Citizenship and Immigration committee  Neither the Charter of Rights and Freedoms nor any of the international human rights treaties I've referred to in my presentations are, by any means, instruments that should be seen as somehow avenues of abuse. These are some of the most fundamental documents that exist within ou

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Certainly we do. I actually did have “for the purposes of trafficking” in my notes. If I didn't mention it when I actually spoke, it was an oversight. It certainly was in my notes. Yes, we do understand that drug trafficking is a serious offence. What we were focusing on there w

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Yes, but I just want to clarify. We're not necessarily saying that means that whoever was convicted of that offence shouldn't be deported, but that having relief mechanisms and an appeal process to ensure that the circumstances are well looked at is essential.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I'm very aware. I am a lawyer.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  This is a very different issue, when we're talking about deportation as opposed to the sentence.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  That is one of the many concerns that has been flagged, as people have tried to imagine the ways in which this isn't just theoretical but would actually play out in real lives, in real ways, for people. That particular example, which I've heard referred to previously, is a very g

Citizenship and Immigration committee  In our view, the answer to that is yes. The hallmark of a strong justice system is access to justice, and appeal procedures are an essential safeguard. This is not about keeping serious criminals in Canada. It's not about looking for ways to delay their deportation. It's about en

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I think that's a very important point, not only in this area but in all sorts of areas. There is an easy temptation to assume that toughening up laws is the panacea that will solve whatever concerns we have. Often, it's actually not about the legal provisions. The law is already

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Often there is a tendency to view appeal provisions and humanitarian relief provisions as something that delays the inevitability of a deportation, and therefore it's slowing down a necessary end result. It's also important, though, to recognize that these truly are safeguards to

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Clearly, governments are not only entitled but obligated, it's absolutely essential that governments take firm action through criminal law processes, and yes, also through immigration law processes, to respond to concerns about criminality: to prevent crime, to respond to crime w

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I was a member of the refugee division, not the immigration appeal division, so I was making decisions about whether or not people should be granted refugee status. I wasn't dealing with deportation affairs.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I only have one sentence left.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  These provisions should therefore be withdrawn for this additional reason, the fact that they violate important internationally recognized rights related to access to justice. Those are my comments.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm pleased to be here with you this afternoon and to have this opportunity to share Amnesty International's concerns and recommendations with respect to Bill C-43. Amnesty, for well over 25 years now, has been actively commenting upon and making represen

International Trade committee  Do you mean with respect to dialogue between the trade union movement and the Colombian government?