CCR Resolutions Database

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  • Myths and public education

    Res.: 3
    Whereas:
    1. The economic recession has created an increase in anti-immigrant and anti-refugee sentiments;
    2. The government has also contributed to the propagation of damaging myths about refugees and immigrants by releasing data on sponsorship breakdown without providing the appropriate context;
    Therefore be it resolved:

    That the CCR:

    1. Urge that the government play a leadership role in public education to dispel the negative myths about refugees and immigrants and increase resources to allow non-governmental groups to do so effectively;
    2. Ask all CCR members to urge the media to be fair and balanced in their coverage of refugee issues.

  • Vietnamese

    Res.: 25
    Whereas:
    1. The Canadian government is a signatory of and contributor to the 1989 Comprehensive Plan of Action (CPA) regarding the situation of Indochinese refugees;
    2. The application of the CPA in Southeast Asian refugee camps, as it now stands, leads to:
      1. human rights abuses which affect the safety and dignity of asylum-seekers in the camps and result in many genuine refugees being wrongly denied refugee status;
      2. deaths of many innocent lives;
      3. forced repatriation;
      4. deprivation measures imposed upon the camp populations;
      5. the birth of a dangerously convenient international precedent which aims to eliminate a refugee situation rather than to resolve it;
    Therefore be it resolved:

    That the CCR:

    1. Request the Canadian government to make representations to the UNHCR, the CPA steering committee and the CPA fellow signatories to:
      1. establish a mechanism to identify, review and correct cases which have been egregiously denied refugee status, with the use of the UNHCR's mandate authority;
      2. respect the safety and dignity of asylum seekers, by immediately recanting the policy of deprivation measures which has led to reductions in food rations and cuts in educational and medical services;
      3. abstain from the use of force and violence in the repatriation programme;
      4. quickly resettle recognized refugees, many of whom have languished for years in transit camps.
    2. Make direct representations to the UNHCR to this effect.

  • CCR involvement in interim review process

    Res.: 30
    Whereas:
    1. The Minister of Citizenship and Immigration has, by News Release dated May 20, 1994, announced that his Department is establishing an "interim review process" to review negative decisions on refugee claims;
    2. The Minister has invited the CCR to assist in this "interim review process";
    Therefore be it resolved:

    That:

    1. The CCR is interested in participating in the "interim review" of rejected refugee claimants announced by the Minister;
    2. CCR involvement must include full participation in designing the review process and establishing its criteria and would include representation at all working sessions of the Departmental planning body;
    3. All rejected claims, irrespective of date of rejection, be included in the review;
    4. If the CCR is adequately represented on a management committee to oversee administration of the review, the CCR recommend to its members that they circulate information on the review and that the CCR also encourage its members to assist eligible claimants in making appropriate submissions to the review process, on a non-exclusive basis.

  • Anti-racism education

    Res.: 5
    Whereas:
    1. Racism is a reality in Canadian society;
    2. In particular, racism is reflected in refugee and immigrant selection policies;
    3. The deepening economic recession has stimulated even more backlash against refugees and immigrants;
    4. Another important reflection of racism is the manner in which refugees and immigrants are treated after arrival. There are numerous racial discriminations which appear in the public and the political domain. As a result Canadian refugees and immigrant people of colour and their children are being systematically prevented from participating in the Canadian mosaic;
    Therefore be it resolved:

    That:

    1. The CCR as a priority undertake a programme of public education to dispel refugee myths. One major undertaking should be the incorporation into press releases of the contribution of newcomers to this society;
    2. The CCR incorporate a statement into all its external and internal documents, such as its mission statement and its By-Laws, that part of the role of the Council is to actively promote an anti-racist perspective/initiative in all its work;
    3. The CCR set up an internal core group that includes representation from the diverse refugee and immigrant communities to devise strategies to combat racism;
    4. As part of its mandate, the core group encourage linkages between immigrant and refugee groups.

