While congratulating all levels of government for their response to the surge in asylum seekers crossing into Canada, advocacy groups are calling for some improvements.
No automatic refugee status, warns government
Hundreds of people have recently crossed from the United States into the province of Quebec. Many are Haitians concerned the U.S. may soon terminate a program that granted them temporary protected status following the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.
Canada’s transportation minister has emphasized that their asylum claims in Canada will not be easy. Everyone must go through the process and have their claim assessed. About half of Haitian claims are usually rejected.
In the meantime, temporary shelter and basic services have been provided to the recent arrivals and the Canadian Council for Refugees (CCR) says it “welcomed the constructive response.” But it recommends several measures for improvement.
People must wait months
Among them, it says the government needs to allocate more resources to assessing claims. As it now stands, people must wait months for an interview during which time they are not formally recognized as refugee claimants. This is against the law, says the council. It also means asylum seekers have no access to interim health care, although it acknowledges that provincial governments have facilitated access to social assistance.
Reform ‘urgently needed’
The CCR says the refugee determination system “urgently needs to be reformed so that it is fair and efficient.” The government has chosen to review the Immigration and Refugee Board but the council says rather than review, it should act to make immediate changes. As an example of one shortcoming,it says refugee claimants having no opportunity to present applications on humanitarian grounds.
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