Canadian Council for Refugees

Canadian Council for Refugees
Abbreviation CCR
Type NGO
Purpose To influence the Government of Canada's public policy regarding refugee settlement and determination
Location
Region served
Canada
President
 Claire Roque (past president: Loly Rico)
Affiliations Amnesty International
Canadian Council of Churches
Website ccrweb.ca
Formerly called
 Standing Conference of Canadian Organizations Concerned for Refugees

The Canadian Council for Refugees (abbreviated CCR, formerly known as the Standing Conference of Canadian Organizations Concerned about/for/with Refugees[1]) is a non-governmental organization[2] that critiques the Government of Canada's public policy regarding refugee settlement and determination, and provides consultation to Canadian immigration authorities.[3] The organization is based in Montreal.[4] According to the CCR, refugee services should focus on mental health.[5]

History

In 1978, when the organization was still known as the Standing Conference of Canadian Organizations Concerned for Refugees, it was composed of approximately 100 refugee advocacy groups.[6]

Before the September 11 attacks in 2001, the CCR issued a statement that there was a disproportionate amount of immigration security provisions applied to particular refugee communities, including Kurdish people, Sri Lankan Tamil people, Palestinian people, people from Algeria, Sikhs, and people associated with the People's Mujahedin of Iran.[7]

The CCR said that refugees became far less likely to show up for their asylum hearings starting in January 2003 when Canadian officials stopped asking the Immigration and Naturalization Service of the United States to guarantee that these refugees would not be arrested.[8]

Towards the end of 2005, the CCR became part of a coalition with Amnesty International and the Canadian Council of Churches to question the constitutionality of the Canada–United States Safe Third Country Agreement.[9] According to the CCR, the agreement would result in increased illegal immigration and people smuggling.[10]

Consultations

The CCR holds biannual consultations, the results of which are published on their website library.[11] The consultations last three days and each one has a specific focus. In the fall 2016 consultation, "Welcoming Diversity," The CCR published their support for Bill C-6. Bill C-6 was introduced by the Liberal Party of Canada in the summer of 2017 and made significant amendments to the Citizen Act. Bill C-6 makes access to Canadian citizenship easier.[12]

Safe Third Country Agreement

In 2005, the CCR challenged the Canadian government's Safe Third Country Agreement with the United States, which came into effect in 2004. The Agreement stipulates that "refugee claimants are required to request refugee protection in the first safe country they arrive in, unless they qualify for an exception to the Agreement."[13] In Canadian Council for Refugees, et al. v. Her Majesty the Queen, the Canadian Council for Refugees, the Canadian Council of Churches, Amnesty International, three NGOs and a John Doe collectively brought the Canadian government to Federal Court, after a Colombian national was denied refugee status in the United States. This rendered his status in the US illegal and put him at risk of refoulement. The court applicants claimed that the U.S. was therefore not a Safe Third Country and that "[t]he United States' policies and practices do not meet the conditions set down for authorizing Canada to enter into a STCA. The U.S. does not meet the Refugee Convention requirements nor the Convention Against Torture prohibition."[14] In 2007, the Federal Court upheld the challenge, but in 2008 the government appealed the decision and so the STCA continues to be enforced.

Membership

The structure of the organization is based on membership. Organizations must be Canadian non-profits to join, and individuals can become non-voting Associate Members.[15] The Council has members in all of the provinces but not the territories. There are over 170 member organizations.[16]

Recommendations to the Canadian Government

April 4 is the Canadian day for Refugees, and on April 4, 2018, the CCR published a set of three recommendations to the Canadian government to:[17]

  1. Resettle 20,000 government-assisted refugees annually.
  2. Ensure applications of privately sponsored refugees are processed within 12 months.
  3. Reform the refugee determination system so that all claimants have access to a fair hearing before an expert independent tribunal (the Immigration and Refugee Board).

