Evidence of meeting #57 for Justice and Human Rights in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was immigration.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Réjean Aucoin  President, Association des juristes d'expression française de la Nouvelle-Écosse
Julie Chamagne  Executive Director, Halifax Refugee Clinic
Antoine Aylwin  Vice-President, Barreau du Québec

5:15 p.m.

Executive Director, Halifax Refugee Clinic

Julie Chamagne

We're dealing mostly with refugee claimants as well as some other humanitarian applications and risk-based immigration applications.

As for how those refugee claimants have entered, Halifax is a big university town, so we have some international students who have been here for several years and the situation back home may be connected to a political opinion they may have. The situation back home changes, and their funding is cut off, and then they are at risk of losing their student status and therefore having to leave or be removed from Canada. At that point, they make refugee claims.

We're also a port city, so we have people arriving in container ships and at the airport. We have had a few people come up through New Brunswick and make inland claims when they arrive in Halifax.

So there are a lot of different ways that our clients would come.

5:20 p.m.

Conservative

Ted Falk Conservative Provencher, MB

Thank you.

5:20 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Anthony Housefather

Thank you very much.

I don't think there are any further questions.

I would like to thank all of the witnesses today. You've provided very helpful testimony for our committee as we move to writing our report.

Have a good day.

The meeting is adjourned.