  • Detention

    Res.: 35
    Whereas:
    1. The CCR has produced a document entitled Refugee Detention in Canada, dated May 24, 1994, describing the current state of detention practices in Canada;
    2. The CCR and its member organizations have a collective experience of serious abuses and arbitrariness in arrest and detention practices since the adoption of law C-86;
    3. The practice of administrative detention under the Immigration Act violates article 9 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and several international human rights treaties that Canada has signed;
    4. The detention of people for removal in jails with common criminals or people being held for trial violates Canada's international obligations;
    5. There is an urgent need to reform the current rules and practices concerning grounds and powers of detention, including the necessity of legislative amendment, to prevent abuse of individuals' rights. Alternatives should be sought so that detention is used only when consistent with Charter of Rights and Freedom;
    6. Immigration officials at Canadian airports and entry points to Canada have greatly declined in civility and humanity in the treatment of visitors and foreign nationals seeking to come into this country since the adoption of Bill C-86;
    7. An exaggerated level of suspicion and scepticism is being shown to visitors to this country and this is harming the international image of this country;
    8. Minimal international standards for arrest and detention as well as conditions of detention have been adopted by the United Nations;
    Therefore be it resolved:

    That the CCR:

    1. Endorse the May 1994 report on detention as its official paper on detention;
    2. Condemn the systematic violation of article 9 of the Canadian Charter and our international obligations;
    3. Urge the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration to establish clear rules consistent with the Charter to delineate grounds for detention;
    4. Urgently demand the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration to establish a mechanism for sanctions and accountability for immigration officials who abuse the rights of non-citizens and to study the possibility of an independent ombudsman for complaints about immigration practices;
    5. Demand that a code of ethics be established for immigration officials which stresses the need for normal courtesy and respect for physical conditions for visitors, as well as emphasizing a non-discriminatory attitude towards those coming to this country;
    6. Contact provincial tourism ministers to make them aware of the treatment that visitors to this country are subjected to at the current time;
    7. Invite the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention of the United Nations Human Rights Commission to visit Canada on a fact-finding visit to investigate the conformity of Canadian practices with international standards of behaviour;
    8. Advocate to the Minister that, while awaiting legislative amendments:
      1. Interpreters must be more quickly available at points of entry. No one should be detained simply because an interpreter cannot be found in time;
      2. A citizens advocates mechanism should be established in order to guard against abuse by self-contained administrative tribunals;
      3. The Department should facilitate access to review sessions to advocates willing to accompany detainees;
      4. A mechanism should be established for publishing and making available to counsel noteworthy decisions rendered by adjudicators;
      5. Maximum periods of detention should be established (no more than 4 months), except in cases where there is serious reason to believe the person poses a security risk or risk to the public. At the very least, the 4 month mark should trigger a special review with counsel, if necessary, funded by the federal government to actively seek solutions other than detention. A community advocate should also be present, if desired by the detainee;
      6. Detainees awaiting removal should be released, if the removal cannot be effected in the immediate future, as long as the person is not a security risk;
      7. Regulations establishing standards for detention centre conditions, rights and treatment of detainees and conditions for transfers to jail should be adopted. These regulations should be drawn up in consultation with the NGO sector;
      8. Detainees exhibiting signs of psychological stress should be given access to appropriate medical personnel immediately. Known or suspected survivors of torture should be referred to specialists. Reports of medical personnel should be taken into consideration in all decisions concerning the person's continued detention;
      9. Suicide attempts must be treated with the seriousness such an act merits. Relevant legislation should be reviewed and medical experts consulted to ensure that appropriate procedures are established and followed;
      10. Adequate medical care should be made available to all detainees in a timely manner. Special attention should be given to the medical needs of pregnant women;
      11. NGO's should be invited to participate in the training of personnel at detention centres, so as to increase sensitivity to the rights and needs of detainees;
      12. An independent review mechanism should be set up to oversee conditions of detention;
      13. In cases of detention in jails, detainees who have not been accused of a criminal offence should be separated from the general prison community. Special efforts should be made to expedite the case and to ensure that the detainee has access to counselling and community advocates;
      14. Minimum standards for outdoor exercise facilities should be established. There should be more than a small concrete courtyard;
      15. Airport detention facilities should be improved. Comfortable chairs should be provided. The specific needs of children should also be considered with special reference to the UN Convention on the Rights of Child. Food and drink should be made easily available;
      16. All detainees should be provided with an information sheet that clearly outlines their rights and obligations. The information sheet should be translated into as many languages as possible;
      17. All detainees should be provided with a list of organizations that might provide assistance;
      18. There should be opportunity for NGO representatives to meet with regional immigration officials at regular intervals;
      19. Staff cuts should not be made at the expense of the client. Staff needs should be regularly evaluated and reassignments immediately made if necessary;
      20. In seeking to increase the capacity of NGOs to anticipate and respond to the needs of incoming refugee claimants, the department should keep records of gender, age, and country of origin. These statistics would also permit the department to more effectively anticipate changes that might be required at detention facilities;
      21. Access to chaplaincy on a faith-appropriate basis should be provided.

