Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen is doing away with a policy implemented under the Harper government that aimed to tackle a large backlog of refugee claims by limiting rights for asylum-seekers from certain “safe” countries — a policy Hussen says created inequity in Canada’s asylum system.
Hussen announced Friday that Canada is removing all countries from the “designated country of origin” (DCO) list. Benefit– non-Canadians. Detriment– Canadian tax paying citizens forced to pay room and board for these new arrivals.
Federal auditor general Sylvain Ricard recently probed whether all three government agencies involved in refugee determinations have been consistently processing asylum claims in an efficient and timely manner. The audit found Canada’s refugee system has a backlog of asylum claims that is worse now than ever before.
