I had a chance this morning to discuss this very openly with the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. I believe a bill will soon be introduced in Parliament to reform the refugee-determination system. If asked to do so, the UNHCR will formally express its opinion within the framework of the parliamentary debate.
I would say that, generally speaking, our policy is the following. The compatibility of two aspects must be guaranteed: an effective protection system for people who need it and system integrity. Four elements must be considered: access which must remain open; the need to make fair decisions, which is essential; the time needed to clarify people’s situation, which must be realistic since a process that takes 10 years to be completed is useless; and finally the capacity to deport people who do not need protection. In some situations, states having difficulty either to deport people who do not need protection or to make decisions in a reasonable timeframe use access or the quality of the decision to solve the problem. This is to be avoided.
We had today a very interesting and constructive discussion. Obviously, we are going to wait to see what the government will put forward in its bill. If Parliament so wishes, we would be pleased to give our opinion on the evolution of the Canadian asylum system, which has become a reference for the world because it is very important and sound. We believe it must be preserved.