  • Research

    Res.: 10
    Whereas:
    1. Community-based organizations across the country engage in research activities around the issues of immigrant and refugee services;
    2. There is a severe lack in funding these research activities at the grass roots level;
    3. Funders usually contract out research on immigrant and refugee services delivery to private consultants and academics;
    4. Research results are in consequence inadequate and not pertinent to the real needs of immigrant/refugee and ethnocultural communities across Canada;
    Therefore be it resolved:

    That the CCR:

    1. Call upon all funders and particularly the federal government to recognize the value of research activities carried out by community-based immigrant and refugee organizations;
    2. Call upon all funders and particularly the federal government to provide financial resources for community-based organizations to continue to improve and expand research activities on immigrant/refugee service delivery;
    3. Continue to provide at the semiannual consultation a forum for community-based organizations to present the results of and exchange information on the various research activities across the different regions.

  • Refugees and development

    Res.: 15
    Whereas:
    1. At the refugees and development sessions there was considerable interest in continued activity around these issues;
    2. A significant barrier to coordinated assistance to refugees and the internally displaced in countries of asylum/origin is the separation of responsibilities and different funding criteria within departments and between government ministries;
    Therefore be it resolved:

    That the CCR:

    1. Continue to organize sessions on international refugee and development issues;
    2. Investigate initiating dialogue with CIDA, Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Finance to discuss the overlapping responsibilities/ funding criteria relating to refugee relief and development assistance.

  • Rwandan crisis

    Res.: 20
    Whereas:
    1. The crisis in Rwanda persists and a special workshop on the subject was requested at the CCR conference;
    2. The genocide and massacres which began on April 6 have to date caused 500,000 victims and displaced more than 2,000,000 people and the numbers are continuing to grow;
    3. Inordinate numbers of refugees are pouring into the countries neighbouring Rwanda;
    4. The people of Rwanda are suffering a humanitarian tragedy and a social and economic crisis without historical precedent;
    5. The UN forces left Rwanda just as the genocide was launched, leaving the civilian population at risk, thus encouraging the army and the militia to massacre and calling into question their credibility
    6. There is considerable media misinformation suggesting that the war in Rwanda is ethnic, while in fact it is political;
    Therefore be it resolved:

    That the CCR:

