because of unreasonable decisions by visa officers concerning issues pursuant to S. 19 (1)(e) and S. 19 (1)(f),(k) and (l) of the Immigration Act;
  2. The exception set out in 19(1)(f) establishes no procedure to determine whether a refugee is "detrimental to the national interest";
  3. The phrase "detrimental to the national interest" is too vague and uncertain and needs to be defined;
Therefore be it resolved

that the CCR call on the Minister to:

  1. Establish a fair procedure to determine if the applicant has met the exceptions set out in 19(f) and (l) and create similar exceptions for subsections (e) and (k);
  2. Define what is meant by the phrase "detrimental to the national interest" in order to avoid vagueness and uncertainty;
  3. Allow a review of these decisions by an independent and impartial tribunal such as the IRB.
Working Group
Overseas Protection and Resettlement
Subject
Security inadmissibility

PSR program

Resolution number
3
Whereas
  1. The Canadian people through their faith and ethnocultural organizations wish to welcome and protect refugees;
  2. The Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program allows Canadians to welcome and protect refugees;
Therefore be it resolved

that the CCR:

  1. Reaffirm our support of the Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program to allow Canadians to protect and welcome refugees;
  2. Oppose any government limit or ceilings on the PSR program.
Working Group
Overseas Protection and Resettlement
Subject
Private sponsorship

Family sponsorship

Resolution number
14
Whereas
  1. Some refugees selected overseas are resettled in Canada without their immediate families (usually because they are in another country).
  2. Some refugees granted status by the IRB are advised not to include immediate family members on their permanent residence application, in the interests of speedier processing.
  3. Both of these groups of people may face financial barriers when they subsequently attempt to be reunited with their family, because they are no longer classified as refugees.
  4. There is inconsistency across Canada in the application of financial requirements for the sponsorship of spouses and dependent children.
Therefore be it resolved

That the CCR urge CIC to:

  1. Process the immediate family of refugees selected overseas simultaneously, even when they are in a different country.
  2. Stop advising refugees granted status by the IRB not to include their immediate family on their permanent residence application.
  3. Ensure that no financial requirements are demanded of refugees who have become permanent residents or Canadian citizens and who are seeking to sponsor their immediate family.
Working Group
Overseas Protection and Resettlement
Subject
Family reunification

Principles of private sponsorship

Resolution number
13
Whereas
  1. When the Government of Canada first negotiated with NGOs to join in the resettlement of refugees through the Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program, NGOs agreed to participate on the condition that the three principles of partnership, additionality and naming were guaranteed.
  2. These three principles were clearly articulated and supported in the Private Sponsorship Review.
  3. The Government of Canada regularly attempts to dilute these principles.
Therefore be it resolved

That the CCR write to the Government of Canada clearly reiterating the original principles of the Private Sponsorship Program and expressing our concern over Citizenship and Immigration Canada's regular attempts to dilute or discard these principles.

Working Group
Overseas Protection and Resettlement
Subject
Private sponsorship

Afghan women

Resolution number
12
Whereas
  1. CCR Resolution #10 of May 1995 called on the Government of Canada to accept Afghan refugees and expedite their processing at the relevant visa posts abroad.
  2. There are recent reports from Afghanistan about inhumane treatment of women including preventing women from appearing in public, from obtaining education, and from working outside their homes which has especially affected those widows who are the only breadwinners for their families.
  3. Amnesty International and other human rights groups have singled out the extreme human rights violations of the regimes and warring factions in Afghanistan especially against women.
  4. Afghan women continue to face great risks to their personal safety and security in the highly unsafe refugee camps in neighbouring countries.
Therefore be it resolved

That the CCR urge the Government of Canada to respond to the deterioration of the security of Afghan women by resettling Afghan refugee women and their families through speedy processing of private sponsorships including Women at Risk, and through resuming the government sponsorship program for the region.

