Justice for Refugees and Immigrants Coalition Update
Justice for Refugees and Immigrants Coalition Update
The Justice for Refugees and Immigrants Coalition (Amnesty International Canada, the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and the Canadian Council for Refugees), together with dozens of other groups, stand for a fair, independent and affordable refugee system.
Members of the Coalition have written a series of five articles with concerns about Bill C-31 and how it fails to protect refugees and the interests of Canadians. Bill C-31 is presently being debated in Parliament, so now is a good time to share them with local newspapers and community radio stations.
Contact local community media outlets, especially ones in languages other than English or French. Ask them to publish the articles below as a series or individually. Each article outlines a key concern with Bill C-31 and how it will:
- Put Canadian permanent residents at risk. Also available in: Chinese & Creole (Audrey Macklin, University of Toronto)
- Separate refugee families for long periods. Also available in: French (Colleen French, Canadian Council for Refugees)
- Allow the Minister to designate certain countries ‘safe’, despite the dangers for some individuals. (Gloria Nafziger, Amnesty International)
- Keep asylum seekers in detention for at least one year without the possibility of review. (Noa Mendelsohn Aviv, Canadian Civil Liberties Association, and Sarah Grynpas)
- Deny refugees a fair chance to tell their stories. (Peter Showler, University of Ottawa)