    1. Urge the government of Canada to:
      1. support our request for an impartial international or regional inquiry into the events which led to the genocide of the Rwandan people;
      2. support appropriate measures to ensure that following such an inquiry those responsible for the massacres are judged and punished, whether in Rwanda, here or in another country;
      3. support appropriate measures to establish a democratic government of national unity and to ensure respect for human rights, in the spirit of the Arusha Accord;
      4. continue its generous humanitarian aid to the Rwandan people;
      5. study and discuss the problem of how the local personnel employed by Canadian organizations or government were abandonned when Canadian expatriates were evacuated, in order to ensure that such a situation does not happen again;
      6. reject the imposition of conditions on the participation of Canadian forces in the UN troops, according to which 5,500 troops are to be brought together in Rwanda;
      7. implement special measures with simple and clear criteria to offer protection in Canada for those with family or other links with Canadians of Rwandan origin and to refuse visas and landing to previously identified criminals;
      8. cease all non-justified removals of Rwandans in Canada;
    2. Request its members to educate the Canadian public on the origins as well as the solutions to the current crisis in Rwanda;
    3. Request the Canadian government to finalize an urgent special procedure to collect unaccompanied orphaned minors whose sole remaining relatives are in Canada; i.e. Canadians of Rwandan origin whatever their eligibility for existing sponsorship programmes (humanitarian cases).

  • Protection of Burmese refugees

    Res.: 23
    Whereas:
    1. Aung San Su Kyi remains under house arrest following her victory in the democratic elections of 1989
    2. The SLORC continues to disregard human rights and the outcome of the 1989 democratic elections;
    3. Since 1988 large numbers of Burmese nationals have been both internally and externally displaced;
    4. The Royal Thai government is failing to provide protection to Burmese nationals and their conditions continue to deteriorate;
    5. International attention and pressure have been conspicuously absent;
    6. There is both an overseas need and a sponsorship interest in increasing the current immigration levels;
    Therefore be it resolved:

    That the CCR:

    1. Petition the Government of Canada to request the Government of Thailand:
      1. to honour their responsibilities to provide safe asylum to Burmese nationals; and
      2. to issue exit visas to Burmese nationals upon completion of Canadian immigration processing;
    2. Petition the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration to increase the number of government sponsorships to at least double the current seventy-five positions and in addition appropriate one-third of the contingency allocation in recognition of the urgency of the situation;
    3. Urge the Government of Canada to use all means at its disposal to pressure the Burmese (Myanmar) SLORC to restore human rights and to honour its own democratic process and the outcome of the election of 1989;
    4. Request the Government of Canada to provide human resource development opportunities to Burmese refugees in neighbouring countries as they await restoration of human rights and the democratic process in Burma.

  • Programme evaluation

    Res.: 41
    Whereas:
    Meaningful evaluation requires the participation of major stakeholders (clients, agencies and funders) in the evaluation process, including the development of national and local evaluation tools;
    Therefore be it resolved:
    That the CCR Executive in discussion with funders at the next roundtable meeting determine how these major stakeholders will work together in the development of evaluation tools, including national performance indicators.

  • Principle of non-adversarial hearings at the IRB

    Res.: 28
    Whereas:
    1. The IRB was originally designed in principle to be a non-adversarial adjudicative tribunal;
    2. The IRB has departed from this founding principle and has devolved into an adversarial process;
    Therefore be it resolved:
    That the CCR strongly endorse the position contained in the Rebuilding Trust report by James Hathaway that the IRB return and adhere to the principle of being a non-adversarial tribunal of inquiry into Convention refugee claims.

  • Settlement and mainstream services

    Res.: 3
    Whereas:
    1. All social service agencies (mainstream and non-governmental) hold as fundamental principles that services must meet the specific needs of the populations served and that clients have the right to self-determination;
    2. All social services must respect the clients' choice as to the most appropriate service delivery system and offer diverse models of services to meet these individual needs;
    3. The understanding of settlement needs of immigrants and refugees has developed significantly over the past 10 years and has responded to the reality that newcomers' adjustment is of varying length depending on a variety of factors, which include language, cultural, social supports and integration, etc;
    4. Non-governmental settlement service agencies have evolved in meeting these needs and have developed a very comprehensive and specialized knowledge base for service delivery;
    5. Mainstream services are only beginning to address the issue of access to services by an increasingly diverse population;
    6. The accessibility and adequacy of such services are only in the developmental stages and these service agencies are still struggling with their internal adjustments to personnel and organizational change;
    7. Historically, non-governmental settlement services have not only been pioneers but have been providing leadership in developing settlement services to a constantly changing population;
    8. Mainstream social services are increasingly calling on the expertise of non-governmental settlement services to assist them in their transition to providing more accessible and culturally appropriate services to a population that they have not served in the past;
    9. Non-governmental settlement services have been meeting, and will continue to meet the needs for service in this area;
    Therefore be it resolved:

