Evidence of meeting #23 for Citizenship and Immigration in the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was claim.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Chairperson, Immigration and Refugee Board
We don't look at it from the list perspective. As I mentioned earlier, we look at country and claim types. We look at an acceptance rate of 80% at full hearing as a starting point. There's never a really established list. It's a guide to looking at the kinds of countries we would be considering.
Conservative
Chairperson, Immigration and Refugee Board
If the acceptance rate is 80% at the full hearing—
Conservative
Brad Redekopp Conservative Saskatoon West, SK
Let me stop you right there: It's the acceptance rate of what—of all people?
Chairperson, Immigration and Refugee Board
Of the claimants from that country.
Conservative
Brad Redekopp Conservative Saskatoon West, SK
It's either country-based or not country-based. You're telling me both things.
Conservative
Brad Redekopp Conservative Saskatoon West, SK
You said it's not country-based. Now you've said it's country-based. Which is it?
Chairperson, Immigration and Refugee Board
We look at the claims we have. Then we look at the acceptance rates. The easier way to start is country, and then it's claim types. Claim types will vary from each country and within a country. Some claim types have a high acceptance rate, and others are just about never accepted.
Chairperson, Immigration and Refugee Board
A claim type can be, for instance, the religion. Is the group persecuted because they're Christian in the country or because they're apostate? That's a claim type.
Conservative
Brad Redekopp Conservative Saskatoon West, SK
All Christians from Afghanistan are a certain category, and those people, as an example, would be automatically approved. Is this what you're saying?
Chairperson, Immigration and Refugee Board
Let's take that example. We know from documentary evidence that Christians in certain countries are facing hardship and persecution. This is a starting point to look at it. I stated four or five criteria. We need to go through all of them to decide whether the claim would effectively—
Conservative
Brad Redekopp Conservative Saskatoon West, SK
Let's go to a different place. Under the rules of the refugee protection division, rules 26 and 27 require that an asylum hearing must be halted if issues arise relating to fraud, false identities, war crimes, serious criminality and so on. Is that correct?
Chairperson, Immigration and Refugee Board
When we see something, we say something. This is why we will stop the hearing and ask the members—
Conservative
Brad Redekopp Conservative Saskatoon West, SK
Right. This rule exists so that the Minister of Public Safety or the Minister of Immigration can intervene to protect Canada's national security if something arises during the hearing. Is that correct?
Chairperson, Immigration and Refugee Board
When it comes up during the hearing, we inform the minister.
Conservative
Brad Redekopp Conservative Saskatoon West, SK
Under the file review policy, refugee claims can be accepted without a hearing and without any questioning of the claim. Is that correct?
Chairperson, Immigration and Refugee Board
That's if the minister does not intervene.
Conservative
Brad Redekopp Conservative Saskatoon West, SK
If no hearing takes place and no questions are asked, the notification mechanism for those ministers in rules 26 and 27 cannot be triggered. Is that right?