Bill C-11 (Historical)

Balanced Refugee Reform Act

An Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and the Federal Courts Act

This bill was last introduced in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session, which ended in March 2011.

Sponsor

Jason Kenney Conservative

Status

This bill has received Royal Assent and is now law.

Summary

This is from the published bill. The Library of Parliament often publishes better independent summaries.

This enactment amends the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, primarily in respect of the processing of refugee claims referred to the Immigration and Refugee Board. In particular, the enactment
(a) provides for the referral of a refugee claimant to an interview with an Immigration and Refugee Board official, who is to collect information and schedule a hearing before the Refugee Protection Division;
(b) provides that the members of the Refugee Protection Division are appointed in accordance with the Public Service Employment Act;
(c) provides for the coming into force, no more than two years after the day on which the enactment receives royal assent, of the provisions of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act that permit a claimant to appeal a decision of the Refugee Protection Division to the Refugee Appeal Division;
(d) authorizes the Minister to designate, in accordance with the process and criteria established by the regulations certain countries, parts of countries or classes of nationals;
(e) provides clarification with respect to the type of evidence that may be put before the Refugee Appeal Division and the circumstances in which that Division may hold a hearing;
(f) prohibits a person whose claim for refugee protection has been rejected from applying for a temporary resident permit or applying to the Minister for protection if less than 12 months have passed since their claim was rejected;
(g) authorizes the Minister, in respect of applications for protection, to exempt nationals, or classes of nationals, of a country or part of a country from the 12-month prohibition;
(h) provides clarification with respect to the Minister’s authority to grant permanent resident status or an exemption from any obligations of the Act on humanitarian and compassionate grounds or on public policy grounds;
(i) limits the circumstances in which the Minister may examine requests for permanent resident status or for an exemption from any obligations of the Act on humanitarian and compassionate grounds; and
(j) enacts transitional provisions respecting the processing of pending claims by the Minister or the Immigration and Refugee Board.
The enactment also amends the Federal Courts Act to increase the number of Federal Court judges.

Elsewhere

All sorts of information on this bill is available at LEGISinfo, an excellent resource from the Library of Parliament. You can also read the full text of the bill.

Citizenship and Immigration Committee, on May 4, 2010

Luke Morton, Senior Legal Counsel, Manager, Refugee Legal Team, Legal Services, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
Les Linklater, Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic and Program Policy, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
Peter MacDougall, Director General, Refugees, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
Peter Hill, Acting Associate Vice-President, Program Branch, Canada Border Services Agency

Citizenship and Immigration Committee, on May 6, 2010

Brian Goodman, Chairperson, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
Julie Taub, Immigration and Refugee Lawyer, Former Member, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, As an Individual
Martin Collacott, Former Canadian Ambassador in Asia and the Middle East, As an Individual

Citizenship and Immigration Committee, on May 11, 2010

Wanda Yamamoto, President, Canadian Council for Refugees
Janet Dench, Executive Director, Canadian Council for Refugees
Claudette Cardinal, Coordinator, Refugees, Canadian Francophone Section, Amnesty International
Michael Bossin, Chair, Anglophone Section, Amnesty International
James Bissett, Former Ambassador, Former Executive Director, Canadian Immigration Service, As an Individual
Amy Casipullai, Coordinator, Policy and Public Education, Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI)
Salimah Valiani, Coordinator, Colour of Poverty, Metro Toronto Chinese and Southeast Asian Legal Clinic
Kerri Froc, Staff Lawyer, Law Reform and Equality, Canadian Bar Association
Mitchell Goldberg, Executive Member, Citizenship and Immigration Law Section, Canadian Bar Association

Citizenship and Immigration Committee, on May 11, 2010

Peter Showler, Professor, Human Rights Research and Education Centre, University of Ottawa, As an Individual
Raoul Boulakia, Lawyer, As an Individual
Lorne Waldman, Immigration Lawyer, As an Individual
Vanessa Taylor, Co-Chair, Centre des femmes immigrantes de Montréal
Andrew Brouwer, Chair, Law Reform Committee, Refugee Lawyers Association of Ontario
Salvatore Sorrento, Chair, Folk Arts Council of St. Catharines Multicultural Centre
Ibrahim Abu-Zinid, Folk Arts Council of St. Catharines Multicultural Centre
Michael Greene, Immigration Lawyer, As an Individual
Catherine Dagenais, Lawyer, Research and Legislative Services, Barreau du Québec
France Houle, Lawyer, Barreau du Québec
Geraldine Sadoway, Staff Lawyer, Immigration and Refugee Group, Parkdale Community Legal Services