    That the CCR communicate to the appropriate governmental and social service bodies at every possible opportunity that:

    1. Non-governmental settlement services are an integral part of the social service delivery system and that the expertise of these services must be fully recognized;
    2. Non-governmental settlement services must have equal access to funding for social services; 3. Ongoing funding must be made available to ensure continuity of services and to maintain quality of services through appropriate resources for planning, delivery and evaluation.

  • Proposed IRB code of procedures for torture survivors

    Res.: 33
    Whereas:
    1. The CCR passed a resolution in May 1993 supporting the initiative of the National Network of Torture Survivor Centres to develop a code of procedures for the treatment of survivors who are refugee claimants;
    2. The CCR remains concerned about the plight of torture survivors in the refugee determination process;
    3. The CCR has been consulted in the preparation of the proposed code of procedures;
    Therefore be it resolved:

    That the CCR:

    1. Endorse the proposed code of procedures for torture survivors;
    2. Assist the National Network in encouraging the IRB and the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration to study the code and to consult interested parties and to thereby formally create a legally enforceable code of procedures for the treatment of torture survivors.

  • Immigrant and refugee mental health

    Res.: 8
    Whereas:
    1. The settlement and adaptation process has been recognised in the Report "After the Door has been Opened" to have significant mental health aspects;
    2. The federal Ministries of Human Resources, Citizenship and Immigration, Canadian Heritage, and Health are concerned with the successful settlement of Immigrants and refugees;
    Therefore be it resolved:

    That the CCR request that:

    1. The above mentioned Federal ministries continue to implement the recommendations of the report "After the Door Has Been Opened";
    2. These Ministries pay particular attention to and review the mental health effects of their policies;
    3. These Ministries urge the Provincial Ministries of Health to recognise cross cultural mental health counselling by including costs for these services under the Provincial Health Plans.

  • Stays of removal orders

    Res.: 38
    Whereas:
    1. Section 49 (1) of the Immigration Act provides for stay of execution of removal orders when a rejected refugee claimant makes an application for leave to appeal to the Federal Court;
    2. Section 49 (1.1) of the Immigration Act provides that there is no stay for persons "residing or sojourning in the United States" where a section 20 (border) report was made on that person;
    3. The Immigration department is purporting to apply section 49(1.1) to persons who have been residing in Canada for more than one year, telling them to leave while their application for leave to appeal is still before the Federal Court;
    Therefore be it resolved:

    That the CCR demand that the government cease the practice of removing refugee claimants residing in Canada who entered Canada from the United States and whose applications for leave to appeal are before the Federal Court.

  • Collaborative funding efforts

    Res.: 13
    Whereas:
    1. Under the current era of fiscal restraint and funding cutbacks, agencies are being encouraged to enter into collaborative efforts for service delivery;
    2. The criteria for establishing collaborative efforts has been only loosely developed;
    3. The attempt to forge effective, equitable collaborative efforts has met with little, if any, success;
    4. The funding allocated to conjoint projects is never adequate to allow organizations to engage in a process of development;
    Therefore be it resolved:

    That the CCR:

    1. Bring to the attention of funders, particularly the federal government and specifically the funders participating in the Culturally Appropriate Social Services Conference in Montreal, June 5 - 7, the need to allocate sufficient funds for the development process of forging equitable collaborative efforts between mainstream and community-based organizations including, but not limited to, the criteria for equitable power-sharing;
    2. Call upon the mainstream organizations to join in the effort of making the development process a reality for forging meaningful, equitable collaborative efforts.

