Canadian Council for Refugees

The Canadian Council for Refugees (CCR; formerly known as the Standing Conference of Canadian Organizations Concerned about/for/with Refugees)[1] is a Montreal-based 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][4] According to the CCR, refugee services should focus on mental health.[5]

Canadian Council for Refugees
AbbreviationCCR
TypeNGO
PurposeTo influence the Government of Canada's public policy regarding refugee settlement and determination
Location
Region served
Canada
President
Claire Roque (past president: Loly Rico)
AffiliationsAmnesty International
Canadian Council of Churches
Websiteccrweb.ca
Formerly called
Standing Conference of Canadian Organizations Concerned for Refugees

History

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

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

The CCR argued that, starting in January 2003, refugees became far less likely to show up for their asylum hearings, when Canadian officials stopped asking the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service 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]

Organization

Membership

The structure of the organization is based on membership. An organization must be a Canadian non-profit in order to join, while individuals can join as non-voting Associate Members.[11] With over 170 member organizations, the Council has members in all of Canada's provinces (excluding territories).[12]

Consultations

The CCR holds biannual consultations, the results of which are published on their website library.[13] Each consultation, taking place over three days, has a specific focus. In the consultation of fall 2016, titled "Welcoming Diversity," the CCR published their support for Bill C-6 (titled an Act to amend the Citizenship Act and make consequential amendments to another Act), which was introduced by the Liberal Party of Canada in the summer of 2017. Bill C-6 made significant amendments to Canada's Citizen Act, and made access to Canadian citizenship easier.[14]

Relations with Government of Canada

Safe Third Country Agreement
Main article: Canada–United States 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."[15] In the case of Canadian Council for Refugees, et al. v. Her Majesty the Queen, the CCR, along with the Canadian Council of Churches, Amnesty International, three NGOs and a John Doe, collectively took the Canadian government to Federal Court after a Colombian national was denied refugee status in the United States. At risk of refoulement due to his status being rendered illegal in the US, the court applicants claimed that the US 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."[16] Though, the Federal Court would uphold the challenge in 2007, the government appealed the decision in 2008, and so the STCA continues to be enforced.

Recommendations to the Canadian Government

In 2018, on Canada's Refugee Rights Day (4 April), 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 (i.e., the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada).

Further reading
  • Hurwitz, Agnès G. 2009. The Collective Responsibility of States to Protect Refugees. Oxford University Press. p. 48. ISBN 978-0-19-927838-1.
  • Mulira, Jim E. 2010. Ugandans in Canada. Xlibris Corporation. p. 382. ISBN 978-1-4535-8513-9. LCCN 2010-914286.
  • Spitzer, Denise L. 2011. Engendering Migrant Health: Canadian Perspectives. University of Toronto Press. p. 258. ISBN 978-0-8020-9562-6.
  • Crichlow, Warren. 2013. Race, Identity, and Representation in Education. Routledge. p. 92. ISBN 978-1-136-76447-9.
  • "All CCR resources." Canadian Council for Refugees. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
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References
  1. Hajdukowski-Ahmed, Maroussia, Nazilla Khanlou, and Helene Moussa (2011). "Introduction". Not Born a Refugee Woman: Contesting Identities, Rethinking Practices. Berghahn Books: 3. ISBN 0857457039.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. Andy Lamey (2011). Frontier Justice: The Global Refugee Crisis and What To Do About It. Random House. p. 261. ISBN 0307367924.
  3. Stasiulis, Daiva, Christine Hughes, and Zainab Amery. 2011. "From Government to Multilevel Governance of Immigrant Settlement in Ontario's City-Regions." In Immigrant Settlement Policy in Canadian Municipalities 111, edited by E. Tolley and R. Young. McGill-Queen's University Press. 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. Anisef, Paul, and Kenise Murphy Kilbride (2003). Managing Two Worlds: The Experiences and Concerns of Immigrant Youth in Ontario. Canadian Scholars' Press. p. 15. ISBN 1551302179.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. Thompson, Andrew Stuart (2010). In Defence of Principles: NGOs and Human Rights in Canada. University of British Columbia Press. p. 39. ISBN 0774859636.
  7. Aiken, Sharryn J. 2007. "From Slavery to Expulsion: Racism, Canadian Immigration Law, and the Unfulfilled Promise of Modern Constitutionalism." Pp. 55–111 in Interrogating Race and Racism., edited by V. Agnew. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0802095097. p. 92.
  8. Crepéau, François, and Stephen H. Legomsky. 2007. "North American Responses: A Comparative Study of U.S. and Canadian Refugee Policy." In New Regionalism and Asylum Seekers: Challenges Ahead, edited by S. Kneebone and F. Rawlings-Sanaei. Berghahn Books. ISBN 1845453441. p. 157.
  9. Aiken, Sharryn J. 2007. "Risking Rights: An Assessment of Canadian Border Security Policies." Pp. 189–190 in Whose Canada?: Continental Integration, Fortress North America, and the Corporate Agenda, edited by R. Grinspun and Y. Shamsie. McGill-Queen's University Press. ISBN 077357719X.
  10. García, María Cristina (2006). Seeking Refuge: Central American Migration to Mexico, the United States, and Canada. University of California Press. p. 164. ISBN 0520939433.
  11. "Membership and Joining the CCR". Canadian Council for Refugees. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  12. "CCR Member Organizations". Canadian Council for Refugees. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  13. "CCR LIbrary". Canadian Council for Refugees. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  14. "Bill C-6 Receives Royal Assent". Government of Canada. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  15. "Canada-U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement". Government of Canada. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  16. 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.
  17. "The Canadian Council for Refugees". Three recommendations to protect refugees and make our communities better. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
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