Friday, September 17,
1999 Override Charter to deport illegal
migrants: Manning Withdraw right to
appeal to speed up process: Reform
Joel-Denis Bellavance National Post, with files from The Canadian Press
OTTAWA - Preston Manning, the Reform party leader, yesterday said
illegal migrants should receive a speedy hearing and be deported --
all within a week -- if their refugee claims are unfounded.
Mr. Manning also argued that illegal immigrants set to be
deported should not have the right to appeal the decision, in order
to expedite the process.
The federal government should override the Canadian Charter of
Rights and Freedoms to achieve that if necessary, he said.
The Reform leader made the comments at a brief press conference
after meeting Mei Ping, the Chinese ambassador, in Ottawa where they
discussed what could be done internationally to stop human
smugglers.
"We believe that Canadians support a policy of detection of
illegal immigrants, the detention, assessment and immediate
deportation of all but those who prove to be genuine refugees," Mr.
Manning declared.
"It's time for the Liberals to crack down on people smuggling,"
he added, deploring the fact that Parliament has not been recalled
to deal with this controversial issue.
MPs were supposed to be back at work on Monday for the fall
session of the House of Commons, but the Liberals are poised to
prorogue Parliament today to put the final touches on a Throne
Speech scheduled for mid-October.
The issue of illegal migrants has been pushed to the front of the
agenda after four boats carrying a total of close to 600 Chinese
migrants landed off the coast of British Columbia over the summer.
A spokesman for Elinor Caplan, the Immigration Minister, rejected
Mr. Manning's proposal, saying all immigrants must be given a full
and fair hearing.
"Ms. Caplan has already said that it would be unfair to proceed
in such a fashion," said Rene Mercier, the spokesman for the
minister.
In a speech before the Canadian Club in Vancouver last week, Ms.
Caplan said she shares "the concerns and the frustrations" of
Canadians on this issue.
She has promised to bring forward proposals over the coming weeks
to strengthen the right of authorities to detain migrants to
expedite the refugee determination process.
The minister, who is not expected to table new legislation in the
Commons before next year, has conceded that the current refugee
hearings take too much time.
However, she clearly stated that she will not override the
Charter of Rights to speed up the process.
"The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees to any
individual who comes to Canada the right to a fair hearing. I am a
defender of that right," she declared.
RELATED SITES:
(Each link opens a new window)
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
The brand-new white paper on immigration policy
Statistics Canada: Immigration and
Citizenship
Statistics from the 1996 national census that look at where
Canadians came from.
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