  • Separation of refugee programmes, policy and budget from immigration programmes, policy and budget

    Res.: 18
    Whereas:
    1. The combination of eligibility criteria for overseas refugee processing confirming the person is either a Convention Refugee or a member of a Designated Class and the admissibility criteria based on immigration criteria is a contradiction of the humanitarian and protection focus of the refugee programme;
    2. The combination of the eligibility and admissibility criteria, named above, causes the particular exclusion of women, who suffer from a gender bias in any test based on economic achievement. Sociologist Monica Boyd writes of the triple disadvantage immigrant women face in the job market - gender, nationality and race - which is further compounded by the refugee experience;
    3. The Adjustment Assistance Programme is a source of immigration funds available to support government and jointly sponsored refugees. Refugee levels take into account the budget requirements. Until most recently AAP funds were used to assist indigent immigrants, whose cases and the policy for selection is the responsibility of the immigration (not refugee) section, thereby negatively impacting on the fact that Canada has repeatedly fallen short in its overseas government-assisted refugee resettlement levels;
    4. Refugees in need of protection processed for entry to Canada are frequently denied a transportation loan based on a projection of "inability to repay the loan". The transportation loan system must be administered consistent with the policy objectives of the refugee programme i.e. protection;
    5. The issue of the separation of refugee humanitarian programmes and budget is listed as the fifth of five major topics to be referred to the broad consultations on immigration;
    Therefore be it resolved:

    That the CCR Executive communicate with the Minister and Department of Citizenship and Immigration recommending that the refugee programmes, policy and budget, including Adjustment Assistance Programme and the Transportation Loan be separated from the immigration programmes, policy and budget. This process should be undertaken in conjunction with stakeholders, such as CCR, Sponsorship Agreement holders, community groups, refugees and settlement agencies. The discussions should include recommendations on the placement of Family Class, immigration levels, levels of special needs cases and programming needs.

  • Genocide

    Res.: 26
    Whereas:
    1. Genocide is going on in various parts of the world by the governments, armies, paramilitary and civil forces;
    2. Refugees are victims and survivors of and witnesses to genocides;
    3. The present international legal mechanisms cannot adequately address the widespread perpetration of genocide today, notably as it affects girls and women, by means of rape in war;
    4. The United Nations has recently begun to discuss the failure of international mechanisms to respond adequately to the crime of genocide;
    Therefore be it resolved:
    1. That the CCR call upon the government of Canada, in international fora:
    2. To address the inadequacy of international mechanisms to respond adequately to the crime of genocide;
    3. To ask for a review of the Genocide Convention;
    4. To provide new funding to the United Nations Human Rights Centre for international human rights mechanisms because these are seriously underfunded.

  • SMIS national working group

    Res.: 1
    Whereas:
    1. Certain clients will not be accessing the services they need if they are aware that information about them will be transmitted to the government;
    2. NGOs' integrity cannot be comprised by supplying confidential information to the government;
    3. NGOs are not satisfied that SMIS has taken into consideration the operational implications or workload on them, nor are they convinced of the accuracy and therefore usefulness of the performance indicators;
    4. Citizenship and Immigration Minister Marchi announced the creation of a National Working Group to reach a compromise agreement on outstanding issues that will be mutually acceptable to the NGO community and the Government;
    Therefore be it resolved:

    That the CCR urge: 

