CCR Resolutions Database

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  • Res.: 4
    Whereas:
    1. The Human Rights Code includes sexual orientation as one of the prohibited grounds for discrimination in Canada;
    2. Gay men, lesbians, bisexual and transgendered individuals are as much a part of the immigrant and refugee communities as they are part of every community;
    3. Settlement agencies have the responsibility to provide relevant, effective and appropriate services to these further marginalized immigrant and refugee communities;
    4. The staff of settlement agencies, as part of a society that has heterosexist privilege, may have internalized a world view that further marginalizes these groups;
    5. This will impact negatively on the ability of the sector to provide effective settlement services to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered immigrants and refugees;
    Therefore be it resolved:

    That the CCR play a proactive role in supporting the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered immigrants and refugees by:

    1. a) Becoming familiar with the issues affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered immigrants and refugees, with the agencies providing specialized services to these communities, and with the immigration options available to them;

      b) Providing training opportunities at conferences for settlement staff to begin to challenge attitudes which discriminate against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered refugees and immigrants;

      c) Developing internal policies that affirm the rights of individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered immigrants and refugees;

      d) Applying inclusive hiring practices that encourage the employment of staff from these communities.

    2. Taking a proactive role in encouraging CCR member agencies to accept their responsibility to provide appropriate settlement services to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered immigrants and refugees by undertaking the same initiatives outlined above.
  • Res.: 9
    Whereas:
    1. Visa officers appear to be refusing an increasing number of privately sponsored refugee applicants;
    2. There is no appeal from such refusals except by way of judicial review which few applicants are aware of or resourced to pursue;
    3. Canada Immigration National Headquarters staff have indicated no more exact figure than that between 40% and 60% of privately sponsored refugees are refused;
    Therefore be it resolved:

    That the CCR:

    1. Obtain from the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration broad based statistical information on refusals of privately sponsored applications.
    2. Request that the Minister put in place policy which requires visa posts to give sponsoring groups and refugee applicants detailed reasons for the refusal of an application.
  • Res.: 14
    Whereas:
    1. Article 28 of the 1951 Geneva Convention requires contracting states including Canada to issue travel documents to Convention Refugees;
    2. The present Canadian practice is normally not to issue travel documents to Convention Refugees until they have been granted permanent resident status;
    3. There are long periods between the recognition of refugee status and the issuance of landing status especially for those without identity documents;
    4. Even Convention Refugees who are landed are routinely denied travel documents and told instead to obtain passports from the very governments they have fled;
    5. Even after landing, there are prolonged periods of 3 months or more to finally obtain travel documents;
    6. Inability to travel outside of Canada to visit family relatives and/or facilitate family reunification causes tremendous difficulties for refugees;
    Therefore be it resolved:

    That the CCR:

    1. Write to the Ministers of Justice, Foreign Affairs and Immigration requesting that they comply with Article 28 of the Refugee Convention by issuing travel documents, unconditionally and in an expedited manner, to Convention Refugees once they have been granted refugee status and not wait until they are landed.
    2. Call on the UNHCR to make a similar intervention with the Canadian government.
    3. Call on the Canadian government to stop asking Convention Refugees, be they landed or not, to obtain passports from their country of origin.
  • Res.: 2
    Whereas:
    1. In many areas immigration policy affects men and women differently;
    2. There is no central coordination of gender analysis within the Immigration Department;
    Therefore be it resolved:

    That the CCR call on CIC to establish a gender policy advisor.

  • Res.: 7
    Whereas:
    1. There are 3,000 Assyrian Christians who fled Iraq due to the war and persecution and are living temporarily in Jordan;
    2. There are 2,000 Assyrian Christians living temporarily in Turkish refugee camps;
    3. There have been many cases of further mistreatment in both Turkey and Jordan;
    Therefore be it resolved:

    That the CCR:

    1. Write to the UNHCR and ask them to monitor the treatment of Christian Assyrians by the Jordanian and Turkish governments.
    2. Write to the Turkish and Jordanian authorities and ask that they protect refugees in their countries.
    3. Write to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration and request that her department meet with the Assyrian Christian community and help them sponsor Assyrian refugees to Canada.
  • Res.: 12
    Whereas:
    1. Bill C-40 contains provisions which amend the Immigration Act to deem some persons facing extradition to have received a decision of the Immigration and Refugee Board and to be found not to be a Convention Refugee even though no hearing of the Immigration and Refugee Board was actually held;
    2. These amendments to the Immigration Act deny refugee claimants their right to a hearing before the IRB and to make submissions to establish their claim to refugee status;
    3. International human rights have been involved in extraditions and expulsions by Canada and have been the object of views by the United Nations Human Rights Committee, for example, in the cases of Ng, Khan, and Cox;
    4. In the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Canada has accepted responsibility for measures necessary to ensure these international rights;
    Therefore be it resolved:

    That the CCR:

    1. Call upon the Government of Canada to withdraw the proposed amendments and redraft them to ensure refugee claimants' rights to a fair hearing before the IRB are protected and to ensure that the Extradition Act and Immigration Act conform with Canada's international human rights treaty obligations and related international standards;
    2. Request the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration review the proposed amendments and accept submissions from the CCR and other interested parties.
  • Res.: 17
    Whereas:
    1. In June of 1996, in response to the U.S. INS detention of Canada-bound refugee claimants and the subsequent processing of said claimants for deportation, the CCR passed a resolution urging CIC to cease turning refugee claimants back to the U.S.;
    2. INS detentions of Canada-bound refugee claimants have continued and, in fact, broadened in 1998 to include detentions in the Niagara Region, Blackpool and Minnesota;
    3. INS has continued to detain certain refugee claimants, even after such claimants have received Canadian eligibility determinations, thereby denying these claimants the opportunity to pursue their refugee claims in Canada;
    4. In an April 29, 1998 letter to the President of the CCR, the Acting Director General of the Enforcement Branch, CIC NHQ, stated, "...it is our policy that no person will be returned to the United States where there is reason to believe that they will be removed from the U.S. before the scheduled eligibility determination or would otherwise be unavailable because of detention. We are reviewing our procedures manual to ensure that this is clearly understood";
    5. Despite the above-cited policy, CIC in the Niagara Region has continued to direct refugee claimants back to the United States to await eligibility determinations, which has resulted in the detention of a troubling number of people;
    6. CIC's practice at certain border crossings of closing the border to refugee claimants on certain days of the week or at certain times of the year has also led to U.S. detentions of Canada-bound refugees awaiting Canadian processing;
    Therefore be it resolved:

    That the CCR urge CIC to:

    1. Process refugee claimants immediately upon their arrival at the border, rather than closing the border to refugee claimants on certain days of the week or at certain times of the year.
    2. Discontinue the practice of directing refugee claimants back to the United States.
    3. In cases where Canada-bound refugee claimants have been detained by the INS, request that INS release such individuals to Canada to proceed with Canadian refugee claims.
  • Res.: 5
    Whereas:
    1. The CCR adopted Resolution 3 in November 1997 concerning changes from AAP to RAP and has not received a satisfactory response;
    2. There has been no consultation about the changes to services with the organizations that deliver the services, let alone with the refugees receiving the services;
    3. CIC is committed to promoting through its services greater independence in government-assisted refugees;
    4. CIC is continuing to impose a quantitative approach (defining the numbers of hours of service to be delivered, and the period within which they are to be delivered);
    5. The changes appear to mean, at least in some regions, significant cutbacks in services for government-assisted refugees;
    6. In some areas the role of reception centres is being called into question, but without open discussion and consultation;
    7. Citizenship and Immigration Canada is developing national standards for services to arriving refugees, again without consultations;
    Therefore be it resolved:

    That the CCR:

    1. Reaffirm its call for RAP services to be contracted on a "global" basis - both temporary accommodation and services -  while maintaining the financial contribution to existing reception centres at the 1997-98 level;
    2. Note that "independence" for resettled refugees is best achieved through timely, holistic, effective and appropriate services;
    3. Call on Citizenship and Immigration Canada i) to review the proposed RAP implementation and develop national standards, in consultation with NGOs delivering the services and with resettled refugees, and ii) to hold a national meeting for this consultation.
  • Res.: 10
    Whereas:

    Groups applying for Joint Assistance Sponsorships for Women at Risk can face unexpected requests for travel costs in addition to the resettlement support they promised;

    Therefore be it resolved:

    That the CCR urge the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration to:

    1. Ensure that Canada's response to its international obligations with respect to refugees such as women at risk is unambiguous and independent of voluntary cash contributions from the Canadians who are willing to make possible resettlement by the government in other ways;
    2. Introduce clarity into refugee resettlement programs so that Canadians who come forward to assist the government can predict the costs before they begin and do not suddenly face requests for cash contributions for travel costs.
  • Res.: 2
    Whereas:
    1. The federal government has allocated additional dollars for settlement in various provinces over a three year period;
    2. This money has not been spent on settlement services in some provinces;
    3. The need to spend significant amounts of settlement funds in a short time period will not facilitate the most effective use of such dollars;
    Therefore be it resolved:

    That the CCR:

    1. Request these dollars be used in all provinces for the purposes for which they were released, i.e. settlement services;
    2. Contact the Minister of Immigration to urge her to request that Treasury Board regulations be relaxed to allow the settlement funds allocated for 1997/98 fiscal year as a surplus to be spent on 1998/99 fiscal year.
  • Res.: 7
    Whereas:
    1. The Sponsorship Agreement notes as Principle #3 the ability of the Sponsorship Agreement Holder (SAH) to submit undertakings for refugees referred by the sponsor and further to this, Appendix 3 describes the roles and responsibility of this undertaking in Joint Assistance Sponsorships;
    2. The ability to refer refugees for resettlement to Canada has been of longstanding importance to sponsors and to the CCR and it has been the practice of some sponsors to refer refugees for consideration under the Joint Assistance Program;
    3. The new regulations require a sponsor to sign a CR3 undertaking at the front-end of a referral of a refugee for consideration as a CR5, thus negating the need for the visa post to give due consideration to the eligibility for the CR5 programs and obliging the sponsor to fulfil their undertaking for full support as a CR3;
    4. Citizenship and Immigration Canada commits in the Sponsorship Agreement (page 6 - j) to make "best efforts to give notice of any change in policy, regulations or legislation that is likely to affect this Sponsorship Agreement": and this notice was not made;
    5. There is no mechanism available to sponsors to make referrals under the Joint Assistance Program other than by signing the undertaking as a CR3;
    6. NGOs overseas have the ability to refer refugees to the visa post for consideration as CR5s;
    7. CIC has indicated that it is difficult to identify enough refugees for resettlement in order to meet its annual targets;
    8. Joint Assistance Sponsorship cases may have community links in the destination community who will enhance the potential for successful establishment of otherwise difficult cases;
    Therefore be it resolved:

    That the CCR:

    1. Urge Citizenship and Immigration:
      (i)to allow private sponsors in Canada to retain their ability to identify and refer refugees for consideration for resettlement to Canada as CR5s under the Joint Assistance and Women at Risk Programs;
      (ii)not to oblige private sponsors, in making the referral, to provide a CR3 undertaking at the time of referral as is described in the Operations Memorandum "Refugee and Humanitarian Resettlement Program: in Canada": and to revise the Operations Memorandum to reflect this, especially in Sections 8.4, 9.2.1 and 9.2.2;
    2. Request the NGO-Government Committee on the Private Sponsorship of Refugees to support this resolution;
    3. Request that CIC enter into consultation with private sponsors and other stakeholders to seek ways to address the issues of concern currently hampering the referral of named refugees under the CR5 Program.
  • Res.: 12
    Whereas:
    1. CIC has responsibility for enforcement of the Immigration Act including, among other things, interdiction, the assessment of eligibility of refugee claimants, the opposing of refugee claims in certain instances and the removal of unsuccessful refugee claimants from Canada;
    2. The employment by the IRB (CRDD) of RCO's previously or presently employees of Canada Immigration gives rise to an appearance of bias and is inconsistent with the non-adversarial model of refugee determination;
    Therefore be it resolved:

    That the CCR express its opposition to the recruitment of previous or present CIC employees for the role of RCO.

  • Res.: 17
    Whereas:
    1. There is an interdepartmental committee of CIC considering new measures to speed up family reunification for refugees;
    2. The CCR supports a policy which would allow the dependants of refugees who are overseas to come into Canada and be processed within for landing;
    3. The CCR has recommended measures promoting speedy family reunification in Res. 13, November 1995;
    Therefore be it resolved:

    That the CCR write to CIC in support of measures allowing dependants abroad to be processed in Canada and requesting that CCR be consulted and allowed to make representations on such changes.

