The Harper Government and Refugees
Refugee children already in Canada have ONE chance at reunification with their parents and siblings who are not here yet: a humanitarian and compassionate application. Unfortunately, the Conservative government had passed a bill that allows that application to be ignored.
Besides blocking the reunification of families, the Conservative Government has
- granted extraordinary over reaching powers to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. The Minister is no longer subject to Parliamentary oversight or mandatory consultations.
- politicized the Immigration and Refugee Board. Today, the people charged with deciding whether a person will be granted refugee status may be political, not merit-based, non-partisan, appointees.
- increased the number of Iraqi refugees to be resettled in Canada but ONLY by reducing the number of refugees seeking asylum from other regions. While Iraqis are certainly deserving of refugee status, the number of refugees accepted by Canada today is significantly lower than the 1990s standards. It should not be allowed to dip further.