    1. That a moratorium be placed on the implementation and piloting of the SMIS until such time as a mutually acceptable agreement is reached by the National Working Group;
    2. That the National Working Group be comprised of:
      1. one provincial representative nominated by each of AMSSA, AAISA, SAISA, MICA, OCASI, and one for the Atlantic Region;
      2. an Information Technology Expert, nominated by the CCR;
      3. a legal expert on privacy, nominated by the CCR;
      4. an expert on programme evaluation, nominated by the CCR;
      5. a refugee client of a CCR member agency;
      6. an immigrant client of a CCR member agency;
      7. government staff including Settlement and Integration Policy, Research and Settlement Operations;
    3. That the National Working Group be co-chaired by an NGO and a government representative;
    4. That the agreements reached by the National Working Group be implemented in a timely fashion;
    5. That the NGO representatives keep the refugee and immigrant services organizations fully informed of the progress and seek their input including but not limited to the following issues:
      1. client confidentiality
      2. who has access to the reports produced
      3. a review of the mandatory information required
      4. what clients and programmes can be exempt from the SMIS reports
      5. the use and the meaningfulness of the performance indicators
      6. what kind of reports will be generated and how will they be used
      7. the security of the data
      8. what process will be used to ensure that planning will be collaborative;
    6. That sufficient funding be made available to the NGO representatives for:
      1. travel
      2. consultation
      3. telephone and fax
      4. expert advice
      5. honoraria for refugee and immigrant client representatives.

  • Rights of claimants during interim measures programme

    Res.: 31
    Whereas:
    1. The Canadian Government has encouraged greater self-sufficiency of refugee claimants by authorizing work permits
    2. The Canadian Government has extended the residency period of many thousands of refugee claimants through new "interim measures";
    Therefore be it resolved:

    That the CCR:

    1. Ask the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration to instruct his department to grant work permits to refused refugee claimants eligible for the "interim measures" programme;
    2. Urge the Canadian Government to use its best efforts to ensure basic health care for refugee claimants awaiting processing through the "interim measures" programme;
    3. Urge the Minister to impose a moratorium on removals of all failed refugee claimants pending the outcome of the "interim measures programme".

  • Anti-racism and equity

    Res.: 6
    Whereas:
    1. Ministries of Education and Boards of Education across Canada are developing and implementing policies of Race Relations and Ethno-cultural Equity;
    2. Anti-racism education is most effective when it involves participants in a process that addresses attitudinal change;
    3. Member groups of CCR have grassroots, community experience, as well as an analysis from international experience, in the meaning and effects of racism;
    Therefore be it resolved:
    That the CCR communicate with the Ministries of Education with a list of CCR member groups and the recommendation that Boards of Education be encouraged to communicate with these groups as sources of local resource people for teacher workshops, classroom presentations and representation on policy-shaping committees at the Board level.

  • Refugee awareness week and refugee rights day

    Res.: 36
    Whereas:
    The education of the Canadian public and promotion of rights and concerns relating to refugees are vitally important matters to those concerned with the plight of refugees;
    Therefore be it resolved:

    That the CCR:

    1. Adopt the week in which April 4 falls each year as Refugee Awareness Week and April 4 as Refugee Rights Day;
    2. Recommend to its members the organization of programmes to promote greater understanding of the plight of refugees at this time each year.

  • Settlement worker recognition

    Res.: 11
    Whereas:
    1. Settlement workers provide essential services in providing support during transition and adaptation of immigrants and refugees;
    2. Settlement workers have immense linguistic, cultural and crosscultural skills that are in demand by both the host community and immigrants and refugees;
    3. The majority of settlement workers are immigrants, visible minorities and women;
    4. Two of the four priority groups as identified by the federal government's employment equity plan are visible minorities and women;
    5. The ISAP contracts provided by the Department of Immigration to settlement agencies refuse to acknowledge and/or provide funding for any benefits except those mandated by law (i.e. CPP and UIC);
    6. Settlement agencies are independent and should not be subject to government wage freezes;
    Therefore be it resolved:

    That the CCR write to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration urging him to fully recognize Settlement Worker skills by providing funds to allow settlement agencies to implement an adequate salary structure and benefit package including health and retirement plans.