  • Res.: 5
    Whereas:
    1. The Focus Humanitarian Program focuses only on Ismaili refugees and other Afghan refugees do not have access to it;
    2. Local Canadian language training programs in Pakistan for Afghan refugees are exclusively for members of the Ismaili Community;
    3. Other requests for language training preparation for Afghan refugees have been rejected on the basis of the presence of the Focus Humanitarian language training program;
    4. The situation of refugees and displaced Afghans particularly women has deteriorated as previously noted in Resolution 12 of November 1996;
    5. Most humanitarian aid programs to Afghan refugees have been cut back;
    Therefore be it resolved:

    That the CCR:

    1. Call on the Canadian Government to expand its language training program in Pakistan for refugee women coming to Canada so that they are not limited to refugees admitted under the Focus Humanitarian Program;
    2. Remind the Government of Canada of its Resolution 7 of November 1995 and urge CIDA to assist Afghan refugee women in Pakistan by establishing income generating projects;
    3. Remind Citizenship and Immigration of its Resolution 12 of November 1996 and the need to respond to the situation of Afghan refugee women through expedited processing.
  • Res.: 10
    Whereas:
    1. The IRB Chairperson has issued guidelines on unaccompanied minors;
    2. There is nothing in the guidelines to encourage expedited hearings, nor avoiding full hearings, nor on recognizing the principle of family reunification;
    3. There are often compelling reasons to expedite unaccompanied minors and very little difference between their claims and the claims of their parents, siblings or relatives whose claims have already been adjudicated positively;
    Therefore be it resolved:

    That the CCR write to the IRB Chairperson to recommend that:

    1. Expedited hearings be generously used for such children;
    2. The IRB develop substantive guidelines for children which will include family reunification as one of its principles.
  • Res.: 15
    Whereas:
    1. Canada has taken a laudable leadership role within the Commonwealth in the initiative to condemn the Nigerian government for its extensive violation of human rights;
    2. The Minister of Foreign Affairs has declared that human rights should be an important consideration in Canadian foreign policy;
    3. Canada has suspended diplomatic relations with Nigeria and closed its embassy in Lagos;
    4. The Minister of Citizenship and Immigration has still not made a decision to suspend deportations to Nigeria, thus creating a contradiction in policy between two Ministers of the same government;
    5. This policy may put Nigerian nationals deported back to their country at special risk of harassment and retaliation and persecution;
    Therefore be it resolved:

    That the CCR:

    1. Write to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration requesting an immediate suspension of deportations to Nigeria;
    2. Write to the Minister of Foreign Affairs asking for his intervention in this matter;
    3. Distribute copies of the above letters to all members of the CCR requesting them to also send similar letters;
    4. Publicize our position in a communiqué issued to the media and other relevant organizations.
  • Res.: 3
    Whereas:
    1. Agencies experienced in providing AAP services are the most knowledgeable as to how to meet client needs;
    2. Inclusive, integrated, and related services should not be arbitrarily limited or required (e.g. number of hours, weeks or service) but should be discretionary and based on client need;
    3. Services must include, but not be limited to, finding of permanent accommodation and sufficient funding to provide initial temporary accommodation and counselling;
    Therefore be it resolved:

    That the CCR urge that:

    1. Government funding for AAP services be based on delivery of needed services without arbitrary parameters and funding be contracted on a "Global" basis for agreed services;
    2. Meaningful dialogue and consultation between service delivery NGOs and CIC take place before final approval of RAP regulations.
  • Res.: 8
    Whereas:
    1. The CCR is aware of numerous cases in which CIC's information-gathering practices have jeopardized the security of refugee claimants and their families;
    2. The CCR is not aware of the existence of any adequate CIC guidelines on information-gathering practices;
    Therefore be it resolved:

    That the CCR call upon the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration to:

