I think it relates to the question of the stakes involved in refugee determinations. If people are refugees, it means that they have a well-founded fear of persecution, torture, or death. And if we don't recognize them as such, they could be sent back to a country where they will face that form of persecution. Because of those really high life-and-death stakes, the Supreme Court has found that the process has to comply with the principles of fundamental justice. And one of the principles of fundamental justice is access to a meaningful appeal.
