Tamils have been the Focus, but Changes in the Law Should

The plight of the Tamil refugee claimants has made all the headlines but some of the changes recently passed by the Harper Government before the summer recess should garner equal attention. Canada welcomes a quarter of a million new permanent residents every year, 185,000 new citizens and hundreds of of thousands of visitors, students and workers. Within a few years, it is widely believed 100 percent of Canada’s labour market growth will be attributable to immigration rather than natural growth in our population. The Harper government under Immigration Minister Jason Kenney continues its ambitious overhaul of our system.

The Balanced Refugee Reform Act received Royal Assent on June 29th, 2010 and it makes significant changes to the process for making a claim for refugee protection from inside Canada. Most recently the discussion of a “mass arrival” amendment to the Act to allow detention for up to 14 days and delayed hearings for those who arrive en mass like the Tamil refugees appears to have been rejected by Prime Minister Harper. One thing for certain it is encouraging to see the immigration platform high on this Government’s agenda.