REFUGEE "SAFE COUNTRY " LIST COMING?

This story appeared in the Toronto Sun. This is quite interesting, because there is seldom so much agreement on the need for reform of the refugee system. Obviously, public opinion has reached a point in which swift action is expected. The expansion of a "Safe Third Country" list could be an important step in the reform process, which will draw fire from many quarters and politicize the reform process. What is really necessary is not only a system that controls access to refugee determinations, but also the appropriate finality that puts an end to revolving door claims with little or no merit, the prosecution of those who use false passports to gain entry and those unscrupulous individuals who counsel their use, and the withdrawal of economic incentives to make bogus clams as a means to gain access to services, health care and social assistance. If claims could be adjudicated quickly in a full, fair and final way, those incentives would disappear.

Majority want refugee reform: poll

By LAURA PAYTON,
Parliamentary Bureau
Last Updated: March 10, 2010 6:42pm

OTTAWA — The vast majority of Canadians say it’s time to reform our country’s refugee system, but they think it’s less important than strengthening the economy.
A phone survey conducted by Harris/Decima for the department of Citizenship and Immigration, obtained by QMI Agency, found 84% of those surveyed somewhat agree or strongly agree the refugee system needs reform.
Most also agree that all claims should be dealt with faster so the ones judged to be false could be sent home sooner and genuine refugees settled more quickly.
But focus group research conducted along with the survey found that while participants want the system reformed, it wasn’t as big a concern for them as the economy, the environment, education and health care.
The focus groups also found most people want a reformed system to err on the side of fairness when dealing with refugees, and most participants don’t think there’s a huge problem with systemic abuse.
Immigration Minister Jason Kenney has been pushing for reforms since he took over the portfolio in 2008. The legislation was expected to be tabled before Parliament went on break in December, and it’s not known when Kenney will present it in the House of Commons. Claims have jumped 60% in the last two years and there is a 60,000 claim backlog.
Kenney won’t say what reforms are in the legislation.
Focus group participants were asked to consider a system that prioritizes claims depending on a country’s level of conflict. Mexico in particular caused disagreement among participants, and many identified Western Europe, Australia and the U.S. as unlikely origin countries for refugees.
Those questions could indicate Kenney is considering creating a list of safe countries of origin from which people won’t be allowed to apply for refugee status, or prioritizing applications based on a claimant’s origin country.
But 56% of survey respondents said claimants should get the same treatment regardless of where they’re from. Forty per cent said the system should “be sensitive to where a refugee claimant is coming from.”
Kenney says claims found to be false have a very significant cost for taxpayers.
“We estimate that each asylum claimant costs taxpayers at least $29,000, so every time we have another thousand claimants that’s nearly $300 million in taxpayer costs,” he told QMI Agency. “Last year (there were) 38,000 claims. So we’re talking about billions of dollars in costs.”
The survey is considered accurate to within plus or minus 3.1%, 19 times out of 20.