References

[18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28]

  1. ↑ Maroussia Hajdukowski-Ahmed; Nazilla Khanlou; Helene Moussa (2011). Maroussia Hajdukowski-Ahmed, ed. "Introduction". Not Born a Refugee Woman: Contesting Identities, Rethinking Practices. Berghahn Books: 3. ISBN 0857457039.
  2. ↑ Andy Lamey (2011). Frontier Justice: The Global Refugee Crisis and What To Do About It. Random House. p. 261. ISBN 0307367924.
  3. ↑ Daiva Stasiulis; Christine Hughes; Zainab Amery (2011). Erin Tolley, Robert Young, eds. "From Government to Multilevel Governance of Immigrant Settlement in Ontario's City-Regions". Immigrant Settlement Policy in Canadian Municipalities. McGill-Queen's University Press: 111. ISBN 0773585850.
  4. ↑ Paul Weinberg (November 9, 2013). "Secret Evidence Plays Growing Role in Canada's Immigration Courts". Inter Press Service. Retrieved November 11, 2013.
  5. ↑ Paul Anisef; Kenise Murphy Kilbride (2003). Managing Two Worlds: The Experiences and Concerns of Immigrant Youth in Ontario. Canadian Scholars' Press. p. 15. ISBN 1551302179.
  6. ↑ Andrew Stuart Thompson (2010). In Defence of Principles: NGOs and Human Rights in Canada. University of British Columbia Press. p. 39. ISBN 0774859636.
  7. ↑ Sharryn J. Aiken (2007). Vijay Agnew, ed. "From Slavery to Expulsion: Racism, Canadian Immigration Law, and the Unfulfilled Promise of Modern Constitutionalism". Interrogating Race and Racism. University of Toronto Press: 92. ISBN 0802095097.
  8. ↑ François Crepéau; Stephen H. Legomsky (2007). Susan Kneebone, Felicity Rawlings-Sanaei, eds. "North American Responses: A Comparative Study of U.S. and Canadian Refugee Policy". New Regionalism and Asylum Seekers: Challenges Ahead. Berghahn Books: 157. ISBN 1845453441.
  9. ↑ Sharryn J. Aiken (2007). Ricardo Grinspun, Yasmine Shamsie, eds. "Risking Rights: An Assessment of Canadian Border Security Policies". Whose Canada?: Continental Integration, Fortress North America, and the Corporate Agenda. McGill-Queen's University Press: 189–190. ISBN 077357719X.
  10. ↑ María Cristina García (2006). Seeking Refuge: Central American Migration to Mexico, the United States, and Canada. University of California Press. p. 164. ISBN 0520939433.
  11. ↑ "CCR LIbrary". Canadian Council for Refugees. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  12. ↑ "Bill C-6 Receives Royal Assent". Government of Canada. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  13. ↑ "Canada-U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement". Government of Canada. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  14. ↑ Glen, Patrick (Summer 2008). "Is the United States Really Not a Safe Third Country: A Contextual Critique of the Federal Court of Canada's Decision in Canadian Council for Refugees, et al. v. Her Majesty the Queen". Georgetown Immigration Law Journal. 22 (4): 587.
  15. ↑ "Membership and Joining the CCR". Canadian Council for Refugees. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  16. ↑ "CCR Member Organizations". Canadian Council for Refugees. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  17. ↑ "The Canadian Council for Refugees". Three recommendations to protect refugees and make our communities better. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  18. ↑ Warren Crichlow (13 May 2013). Race, Identity, and Representation in Education. Routledge. pp. 92–. ISBN 978-1-136-76447-9.
  19. ↑ Denise L. Spitzer (2011). Engendering Migrant Health: Canadian Perspectives. University of Toronto Press. pp. 258–. ISBN 978-0-8020-9562-6.
  20. ↑ Agnès G. Hurwitz (2009). The Collective Responsibility of States to Protect Refugees. Oxford University Press. pp. 48–. ISBN 978-0-19-927838-1.
  21. ↑ J. E. Mulira (20 October 2010). Ugandans in Canada. Xlibris Corporation. pp. 382–. ISBN 978-1-4535-8513-9.
  22. ↑ "CCR LIbrary". Canadian Council for Refugees. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  23. ↑ "Bill C-6 Receives Royal Assent". Government of Canada. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  24. ↑ "Canada-U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement". Government of Canada. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  25. ↑ Glen, Patrick (Summer 2008). "Is the United States Really Not a Safe Third Country: A Contextual Critique of the Federal Court of Canada's Decision in Canadian Council for Refugees, et al. v. Her Majesty the Queen". Georgetown Immigration Law Journal. 22 (4): 587.
  26. ↑ "Membership and Joining the CCR". Canadian Council for Refugees. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  27. ↑ "CCR Member Organizations". Canadian Council for Refugees. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  28. ↑ "The Canadian Council for Refugees". Three recommendations to protect refugees and make our communities better. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.