People's Voice Editorial

     The number of refugees gaining asylum in Canada has been slashed by over half since the Tory minority government took steps to close the doors against people fleeing desperate circumstances in other countries. Successful refugee applications have dropped a startling 56% since 2005, thanks to measures such  as new visa restrictions. The changes have had a particularly dramatic impact on certain groups, such as Romas who face blatant racism and discrimination in the Czech Republic, and refugees from Mexico, where virtual warfare between the military and criminal gangs has become widespread. The Immigration and Refugee Board rejected over 90 percent of claims by Mexicans in the past year.

     The Tory changes are called "immigration reforms," but as critics point out, the callous new strategy scraps legal obligations under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to provide people with a fair hearing before deportation. By setting lower targets for asylum acceptance, the Tories are condemning thousands of refugees to further delays in hearings, and to deportation back to torture, discrimination, and other forms of persecution. In one recent case, a 24-year-old woman was murdered in Mexico after being deported from Canada following two failed refugee claims.

     After taking office, the Harper Tories left many Immigration and Refugee Board positions vacant for months while they searched for right-wing appointees, swelling the case backlog and limiting the number of hearings. There is now an 18-month delay between a refugee claim in Canada and an IRB hearing.

     Canada is clearly turning a hostile shoulder to refugees. In a world where millions of people are displaced by imperialist wars and occupations, environmental catastrophe, and a wide range of forms of discrimination, this is yet another reason to dump the Harper Tories at our first opportunity.