CIMM Committee News Release
If you have any questions or comments regarding the accessibility of this publication, please contact us at accessible@parl.gc.ca.
|
Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration |
HOUSE OF COMMONS CHAMBRE DES COMMUNES OTTAWA, CANADA K1A 0A6 |
Comité permanent de la citoyenneté et de l'immigration |
For immediate release
NEWS RELEASE
Committee calls for the Implementation of the Refugee Appeal Division of the Immigration and Refugee Board
Ottawa, December 17, 2004 - The Honourable Andrew Telegdi, PC, MP (Kitchener-Waterloo), Chair of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, is pleased to announce the Committee’s unanimous support for an opposition motion calling for the immediate implementation of the Refugee Appeal Division (RAD) of the Immigration and Refugee Board.
“This is a clear indication that the lack of an appeal for refused refugee claimants has to be addressed,” said Telegdi. “The Refugee Appeal Division is already part of the law – it’s right there in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act - but the government has delayed implementing it for over two years now. When Parliament passed this legislation it did so on the understanding that the RAD would be an integral part of the refugee determination process. The fact that it still does not exist, despite government promises to implement it, is obviously troubling for Parliamentarians from all parties.”
The motion, which was moved by Meili Faille, MP (Vaudreuil-Soulanges, BQ) with a friendly amendment from Rahim Jaffer, MP (Edmonton-Strathcona, CPC), was unanimously adopted on 14 December 2004 and reads:
Whereas
The Refugee Appeal Division is included in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act;
Parliament has passed the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and can therefore expect that it be implemented; and
The House of Commons and parliamentarians have a right to expect that the Government of Canada will honour its commitments;
The Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration requests that the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, implement the Refugee Appeal Division or advise the Committee as to an alternative proposal without delay.
- 30 -
|