Letter to the Editor of the Chronicle Herald - October 19, 2005
RE Refugee Hearings: Truth Sacrificed for Expediency
Andrew House demonstrates a lack of understanding of our refugee protection
system, and offers proposals for reform, which, if implemented, would endanger
the very refugees he professes to care about.
To begin with, he advocates for an adversarial system. Our system is based
on the inquiry model. It is not adversarial and with good reason: the system
was designed so that vulnerable claimants would not be subjected to an adversarial
process.
Similarly, Mr. House takes
issue with the notion of "closed-door" refugee hearings. Private
hearings ensure that the sensitive information of vulnerable persons
is not disclosed
to the alleged agents of persecution. Refugee advocates should applaud
this provision.
Mr. House is extremely critical of the competence and training of our decision
makers, whom he describes as being without legal training.
Our Members are selected based on merit. Members undergo rigorous training
and develop expertise on the human rights conditions in countries of alleged
persecution. They are supported by the IRB's internationally renowned research program.
It is true that the IRB has streamlined its processes to be more efficient
but it was not done at the expense of fairness. In fact, the Board is lauded
around the world for its many qualities and notably because of the quality
of its decision making.
Jean-Guy Fleury
Chairperson
Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
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