Inland Protection

CBSA has refused to grant NGO access to their Vancouver airport detention facility;

1. NGO access to CBSA Immigration Detention Facilities is necessary;
2. NGO access has become increasingly difficult given strict requirements for security clearance;

1. Eligible refugee claimants are required to apply for work permits from CIC;
2. Work permits are issued if applied for after the medical examination processing is completed;
3. Completion of the medical examination process is not announced to refugee claimants, and they are never sure when to apply for their work permit, and work permits are required for applying for the SIN cards and for working legally in Canada;

1. The IRB offices are now located in only 3 cities (Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto);
2. PIFs must be received within 28 days;
3. Claimants living in cities far from IRB offices have seriously reduced time to complete their PIFs because mailing can take 7 to 12 days;

1. The needs of persons with mental health issues are not being adequately addressed by any of the divisions of the IRB;
2. The guidelines for vulnerable persons do not meet these needs;

1. There are serious problems with the understanding and application of the notion of “Best Interests of the Child” by CIC officials;
2. The practice with regard to “ Best Interest of the Child” has strayed far from the “substantial weight” required by the Supreme Court in Baker and the “primary consideration” mandated by the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

1. Refugees and other uprooted people who have HIV/AIDS or terminal illnesses are struggling with multiple complex issues with a sense of urgency;
2. Refugees and other uprooted people who live with HIV/AIDS or suffer from terminal illnesses lack family support in Canada, which is crucial to their wellbeing and support for children in the case of their death;

1. US Military personnel (War Resisters) have come to Canada seeking protected person status based on their deeply held political and moral convictions opposing the US-led War in Iraq;
2. There is evidence that US military War Resisters who have spoken out publicly from within the United States about their opposition to the war in Iraq have experienced differential and more severe punishment by the US military than US military personnel who have gone AWOL but who have not publicly opposed the war;

1. The Canadian government has proceeded with extradition requests against Protected Persons, putting them at risk of return to the country where they have a well-founded fear of persecution;
2. In some cases the extradition request seems to be based on evidence that may be motivated by racism;

1. Women who have been accepted as refugees or permanent residents in Canada and who are seeking family reunification with their children overseas are required to produce a signed consent form from the father, or a custody order if the parents have separated;
2. This creates an unfair burden on women in some cases, especially in cases of domestic violence;
3. Such demands are leading to delays which, in some cases, compromise the best interests of children affected;