I think the attraction Canada presents is really a reflection of our success as a country that is built on immigration. The generosity of our system, which has been held up by the United Nations as a model for other countries to emulate in refugee determination, puts Canada in very good stead. The very generous social safety net supports—once they are determined to have permanent resident status—and the number of strong legal institutions and numerous appeals in place currently, lead individuals to take the risk of either claiming asylum here, or more dangerously, seeking the assistance of smugglers to gain access to Canada.
On April 30th, 2012. See this statement in context.