Canada firms laws against asylum seekers

Canadian Immigration Minister Jason Kenney last weekend has strengthened the Conservative Government’s resolve to fight against demands to soften legislation that would punish asylum-seekers who pay smugglers to get to Canada.

Kenney said he has been advised by the intelligence sources about the arrests of 114 Sri Lankans “planning to be smuggled to Canada.”

This follow the arrest of scores of Canada bound migrants from Sri Lanka in Thailand.

The latest arrests follow a Thai roundup earlier of 155 Sri Lankans. Some of them have said that they were awaiting passage to Canada. Kenney has emphasized that smuggling syndicates are very active in transit countries in Thailand in particular and they continue to target Canada.

The Canadian daily the National Post said the Minister has refused to discuss options for amending the legislation and said the Government is committed to enacting measures to deter migrants from using “criminal” smuggling syndicates to get to Canada by treating them more harshly than other asylum-seekers after they arrive.

Canada’s federal legislation makes it easier to prosecute smugglers and shipping companies and officers involved in the trade. Under the proposed new legislation, Canada will be able to keep asylum-seekers detained up to a year.

It would also make it easier to revoke someone’s refugee status and even those who are accepted as refugees to be barred for five years from applying for permanent residency and sponsoring spouses or children. In the meantime a recent opinion poll conducted by Canada’s Angus Reid Agency, 50 percent of respondents have supported deporting the 492 Tamil passengers who arrived aboard the latest ship, the Sun Sea.

Citing this survey report, the Canadian Minister has said the Canadian public is clearly on side of Government’s new measures and they realize action is needed to maintain the “integrity” of the immigration and refugee protection system (niz).