Canada's backlog of refugee claims is soaring to record numbers due to the government's failure to appoint sufficient adjudicators, the chairman of the Immigration and Refugee Board says.
The number of vacant positions has more than quintupled – to 58 from 10, according to the board. At the same time, the number of claims waiting to be heard has more than doubled, to 42,300 from just over 20,000.
In its recent report to Parliament, the board projects that the number of pending claims will reach 62,300 this year. That is more than triple the line-up when Harper took office and well beyond the previous record of 52,325 pending claims in 2002.
Moreover, the numbers are expected to escalate to 73,300 next year and to 84,300 the following year.
Immigration appeals:
The 37-member immigration appeal division, which hears appeals of criminal removal orders and rejected applications for family sponsorships, has 10 unfilled positions.
The board was taking an average of 11.7 months to process a refugee claim when the Harper government took office. But Goodman says the processing time is “significantly affected” by the lack of adjudicators and is now approaching 16.5 months.
It is absolutely staggering to have this government speak of backlogs, and all the other nonsense, when clearly they are part of the problem, not part of any solution. If these people are truly interested in streamlining the immigration process, then maybe Finlay can hand in her resignation.
This sounds about right:
Liberal immigration critic Maurizio Bevilacqua said he now suspects the government is deliberately trying to sabotage the board so it will have an excuse to scrap it and replace it with a “more restrictive, less generous” system for determining refugee claims.
“It's a natural flow of events. First you create a crisis, and then you solve the crisis,” he said.
The old Reform Party lives on, in various forms.
11 comments:
Surely an open and transparent government couldn't be responsible for something like this! It must be some lowly liberal moles in the hiring department wanting to make conservatives look bad.
Hey - might as well throw it out there first since it always gets tossed out there at some point anyway with any issue that comes up. Normally it is the clearest sign that the "not-so-new" government's hands are covered in dirt.
Whooee! With Diane in charge, I'm bettin' it has as much to do with incompetence as with sabotage.
The whole invent-a-crisis thing worked for them at Chalk River and it's workin' here, too. Now, all they need is the co-operation of the Liberals. Gee, I wonder if the Grits'll play along.
JB
Goodman was appointed by the Conservatives, so he must be a Liberal spy.
Anyways, people were sounding the alarm bells over 1 year ago.
here
"Gee, I wonder if the Grits'll play along."
Anti-refugee, complete hypocrisy on immigration, is a good frame :)
Refugees and Appeals aren't actually part of the main backlog. The problem with any backlog is that waiting around for years can cause immigrants to pack up and go elsewhere. I can easily belive the Cons want to encourage refugees and people already rejected for immigration (the only group appealing) to go elsewhere. Their plan is only to trim the primary backlog.
"Refugees and Appeals aren't actually part of the main backlog."
Mark, I understand that, but don't you find it funny to complain about backlogs on the one hand, and then create a whole new class on the other. In 2005 there was no refugee backlog, this is purely a Conservative creation. Quite rich, given the rhetoric.
Steve let us see how hypocrite the liberals are when it comes to the new immigration bill that is proposed by the government. I know it is implemented in the budget bill.
If the liberals are true to their word,then the government will be defeated over it. My prediction is that we are going to see a Stanly cup winner before the government falls. I.E. no election this fall.
Sorry correction i meant to say: I.E. no election this spring. Not I.E. no election this fall;)
"The 37-member immigration appeal division, which hears appeals of criminal removal orders "
Does the person with a criminal removal order stay in country while waiting to hear his appeal?
"If the liberals are true to their word,then the government will be defeated over it. My prediction is that we are going to see a Stanly cup winner before the government falls. I.E. no election this spring."
I don't want to say it but I told you so;)
This liberal party of today are a bunch of hypocrites say one thing than do another.
right
Yawn. Talk to me after this moves to committee. A big nothing today, in the grand scheme.
"This liberal party of today are a bunch of hypocrites say one thing than do another."
Insert Conservative, I could say the same thing, in spades.
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