  • Gender proportionality in refugee resettlement

    Res.: 16
    Whereas:
    1. The UNHCR estimates that 80% of the world's refugees are women and their dependants;
    2. Women refugees comprise a high proportion of the refugee camp populations;
    3. As a result of the gender consultations the need for gender proportionality in Canada's resettlement activities and the possibility of establishing targets for 1995 has been recognized and referred as a major topic to the broad consultation on immigration;
    4. Between 1985 and 1991 women comprised only 23% of the principal applicants of the refugees landed in Canada;
    5. Women refugees face various obstacles throughout the process of overseas selection, admission and integration in Canada. The strong emphasis on immigration criteria uses inappropriate measurement tools to assess a woman's ability to successfully establish in Canada;
    Therefore be it resolved:

    That the CCR communicate with the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration recommending:

    1. An action plan for the next five years (1995-2000) be developed by government and NGO representatives to enable the enactment of gender quotas of a minimum of 50% women as principal applicants by the year 1997. The development of this action plan should be developed in conjunction with stakeholders;
    2. A minimum level be set for the Women at Risk Programme, effective immediately. This level would include CR1 and CR5 Women at Risk and would access the 20% of the 1994 AAP monies originally destined for indigent immigrants.

  • Acceptance of afghan refugees

    Res.: 21
    Whereas:
    1. The collapse of the Communist regime in Afghanistan did not bring a lasting solution to that country, as was proposed in the UN peace plan that was never implemented, but rather precipitated a more brutal war between rival extremist warlords resulting in heavy civilian casualties, thousands more internally displaced, a new wave of over 100,000 refugees on the Pakistani border and a severe escalation of human rights abuses (as reported in the most recent 1994 publication of Amnesty International);
    2. The UN repatriation programme for Afghan refugees has become an international embarrassment and a gross failure;
    3. Recent UNHCR reports run contrary to the findings of human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and the Report of the UN Special Rapporteur on Afghanistan and inappropriately suggest that Afghans are not in need of resettlement abroad;
    4. Afghan refugees constitute the largest refugee population in the world, but Canadian government sponsorship of Afghans had come to a halt until the recent agreement mentioned below, and the rejection rate for private sponsorship is over 90%;
    5. The Minister of Citizenship and Immigration recently negotiated a joint resettlement agreement signed by Sergio Marchi and Mr Aziz Bhaloo, President of the Ismaili Council of Canada and FOCUS Humanitarian Assistance Canada;
    6. The CCR has raised concerns over Afghan refugees in conversations with the Immigration Department numerous times without any results;
    Therefore be it resolved:

    That the CCR:

    1. Call on the government of Canada to:
      1. In addition to the Ismaili joint resettlement agreement, open the doors for all Afghan refugees, especially women and children who comprise the majority;
      2. Conduct a review of all rejected Afghan refugee sponsorship cases;
      3. Support the UN initiative to end the Afghan conflict through a negotiated settlement;
      4. Discourage neighbouring countries from arming the warring factions;
      5. Call on the UNHCR to provide more accurate information on the situation in Afghanistan;
    2. Write a letter to the government of Canada expressing the following concerns about the new joint resettlement agreement between the government of Canada and the Ismaili Council of Canada and Focus Humanitarian Assistance Canada:
      1. We are concerned that the 500 places per year for Ismailis in Pakistan are part of the current quota for government-assisted refugees for the Middle East, not in addition to that quota. Because of this, there will be fewer places available for Iranians, Iraqis, and other Afghans;
      2. This agreement seems to set a dangerous precedent for off-loading the government's obligation for resettling refugees onto ethnic groups or other private sponsors;
      3. While resettlement of Afghan refugees is welcome, we are concerned about the predetermined selection of refugees based on religious affiliation in a region where many refugees of varying religious affiliations are in need of resettlement;
      4. We urge the government either to treat these 500 refugees as privately sponsored refugees or to expand the regional quota in order to respond to the needs of refugees of all religious affiliations.