Citizenship and Immigration committee  I do agree with you, and I am just working with clients who have come upon the same problem in a milder way. I don't know what will happen with this legislation if it gets royal assent and is implemented. I think there is a need for amendment, radical amendment and revision.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I can tell you that if they sent me back today, I'm not afraid of execution because death is once and for all, an end of your life. I'm afraid of torture. Canada is committed to the convention against torture. I'm very happy that this legislation mentions protection against tortu

Citizenship and Immigration committee  We have served clients who have come from countries suffering from collective trauma, from war, generalized violence, and genocide. There is no option in some cases other than to escape together. I think they should not be subjected to discrimination. The impact of jail, imprison

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Every year we serve almost 300 children who are survivors of torture and war. Unfortunately, any horrible event, such as separation from family, incarceration, maltreatment, will have a durable impact on the psychology of children. The result will be a very bad life in their adul

Citizenship and Immigration committee  First, I agree with you about false dichotomy, but I also beg you for a balance in any kind of legislation. Secondly, about detention, detention should be conceded as the last resort, not as a shortcut. About the timeline, I think the main issue is due process. So we need a tim

Citizenship and Immigration committee  We call this process re-traumatization. When you have gone through multiple trauma and you come here seeking open arms but are put into a jail, your whole experience of torture comes back. The impact never goes away for your life; there will be paranoia and so many disorders. Wh

Citizenship and Immigration committee  It took me four months to go before an immigration officer. It took me another four or five months to do an examination under oath. At that time, we didn't have another way. They sent me the documents and asked me to correct them. It took another two months, and then I got my con

Citizenship and Immigration committee  First of all, I think justice should be provided to all claimants across the board. I don't understand discrimination. For example, people who are exceptions to a safe third country are denied some remedies. Why? I don't understand. Secondly, the timeframe should be adequate for

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Please be compassionate as legislators. Governments come and go, but the law will stay forever, not our legislators.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  First of all, let me share with you one dark page in Canadian history and one bright page in Canadian history. The dark page goes back to 1939, when Canada sent a boat of Jewish people back to the high seas. The bright page comes with Canada receiving the Nansen Medal for protec

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Thank you for the question. First of all, let me tell you that being a refugee is the bitterest experience in the life of a human being. You have to leave everything behind forever. Your legs are stuck here and your eyes look back. The whole world becomes a jail for you. The rea

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Thank you very much for this golden opportunity. I speak from the perspective of survivors or torture, war, genocide, and crimes against humanity. I also speak to you from the perspective of a person who came to Canada as a political refugee. I'm a victim and survivor of torture

Citizenship and Immigration committee  It's pronounced Mossallanejad.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Thank you very much. I expected you to mention my name. Yes, additional resources are definitely important, but additional resources don't resolve the problem. Now we have to assess physical and psychological scars of torture. We need to send them to a physical practitioner--

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Thank you very much. Unfortunately, in the first decade of the 21st century, the threshold of torture has gone up. No country is immune to torture, including advanced industrial countries; therefore, anybody could be subjected to torture. I think there is no safe country in the