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Friday, September 17, 1999

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.