Working Group
Overseas Protection and Resettlement

Burmese ethnic minority refugees in Thailand

Resolution number
11
Whereas
  1. The situation for all Burmese refugees in Thailand remains precarious, but for Karen and other ethnic minorities it is particularly tenuous.
  2. Exit visas to Canada are only granted by the Royal Thai Government to those refugees who have obtained an offer of a sponsorship, have been approved by the Government of Canada, have UNHCR "person of concern" status and are in the "safe camp" for the required three month period.
  3. UNHCR "Person of Concern" status is rarely granted to Karen and other ethnic minority refugees in Thailand, and they are denied access to the "safe camp".
  4. Earlier CCR resolutions called on the Royal Thai Government not to require refugees to go to the "safe camp" to await resettlement, but this requirement is still in effect and is causing hardships and delays for refugees with approved sponsorships who are NOT in the "safe camp".
Therefore be it resolved

That the CCR:

  1. Request that the Government of Canada urge that the Royal Thai Government grant exit visas to all refugees approved and accepted for resettlement in Canada, whether or not they are in the "safe camp".
  2. In the interim, urge the UNHCR to use its influence with the Royal Thai Government to admit all refugees, including Karen and other ethnic minorities with approved sponsorships, to the "safe camp" whence they can be approved for exit visas.
Working Group
Overseas Protection and Resettlement

Tertiary education for Sudanese refugees

Resolution number
10
Whereas
  1. The conflict in the Sudan is over three decades old.
  2. Many Sudanese refugees languish in refugee camps in Kenya, Uganda and elsewhere in Africa.
  3. There is no imminent likelihood of these refugees repatriating to the Sudan.
  4. The majority of these refugees are youth with no opportunities for education past the secondary level.
  5. There is little opportunity for these youth to resettle to a third country.
Therefore be it resolved

That the CCR urge the Government of Canada, through consultations with other donor countries and international agencies, to develop a fund to provide educational opportunities, at the tertiary level, to Sudanese refugees in Kenya, Uganda and elsewhere in Africa.

Working Group
Overseas Protection and Resettlement
Subject
Education

Southern Sudanese refugees

Resolution number
9
Whereas
  1. The situation in southern Sudan is characterized by civil war, massive refugee flows, internal displacement, massive violations of human rights and chronic famine on an unprecedented scale.
  2. A peaceful solution is needed to end the civil war that has continued for 30 years.
  3. The international community should give urgent and concerted attention to the humanitarian tragedy of southern Sudan.
Therefore be it resolved

That the CCR:

  1. Use international fora to expose atrocities by the Sudanese government upon the people of southern Sudan.
  2. Call on the Government of Canada to bring the conditions of southern Sudanese to the attention of the appropriate UN bodies such as the Commission on Human Rights, the Security Council and the Department of Humanitarian Affairs.
  3. Call on the Government of Canada in cooperation with the UNHCR to address the security needs of Sudanese refugees and in particular Sudanese children.
Working Group
Overseas Protection and Resettlement

Refugee crisis in Zaire and Rwanda

Resolution number
8
Whereas
  1. A humanitarian tragedy is being played out in Zaire and Rwanda and urgent action from the international community is needed.
  2. Hundreds of thousands of Rwandan refugees have repatriated from Zaire to Rwanda, resulting in the need for a massive settlement program in Rwanda.
  3. The Government of Canada has announced its intention to lead an international military force to protect humanitarian relief operations in eastern Zaire.
  4. Gross human rights violations and a lack of a functioning judicial system are major impediments to reconciliation in Rwanda.
  5. Leaders of the 1994 Rwandan genocide are living freely in Zaire and other neighbouring countries.
Therefore be it resolved

That the CCR urge the Government of Canada to:

  1. Support the safe and voluntary repatriation of remaining Rwandan refugees in Zaire, Tanzania and Burundi under close supervision of NGOs and international bodies such as the UNHCR and UNCHR.
  2. Exercise influence and push for firm and coordinated international action to create a favourable atmosphere for repatriation by:
    a) Helping the Rwandan government and international NGOs in Rwanda to continue with community economic development projects by providing financial and technical assistance.
    b) Diminishing the degree of fear of refugees to repatriation by urging the Government of Rwanda to end human rights violations.
    c) Cooperate with foreign donors in order to provide logistical and financial assistance to rebuild the Rwandan judicial system.
    d) Influence the Rwandan government to quickly begin trials.
  3. Extend financial, logistical and moral support to the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda based in Arusha, Tanzania, and influence the governments of Zaire, Tanzania, Kenya, Burundi and Cameroons to cooperate with this Tribunal to ensure that criminals are brought to justice.
  4. Support a concerted political action to force the government of Zaire to stop permitting the former Rwandan government's militia and the forces of interhamwe, responsible for the 1994 genocide, from using Zairian territory for military operations against the government of national reconciliation in Rwanda.
Working Group
Overseas Protection and Resettlement
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