CIMM Committee Report

Dissenting Report from Bill Siksay MP (Burnaby-Douglas)

New Democratic Party

New Democrats support the recommendations of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration report on Refugee policy with the following qualifications.

PRIVATE SPONSORSHIP OF REFUGEES (PSR) PROGRAMME

New Democrats support all the recommendations in this section, but make one additional recommendation.  This recommendation is general in nature, and should apply across the refugee programme, not just in regard to the Private Sponsorship Programme.

Canada’s experience with immigration and refugee resettlement has often shown that significant family reunification measures lead to more successful and happier immigrant and refugee settlement and adaptation outcomes.

New Democrats recognize the incredible pressure for family reunification felt by many refugees given the often horrific situations from which they have escaped.  We also recognize the need to respond to their hope to ensure the safety of family members who may have suffered under similar circumstances.  Canada must respond compassionately to ensure families separated by war, civil strife and persecution and often having endured lengthy stays under difficult conditions in refugee camps or in exile do not continue to be victimized by Canadian immigration and refugee policies.  Canada must also recognize that the definition of family in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act is limited and often does not reflect other cultural understandings of which family relationships are the most important and sustaining, nor does it recognize the family groupings that form when key family members have died or disappeared due to war, civil strife, or persecution.

Recommendation:

That the definition of family as applied to refugee family reunification be expanded immediately to enable the reunification of families that do not conform to the current and limited definition of family in IRPA.

THE SAFE THIRD COUNTRY AGREEMENT

New Democrats do not oppose the recommendations made in this section of the report but find them weak and of very limited value. 

Canada has a proud history of refugee resettlement, and is known world wide for the generosity and fairness of its refugee determination system.  Canada must not surrender its sovereignty or independence to any other country in matters related to the determination of refugee claims, or integrate its refugee determination system in any way with the refugee determination process of the United States or any other country.  Canadian refugee policies and processes must recognize that the interests of Canada and the United States are not identical when it comes to refugee determination and resettlement policy.  Canada has also established policies which recognize that violence against women and gender-based persecution are grounds for protection-policies that have not been matched by the United States.

Recommendation:

That Canada immediately serve notice and then proceed to abrogate the Safe Third Country Agreement with the United States of America

SETTLEMENT ISSUES AFFECTING REFUGEES

New Democrats support the recommendations made in this section of the report but make one additional recommendation.

It is clear that children and youth who are refugees face particular hardships in adapting to life in Canada.  Schools note specific challenges that face students, notably those who arrive in Canada in their teens and who have often not attended school for many years.  More must be done to support settlement services for refugee and immigrant children and youth.   As well, women often have particular settlement needs that require specific programmes.

Recommendation:

That significant new resources be directed to settlement programmes for children and youth who are immigrants and refugees, and for women who are immigrants and refugees.