Citizenship and Immigration committee  Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  For one thing, resources are required to speed up the process of the determination of asylum seekers. I think it draws the whole system into disrepute and undermines Canadians' confidence in the system when it takes so very long to resolve a claim for asylum. Canadians are entitl

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Can I add something very quickly? We think of refugees in camps, but we have to remember that a very significant proportion of refugees are not in camps. In Colombia, for example, we saw a million Venezuelans cross the border, which is 2,200 kilometres long, and disappear into

Citizenship and Immigration committee  You put your finger on the very central recommendation at the World Refugee Council: that there be true burden-sharing, responsibility-sharing; that we shouldn't impose on host communities, because they are neighbours, to take all the refugees; that the world should step up and r

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Lloyd Axworthy and I have already published an opinion to the effect that the time has come to bring that agreement to an end. I was in cabinet when that agreement was entered into. It was entered into on the basis that the United States was at that time a safe place for a refuge

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Well, I think what the council dreams of is a day when there's a worldwide web of legislation of this kind and crooked leaders know that there's no place where their money will be safe. I mentioned Switzerland. Worried about the integrity of their banking system, they put into

Citizenship and Immigration committee  As you know, the United Nations is conducting the global compact exercise, both for refugees and for migration. I understand that there's some difficulty getting consensus on the global compact on refugees. Migration seems to be going somewhat more smoothly. I think the difficul

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Well, that's kind of you, Chair. I'm grateful and honoured to be here as well. I have two quick points. First of all, the council went to Colombia over the summer. That trip and subsequent research resulted in a report uniquely on the issues arising from the Venezuelan refugee