Op-Ed Article

Immigration Rules Are Irresponsible

There are some basic safeguards that should be a part of any country’s immigration policies.  Here in Canada our refugee laws are irresponsible and potentially criminally negligent.  As reported by the Fraser Institute, a 1985 Supreme Court decision, based on a  the Charter of Rights, granted anyone who manages to set foot on Canadian soil the same legal and social status as citizens.  As a result, finalizing a refugee claim can be a long, costly and complicated process.  

Among nations that accept refugees for permanent resettlement, Canada is alone in not using prompt determination at the point of entry to assess a person’s eligibility for admittance.  Instead, a later Refugee Board is the first major point at which claimants’ applications are fully reviewed.  After being fingerprinted and photographed at the border, asylum seekers are released and asked to show up at a refugee hearing several months afterwards.  Few are detained and none are screened for health, criminality, or security.  They are free to travel and work anywhere in Canada with full access to health care and all other social services.  At one time over 25 per cent of asylum seekers never bothered to appear for their refugee hearing.  Those who do appear and are found not to be genuine refugees are simply asked to leave; but many do not.  

In 2003 the Auditor General reported 36,000 outstanding warrants for the arrest of people whose asylum claims had been turned down and whose whereabouts were unknown.  Today there could be 50,000 or more.  Lax immigration security screening and ineffective asylum policies pose a threat to Canada’s national security and are a leading reason why the U.S. has clamped down at its northern border crossings.  All of this so that our politicians can woo the immigrant vote.  We must be the most naive country on earth.

 Mickey Moulder

Martha Stewart enters Canada to attend the Nova Scotia Pumpkin Festival.

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