[mobglob-discuss] Fwd: Latest Victories in Long Fight to Win Against Immigration Canada

[Graeme Bacque]

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Date: Tue, 21 May 2002 21:54:33 -0400 (EDT)
From: Ontario Coalition Against Poverty <ocap at tao.ca>
To: ocap at lists.tao.ca
Subject: Latest Victories in Long Fight to Win Against Immigration Canada

Read on ...

         * Farouk and Aziza

         * Brendalyn McDonald

         * Immigration Minister comes to Toronto


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Farouk and Aziza -- approved for landing!!
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Farouk and Aziza came to Canada from Kenya 12 years ago.  Although they
came to escape persecution, they lost their Refugee claim and spent the
next decade trying to survive with out status and raise their 3
Canadian-born children, all of whom have disabilities.  In the summer of
2000, Immigration Canada was in the midst of ordering passports for them
so that they could be deported as soon as possible--before their
application for landing could be adjudicated.  They were left to
"choose" whether to bring their children with them to a situation of
intense poverty and persecution or abandon them in Canada.  Farouk and
Aziza approached OCAP for help.

At an action at Lester B. Pearson Airport Enforcement Centre in September
2001, OCAP and allies leafletted Air Canada passengers informing them that
the airline has a contract with Immigration Canada to make profits off of
carrying out deportations.  We then approached officials at the on-site
Enforcement Centre to demand a meeting with management.  The action was
successful - Aziza and Farouk were informed in writing that they would not
be deported before their applications were heard.  From there we worked
with them to ensure that they were presenting the strongest possible legal
case.

In an unusual move, Immigration Canada approved Aziza for landed status on
the spot at her Humanitarian and Compassionate interview.

Now Farouk has been approved as well.

Both Farouk and Aziza want to express their thanks to all those who stood
in solidarity with them against Immigration Canada's vicious attempts to
force them out of the country.

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Brendalyn McDonald Wins ...
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In early May, Brendalyn McDonald received a positive decision on her
application to apply for permanent residence on Humanitarian and
Compassionate Grounds. This is a major victory for Brendalyn and her
family, who have been battling Immigration Canada to allow Brendalyn to
remain in Canada while her Claim is processed.

Months of fighting the deportation order which had been placed on Brenda,
which included a 10 period of imprisonment at Immigration Canada's
infamous family detention center, the Celebrity Inn, culminated in
Brendalyn winning a stay of deportation at the Federal Court last month -
at this hearing, the presiding judge not only found the removals officer
Jason Hunter's decision to deport Brendalyn before her Claim could be
heard to be 'sharp practice', he also condemned Immigration Canada's
tactic of snatching people up immediately prior to weekends, when
organizing legal counsel is next to impossible, and ordered Immigration
Canada to reimburse $1000.00 worth of the hefty legal fee necessary for
taking the case to the Federal Court.

Critical to Brendalyn's case were efforts, supported by the Ontario
Coalition Against Poverty, to meet with officials at the Enforcement
Centre, to discuss the details of her situation. These efforts included
written correspondence, telephone calls, media coverage in the Toronto
Star, small-scale and large actions taken by OCAP and supporters in
Toronto, Montreal, and Ottawa. And ultimately, these efforts were
presented to the judge at the Federal Court level as inarguable evidence
that Brendalyn had been complying with Immigration Canada procedure.

The positive decision on her Humanitarian and Compassionate Claim came
quickly at the beginning of May, mere weeks after her release from
detention - the speed with which the decision was made points to the
success of relentless and fierce pressure on the part of Brenda and her
allies. This means Brendalyn is safe to stay in Toronto and continue to
live with her four year old daughter Shevon, and her spouse, Reza. The
past year has been a huge ordeal for Brendalyn and her family, and all
involved are very relieved and happy at the successful outcome.

And although Immigration Canada had to pay some of the legal fees for
Brenda's Federal Court Application, OCAP paid the difference - a sum of
$1400.00. As we are an organization with limited resources and many more
cases on the go, financial support is very much needed and appreciated. If
you are able, please make cheques payable to the Ontario Coalition Against
Poverty (they can be mailed to the address given below). The fact that
such immense amounts of resources, energy, and hardship are the cost of
Immigration Canada's clearly racist, discriminatory efforts to remove all
those they deem 'undesirable' cannot be tolerated.

Brendalyn and OCAP would like to thank all those who supported her fight
to remain in Canada, and all those who continue to fight for the rights of
'illegals', asylum seekers, refugees and immigrants.

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RALLY FOR IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEE RIGHTS

Monday, June 17th
12:30 pm
Rallying point: outside the Royal Ontario Museum (100 Queens Park)

CALL FOR ENDORSEMENTS

On June 17th, Denis Coderre, Canadas Immigration Minister, will be
speaking at a business-focused ($1300/person) conference at the Four
Seasons hotel about new Immigration laws coming into effect later that
month.  This legislation comes into effect in a heightened environment of
racist, anti-Immigrant sentiment spurred on by the corporate medias
jingoist enthusiasm for the American 'War on Terror'.

While some parts of the new bills are positive, on the whole, Canada's
Immigration system (both in law and in practice) is rotten to the core. It
is now and has always been virulently racist and anti-poor.  Every day,
Immigration Canada tears families apart and knowingly deports people to
situations of absolute poverty and intense persecution.  Amongst other
regressive changes, the Liberal government intends to abandon its promise
of an appeal for Refugees on the merits of their cases and pare down the
number of persons making what are often life or death decisions to one
judge, even though Canada has already been condemned by the United Nations
High Commission on Refugees for standing alone in the 'industrialized'
world in its refusal to allow refugees access to a merit-based appeals
process.  The new laws will also expand powers of detention and bar people
on welfare from sponsoring their children or spouses.

As we organize against Liberal Immigration policies, we are also aware
that increasingly governments and police are working in tandem to quash
dissent and pit social justice groups against one another.  Given this
situation, we see June 17th as an opportunity to send another message as
well: We will not be intimidated.  We stand united against injustice.

On June 17th, we encourage all people of conscience to join us in a
family-focused rally to draw attention to the realities confronting
Immigrants and Refugees and demand that the Liberal government halt its
vicious deportation practices and open the doors to people
fleeing poverty and persecution.

Give us a call at the OCAP office to endorse this event or get more info:
(416) 925-6939 
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