Feds expected to scrap controversial ‘safe-countries’ refugee system: insiders

Interesting – this would mark one of the more significant reversals of the previous government’s immigration policies.

Having a safe-third countries list was one of the key ways to reduce refugee inflows from countries with comparable human rights laws, and thus at less risk, and I would have expected more adjustments than a wholesale abandonment:

A controversial so-called “safe-countries” system the Harper Conservatives brought in to speed up the processing time of the thousands of inland refugee claims in Canada annually is expected to be scrapped by the Liberal government, insiders say.

The contentious system came with a slew of other changes to the inland refugee system which were implemented in 2012 by the Conservative government of Stephen Harper. The system puts certain countries on a “designated countries of origin” list in an attempt to speed up refugee claims from those countries that “do not normally produce refugees, but do respect human rights and offer state protection,” as stated on the government’s website.

Instead of the typical 60-day claim period, refugee claimants from any of the 42 countries are required by law to be processed in 30 to 45 days. Some say this puts refugee claimants from countries on the DCO, or so-called safe-countries list at a disadvantage by having to prove their case in half the time as a refugee from a non-DCO country.

Additionally, it makes scheduling within the IRB difficult. Even though decision-makers are legally obligated to process the claims of DCO refugees within 30 to 45 days, it does not always work out that way due to the scheduling conflicts that can arise when trying to juggle two timelines of refugee claims.

During the last election campaign, the Liberals made a commitment to create a panel to review the countries on the list, which currently includes Mexico, Romania, and South Korea.

In an interview with The Hill Times, Mario Dion, chairperson of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, the tribunal responsible for processing inland refugee claims, said Immigration Minister John McCallum (Markham-Thornhill, Ont.) is “considering abolishing the distinction, which would render the creation of the panel a moot requirement.”

“The minister is looking at this as we speak, and he’s said so publicly in several fora this summer,” Mr. Dion added.

The public fora included at least one roundtable discussion, according to former chairperson of the IRB and refugee law professor Peter Showler, who was present.

Mr. Showler said he expects the DCO system to be removed, despite not having direct assurance from the government at this point. “But, we’ve had public statements from the minister that he sees no merit to them. Their initial intention—it was always a false premise. I think the minister understands.”

Source: The Hill Times