Madam Speaker, Canada's humanitarian traditions are widely known and respected around the world. It therefore is indeed a pleasure to have the chance to highlight some of our accomplishments. I also appreciate the opportunity to rectify a number of misconceptions in the hon. member's question.
The hon. member said that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees disapproves of the Government of Canada's attitude toward refugees and of its handling of the Refugee Appeal Division. The truth is that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has referred to Canada's present refugee system as one of the best in the world and a model for other countries, even without the much touted appeal division.
Indeed, the 2004 Canada country operations plan says that Canadian policy and practice are often seen as an example for other countries. It is very important in this debate to deal with the facts and not with political rhetoric.
Canada's refugee system today offers protection to those in genuine need and helps to reinforce this country's track record of compassion and openness to those seeking asylum from around the world.
Indeed, Canada's acceptance rates for refugee applications are among the highest in the world and this country has led the world in recognizing the protection needs of vulnerable groups such as women and children.
The hon. member has suggested in the past that there are insufficient avenues for reviewing decisions in the current system. The truth is that no refugee claim is ever finalized without providing each applicant with multiple avenues of review by separate and impartial decision makers. Each and every claimant is granted an initial hearing before an officer of the Immigration and Refugee Board. Each and every claimant can present his or her case for review to a federal court judge if his or her claim is rejected.
The hon. member suggests that these reviews are merely technical in nature. The truth is, however, that a federal court judge can also take into account unreasonable findings of fact. Each refugee applicant whose claim is rejected is also granted a hearing before a pre-removal risk assessment officer before they can be removed from Canada. Each and every claimant can, of course, at any time in the process, apply to stay in Canada on humanitarian and compassionate grounds. Protection is what we care about and that is what the current system delivers.
The hon. member rightly notes that the minister has committed to consider several options with regard to an appeal on merit over the next six months. Now surely this is reasonable. Nothing has been abandoned. What is not on the table, however, is embracing the unacceptable approach advocated by the hon. member for Vaudreuil—Soulanges who says that the Government of Canada should abandon its responsibilities to refugees and to the people of Canada by essentially undoing a lot of the work already taken to streamline the existing system.
That being said, we all know that the process can be streamlined and that waiting times can be shortened but the system is very complex and it is counterproductive to only examine one piece of it without looking at the whole. That is what we have said we would do. We would like to see this in the broader context of overall reform of the refugee system. This, and not the suggestion of the hon. member for Vaudreuil—Soulanges, is what really counts for asylum seekers as well as for all Canadians.