    1. Draft and implement guidelines for the gathering of information concerning Convention refugee claimants;
    2. Ensure the Guidelines so developed are similar in nature and intent to the IRB's Guidelines with respect to the gathering of claimant-specific information and include the assurance that the security of the refugee claimant and his/her family will be paramount and that notice is given to claimants of proposed information searches with an opportunity for the claimant and his/her counsel to respond;
    3. Ensure that such Guidelines are binding on any government agency involved in the gathering of information concerning refugee claimants, including but not limited to the RCMP and CSIS.
  • Res.: 13
    Whereas:
    1. Many claimants from the former Zaire, now the DRC, are being refused by the IRB;
    2. Many of the decisions appear to be based on inadequate country information;
    Therefore be it resolved:

    That the CCR write:

    1. The chair of the IRB urging that a training session regarding current country conditions in Zaire/DRC be organized on an urgent basis, and that lawyers and NGOs be invited to participate;
    2. The Refugee Branch requesting the same for PCDOs.
  • Res.: 1
    Whereas:
    1. Canada is a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child which guarantees education for children;
    2. Education is fundamental to child development;
    Therefore be it resolved:

    That the CCR:

    1. Adopt the policy that education is a right of all minors regardless of immigration status;
    2. Write to appropriate Provincial Ministers of Education urging that they adopt the above policy, and, for those provinces where this is already required by law, urging that they comply with their own legislation;
    3. Write to CIC urging that in the interim letters of no objection be issued to the children of refugee claimants without delay prior to determination of eligibility.
  • Res.: 6
    Whereas:
    CIC has often expressed interest in a blended sponsorship program;
    Therefore be it resolved:

    That:

    1. The CCR call on CIC to form an Adhoc Committee to begin the process of developing a Canadian resettlement program blending the assistance of CIC, private groups and settlement services;
    2. The Adhoc Committee include a) the NGO-Government Committee on the Private Sponsorship of Refugees; b) representatives selected by the CCR Working Groups on Overseas Protection and Sponsorship and representatives selected by the CCR Working Group on Settlement; as well as c) other possible resource people and stakeholders.
  • Res.: 11
    Whereas:
    1. The IRB (CRDD) currently allows documents from its Documentation Centres to be entered into evidence at hearings despite the absence of the name of the source of the document;
    2. This practice contravenes the principles of fairness;
    Therefore be it resolved:

    That the CCR urge the IRB to ensure that any document supplied by the IRB's documentation centre contain proper identification and naming of sources of any information in that document when that document is entered into evidence at a hearing.

  • Res.: 16
    Whereas:
    1. CIC has a list of countries to which it does not at present deport nationals from those countries, but has not made this list available in writing;
    2. The recommendations made to the Minister by the Advisory Committee on Country Conditions for Removal are not made public;
    3. Neither the Minister's decisions to suspend nor to resume deportations are communicated to the public;
    Therefore be it resolved:

    That the CCR:

    1. Write to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration requesting a written confirmation of the list to which Canada does not presently deport nationals of these countries;
    2. Request that the Minister direct the Immigration department to automatically make public in writing any further decisions regarding either suspensions or resumptions of deportations.
  • Res.: 4
    Whereas:
    1. The Department of Citizenship and Immigration Canada has undertaken a consultative process with relevant stakeholders with a view to developing sponsorship programs that will include partnerships and blended roles and responsibilities;
    2. In some regions, as of April 1st 1998, the AAP/RAP allocations will be limited to the major urban centres in each region thus excluding the possibility of blended programs in smaller urban centres and rural communities where AAP/RAP will no longer be administered;
    3. A significant portion of current and past blended programs such as the Joint Assistance Sponsorship Program, the Women at Risk Program and the Special 3/9 Program for refugees from the former Yugoslavia have been undertaken successfully in smaller urban centres and rural communities;
    Therefore be it resolved:

    That the CCR urge CIC to seek ways to ensure that AAP/RAP allocations are made available and can be administered in all communities where sponsorship groups wish to assist refugees to resettle under Joint Assistance Programs and other blended programs.

  • Res.: 9
    Whereas:
    1. The Ports of Entry at the US border have not in the past allowed unaccompanied minors to enter Canada to make refugee claims without a guardian to receive them;
    2. Due to the work of VIVE Buffalo and CIC P.O.E. at Niagara, an agreement has been reached to allow unaccompanied minors to enter Canada rather than be returned to the US;
    Therefore be it resolved:

    That the CCR request that the Department implement a National Policy allowing entry of unaccompanied minors on the same basis as the Buffalo/Niagara agreement.