WEIGHING EVIDENCE
Legal Services
Immigration and Refugee Board
December 31, 2003
TABLE OF CONTENTS
MEMORANDUM
- INTRODUCTION
- GENERAL
PRINCIPLES
- 2.1. Evidence
- 2.2. Relevant Provisions
of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act
- 2.3. Credible or Trustworthy
Evidence
- ASSESSING
EVIDENCE
- 3.1. Before/During the
Hearing:
- 3.1.1. Determine which party has the Burden of
Proof
- 3.1.2. Define the issues
- 3.2. During the Hearing:
- 3.2.1. Admissibility
- 3.2.1.1. Relevance
- 3.2.1.2. Other
- 3.2.2. Credibility
- 3.3. After the Hearing
of Evidence and Submissions is Complete:
- 3.3.1. Assess Credibility
- 3.3.2. Reliability
- 3.3.3. Apply the Standard of Proof
- 3.3.4. Determine the Facts that have been established
by the evidence as weighed
- 3.3.4.1. Benefit of the Doubt before the RPD
- 3.3.5. Identify the appropriate Standard of Proof
for each legal issue
- 3.3.6. Apply the facts and standards of proof to
the issues of the case
- 3.3.6.1. Presumptions
- 3.3.7. Render the Decision
- WHAT
IT MEANS TO "WEIGH" EVIDENCE
- FACTORS
TO CONSIDER IN WEIGHING EVIDENCE
- 5.1. General Principle
- 5.1.1. Some Factors That May be Considered
-
APPLICATION TO SPECIFIC SITUATIONS
- 6.1. Viva Voce
Evidence
- 6.1.1. Factors to Consider:
- 6.1.2. Adverse Inferences from the Failure to Testify
or Call Evidence
- 6.1.3. Compellability of Witnesses
- 6.2. Self-Serving Evidence
- 6.2.1. Factors to Consider:
- 6.3. Hearsay Evidence
- 6.3.1. Factors to Consider:
- 6.4. Evidence of Children
- 6.4.1. Factors to Consider:
- 6.5. Evidence of Incompetents
(Persons Suffering from Mental or Emotional Disorders)
- 6.5.1. Factors to Consider:
- 6.6. Speculation
- 6.7. Expert/Opinion Evidence
- 6.7.1. Factors to Consider:
- 6.8. Documentary Evidence
- 6.8.1. General Principles
- 6.8.2. Failure to refer to documentary evidence
- 6.8.3. No Obligation to Assess Adverse Documentary
Evidence, Unless Directly Contradictory
- 6.8.4. Selective reliance("Picking and choosing")
- 6.8.5. "Considering all the evidence" not determinative
of well-foundedness of fear
- 6.8.6. Formal Rules of Evidence Do Not Apply
- 6.8.7. Opportunity to cross-examine
- 6.8.8. Bias of Author
- 6.8.9. "Tone" of the document
- 6.8.10. POE
Notes and other Minister's information
- 6.8.11. News reports and newspaper articles
- 6.8.12. Prior Inconsistent Statements or Information
- 6.8.13. Relevance of Documentary Evidence in Successor
State Scenarios
- 6.8.14. Factors to Consider:
- 6.9. Videotape Evidence
- 6.9.1. Factors to Consider:
- 6.10. Teleconferencing
and Videoconferencing
- 6.10.1. Teleconferencing
- 6.10.2. Factors to Consider
- 6.10.3. Videoconferencing
- 6.10.4. Factors to Consider
- 6.11. Foreign Law and
Foreign Judgments with Particular Reference to Adoptions
- 6.11.1. Introduction
- 6.11.2. Terminology
- 6.11.3. Proof of Foreign Law
- 6.11.4. Declaratory Judgments and Deeds
- 6.11.5. Presumption of Validity under Foreign Law
- 6.11.6. Parent and Child Relationship Created by
Operation of Foreign Law
- 6.11.7. Power of Attorney
- 6.11.8. Revocation of Adoption
- 6.11.9. Severing the Pre-Existing Legal Parent-Child
Relationship
- 6.11.10. Public Policy
- 6.12. Foreign Judgments
- 6.12.1. Adoption
- 6.12.2. Divorce
- 6.12.3. Marriage
- 6.13. Foreign Law
- 6.13.1. Factors to Consider:
- 6.13.2. Date of the foreign legislation
- 6.13.3. Presumptions under foreign law
- 6.13.4. Expert Evidence
- 6.14. Judicial Notice
- 6.14.1. Judicial Notice and Specialized Knowledge
in the RPD
- 6.15. Victim Impact
Evidence
- 6.16. Acceptable Documentation
(Identity)
- 6.17. Misrepresentation
- 6.17.1. Introduction
- 6.17.2. Possible Legal and Evidentiary Issues
- 6.17.3. Nature of the Misrepresentation
- 6.17.4. Humanitarian and Compassionate Considerations
- 6.18. Conclusive Findings
of Fact
-
STANDARDS AND BURDEN OF PROOF
- 7.1. Refugee Protection
Division (RPD)
- 7.2. Immigration Appeal
Division (IAD)
- 7.3. Immigration Division
(ID)
-
SECURITY EVIDENCE IN APPEALS
- 8.1. Introduction
- 8.2. Initiating the procedure
- 8.3. Types of information
subject to non-disclosure
- 8.4 The rationale for protecting
information
- 8.5. The member's decision
- 8.6. Duty of disclosure
- 8.7. Assessing the evidence
- 8.8. Onus of proof on
minister
- 8.9. Reliability of the
evidence
- 8.10. Reasons for decision
- 8.11. Constitutionality
of the process
APPENDIX A - THE RULES
OF EVIDENCE AND THE CANADA EVIDENCE ACT
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