Citizenship and Immigration Committee, on May 13, 2010

Annie Kouamy, Community Advocate, Centre des femmes de Verdun
Alein Ortégon, Community Advocate, Centre des femmes de Verdun
Richard Kurland, Attorney, As an Individual
Peter Partington, Chairman, Niagara Region
Ted Salci, Mayor, City of Niagara Falls

Citizenship and Immigration Committee, on March 11, 2010

Stephan Reichhold, Director, Table de concertation des organismes au service des personnes réfugiées et immigrantes
Richard Goldman, Committee Coordinator to Aid Refugees, Table de concertation des organismes au service des personnes réfugiées et immigrantes
Glynis Williams, Director, Action Réfugiés Montréal
Maude Côté, Program Coordinator, Action Réfugiés Montréal
Julia Porter, Settlement Social Worker, Association for New Canadians
John Norquay, Staff Immigration Lawyer, HIV and AIDS Legal Clinic (Ontario)
David Matas, Lawyer, As an Individual
Ezat Mossallanejad, Policy Analyst and Researcher, Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture
William Bauer, Former Canadian Ambassador, Member of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, As an Individual

Citizenship and Immigration Committee, on May 25, 2010

Gerry Van Kessel, Former Director General, Refugees Branch, Department of Citizenship and Immigration, Former Coordinator, Intergovernmental Consultations on Asylum, Refugees and Migration Policy, Geneva, As an Individual
Jordan Pachciarz Cohen, Settlement Worker, Mennonite New Life Centre of Toronto
Maria Eva Delgado Bahena, Refugee, Mennonite New Life Centre of Toronto
Abraham Abraham, Representative in Canada, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Hy Shelow, Senior Protection Officer, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Michael Casasola, Resettlement Officer, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Helen Kennedy, Executive Director, Egale Canada
Max Berger, Lawyer, Max Berger Professional Law Corporation, As an Individual
Pia Zambelli, Member, Legislative Review Committee, Quebec Immigration Lawyers Association (AQAADI)

Citizenship and Immigration Committee, on May 27, 2010

Peter MacDougall, Director General, Refugees, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
Jennifer Irish, Director, Asylum Policy Program Development, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
John Butt, Manager, Program Development, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
Luke Morton, Senior Legal Counsel, Manager, Refugee Legal Team, Legal Services, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
Raphael Girard, As an Individual
Alexandra Pierre, Community Organizer, Responsible for anti-racism and discrimination issues, Fédération des femmes du Québec
Nathalie Ricard, Coalition des familles homoparentales du Québec, Fédération des femmes du Québec
James Kafieh, Legal Counsel, Canadian Arab Federation
Andrew Telegdi, Former Parliamentary Secretary, Former Chair and Vice-Chair of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, As an Individual

Citizenship and Immigration Committee, on May 27, 2010

Shahid Hashmi, Chairman, CanPak Chamber of Commerce
Sohabe Hashmi, Administrative Director, CanPak Chamber of Commerce
Mary Jo Leddy, Member of the Ontario Sanctuary Coalition, Founder of the Romero House for Refugees, As an Individual
Gift Ogi, Romero House
Gustavo Gutierrez, Refugee Claimant, Romero House
Sylvain Thibault, Coordinator, Projet Refuge Program, Montreal City Mission
Kemoko Kamara, Volunteer, Montreal City Mission
Rob Bray, Manager, Family and Children Services, Special Projects, Calgary Catholic Immigration Society
Huseyin Pinarbasi, President, Kurdish Community and Information Centre
Dogan Dogan, Research Analyst, Kurdish Community and Information Centre
Sharalyn Jordan, Rainbow Refugee Committee

Citizenship and Immigration Committee, on May 31, 2010

Howard Anglin, Lawyer, As an Individual
Elisabeth Garant, Director, Centre justice et foi
Louise Dionne, Centre justice et foi
Philip Mooney, Past President, Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants
Jennifer Irish, Director, Asylum Policy Program Development, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
Simon Coakeley, Executive Director, Office of the Executive Director, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
Peter Hill, Director General, Post-Border Programs, Canada Border Services Agency
François Guilbault, Senior Legal Advisor, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
Reg Williams, Director, Inland Immigration Enforcement, Greater Toronto Area Region, Canada Border Services Agency

Citizenship and Immigration Committee, on June 1, 2010

Peter MacDougall, Director General, Refugees, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
John Butt, Manager, Program Development, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
Luke Morton, Senior Legal Counsel, Manager, Refugee Legal Team, Legal Services, Department of Citizenship and Immigration

Citizenship and Immigration Committee, on June 9, 2010

Peter MacDougall, Director General, Refugees, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
Luke Morton, Senior Legal Counsel, Manager, Refugee Legal Team, Legal Services, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
John Butt, Manager, Program Development, Department of Citizenship and Immigration