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During the annual public conference hosted by Citizens for Public Justice (CPJ) – a group that lobbies on behalf of refugees – Solberg was suddenly accosted by hecklers who pre-empted his speech and obstructed his exit from the church hall’s front door. Police expeditiously arrived at the scene to diffuse the situation, allowing Solberg to vacate the area.<\/p>\n
The protesters, who have no formal affiliation with the Citizens for Public Justice, were angrily calling for an immediate moratorium on all deportations. “These [public speeches by government officials] are set pieces,” one angry protester dismissively alleged, “they’re photo-ops”. The impassioned mob believed that Solberg’s prelection would have amounted to nothing more than apathetic dialogue on the issue.<\/p>\n
“It probably will make this minister and perhaps his colleagues think twice about coming to public events,” said disappointed CPJ executive member Bruce Voodg. “I think that’s sad, because our politicians are required by the virtue of their position to speak to the public.”<\/p>\n
Backgrounder:<\/p>\n
Citizens for Public Justice, according to their website, is a political action committee pushing for better support and protection of Canada’s refugees. In 1999, the group launched their “Getting Landed Project” in response to the excessive delays that refugees and immigrants confront in obtaining landed immigrant status.<\/p>\n
The Project has been helpful in changing the government’s position on several refugee “barriers” to landing in Canada, these are:<\/p>\n
Head Tax – In 2000, the lobby group successfully petitioned Ottawa and eliminated the “head Tax” (otherwise known as the “Right of Permanent Resident Fee “) imposed on refugees since the 1995 federal budget.<\/p>\n
Identification – Canada once required that refugees establish their identity by demanding they present substantiating documents from their home country. In most cases this imposition was unfeasible due to the onerous circumstances that surrounded their departure. A court challenge based on the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms brought the creation of the Aden Agreement in 2001 that addressed this problem.<\/p>\n
Refugee Student loans – Refugees entering Canada were once limited in their ability to attend a Canadian educational institute of higher learning because they weren’t eligible for student loans. With a coalition of partners, CPJ was instrumental in making the case and creating a campaign to see protected persons in Canada become eligible for federal and provincial student loans. The federal government instituted that change in its 2003 budget.<\/p>\n
Despite the group’s success in championing refugee rights in Canada, they believe that further opportunities exist to improve the country’s refugee determination process. According to the CPJ, the Canadian government has systemically closed its doors to countless asylum-seekers since 9\/11 through the “safe-third country agreement ” between Canada and the United States.<\/p>\n
The treaty establishes procedures that, in effect, obstruct valid refugee claimants from gaining access to Canada’s refugee determination process. Amnesty International, as well as The Canadian Counsel for Refugees (CCR), has also voiced their collective concern over the real-world implications regarding the Canada\/US “Safe-Third Country Agreement”.<\/p>\n