Category: Canada

Fear of rape enough to get refugee status in Canada?

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

A recent decision by a Canadian court could open the door for any Haitian woman believing she might be raped to seek asylum in Canada.

From The Star:

A groundbreaking Federal Court ruling has opened doors to Haitian women who are seeking refugee status in Canada because they are afraid of being raped in their own country, where sexual violence is a growing problem.

“It means a Haitian woman making a refugee claim on that basis should succeed, as long as conditions in Haiti remain as they are now,” said lawyer Raoul Boulakia.

Boulakia represents Elmancia Dezameau, a Haitian-born mother of four who sought refugee protection after arriving in Toronto in 2007, arguing she and her four daughters were at risk of being targeted for rape if she were returned home.

In support of her case, Boulakia filed reports from several international aid agencies, including Amnesty International and Doctors Without Borders, which identified rape as a systemic problem in Haiti, one that has worsened since January’s earthquake.

Does this mean all Haitian women are eligible for refugee status in Canada?  It sounds like it to this lawyer.

Lawyers for the federal government argued that if Dezameau won her case, all female refugee claimants from Haiti would automatically be granted refugee protection simply because they are women.

Pinard [a Justice] rejected that argument, saying female refugee claimants from Haiti will still have to prove their risk of being raped is more than a mere possibility.

According to this story from The Star at least, it sounds like she didn’t have to submit anything in court besides general reports that rape in Haiti was widespread.  So is the Justice saying she still has to prove she is personally threatened?

Rape as a weapon to terrorize women is used throughout Africa too, so does this mean all women from certain countries would be eligible for refugee status in Canada?   It is hard to tell exactly what this ruling does.

Somaliland Press: A Canadian and an American are involved in planning attacks in Somaliland

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Somaliland is an autonomous region of Somalia that has been relatively stable (as I write that I don’t want to give readers the impression that everything is peachy there).  Late last week the Somaliland Press reported that Somalis who are naturalized Americans and Canadians are involved in planning attacks to disrupt elections in Somaliland.  This is a really complicated story and I have no intention of wading into the morass of East African political turmoil, but I found this of interest when the author charges Americans (and Canadians) of being involved.

From Somaliland Press:

A Canadian and an American of Somali nationals, among other nationalities, with al-Shabab terrorists plan a massive violent campaign against Somaliland polling stations in June 2010. A Canadian and an American! Hard to belief, isn’t it? Not only is it hard to swallow that some of the individuals gearing up for a showdown with Somaliland security forces live in the heart of Canada and U.S., but also these warmongers would slip back to Canada and U.S. without any problems. What is more upsetting is that both Canada and U.S. hypocritically scream about terrorist threats against their nations while they remain oblivious of their citizens fomenting a destructive campaign in Somaliland and elsewhere.

[….]

How unfair and cruel is it for the people of Somaliland in general and for the victims of Buhodle town in particular that these American and Canadian individuals to inflict destruction in a region that is already destitute and then slip back to their comfort zones: U.S. and Canada?

I hope our Homeland Security officials have enough sense to stop them as they enter the US.  As a matter of fact, they should stop any American Somali who travels back and forth to Somaliland.  If they are here because they have escaped persecution, then they shouldn’t be zipping back and forth to East Africa!

Canada will decide if Bosnian murderer will be deported

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

This is a long convoluted story from “welcoming” Canada.  A man claiming to be a persecuted Bosnian Muslim was granted refugee status in Calgary, Canada more than a decade ago.  Now evidence has surfaced that he likely murdered business associates in his home country in 1992.

From the Montreal Gazette:

Pobric (Elvir Pobric) arrived in Montreal as a fearful Muslim escaping the bloody civil war erupting around him in Bosnia in 1999.

Clutching a letter from the Red Cross documenting his internment camp release, Pobric asked Canadian immigration officials to save him from religious and ethnic persecution at the hands of Serbians by granting him refugee protection.

Canada has stripped him of his refugee status saying essentially that the country seeking his extradition is a Muslim country and so he is not being persecuted for his religion.

The arrest warrant was issued by Bosnia-Herzegovina, not Serbia, Bosnia’s wartime enemy, board officials said.

“There is no basis to suppose or conclude that those ordinary civil authorities . . . would seek the arrest and return because he is Bosniak or a Bosnian Muslim,” board officials ruled.

The government of  Bosnia-Herzegovina will get him as soon as Canada gives the final deportation order.

Now, after spending a year in custody, Pobric is stripped of his refugee and permanent residency status. Officials at the Bosnia-Herzegovina embassy said they will issue travelling documents within two weeks of being asked.

Read the whole story about this fake refugee.

Canada: more taxpayer money going to (hopefully!) stem Somali violence

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

I’ve reported previously in our Canada category about how many Somali ‘youths’ in Alberta have been killed mostly by gang/drug related violence in the last couple of years.  The Somali ‘community’ demands that the government do something about it.  Now here comes a new touchy-feely “program” and more money.

From the CBC:

The Alberta government is spending $202,000 to keep Somali-Canadian youth in Edmonton away from gangs and drugs, Justice Minister Alison Redford announced Tuesday.

The money goes towards after-school programs and academic support in school.

Another $1.3 million will be spent on integrating immigrants and refugees into the community and $400,000 more towards a mentoring initiative to keep immigrant youth from drug trafficking and gang activity.

As is so often the case, the commenters to a story like this one are always right on the mark.  Here is commenter Scotcam:

They are killing each other – life is not sacred to them. I find it difficult to reconcile these Somali youth entering into these activities in Canada. They have a safe country to live in, food, clothing, shelter, education, health care, everything to ensure they can make a future for themselves. Their mentality seems to be one of violence, ingratitude etc.

One of the worst things that has happened to Canada was allowing so many Somalis into Canada without proper checks as to their suitability to be here. There are a few other groups as well that have not added anything positive to the country. Spending another million dollars on these people will do nothing to change their uncivilized behavior. Who pays again? The hardworking Canadian taxpayer who has a hard enough job looking after his own family!

One Somali leader quoted by the CBC suggested:

“So if they really want to do something for the community they have to look at the bigger picture, which is who is killing the 30 youth and why.”

Good point, and it’s backed by this suggestion from reader Freedom2025:

The money would be better spent hiring undercover cops to infiltrate the Somali gangs and gain intelligence towards arresting the leaders.

What a novel idea—-crack down on the criminals!

Canada: Immigration judge found guilty in sex for refugee status determination

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

That’s what the headline in the National Post tells us, but something doesn’t seem right with this story.  I think the judge may well have had inappropriate designs on this South Korean woman seeking asylum in Canada, but there’s a line in here that sounds fishy.

TORONTO — A former immigration adjudicator and Toronto city councilor has been convicted of offering to write a favourable refugee claim in exchange for sexual relations.

Steve Ellis, 50, was found guilty Wednesday morning of one count of breach of trust under the Criminal Code and also of illegally seeking a benefit contrary to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

Ontario Superior Court Justice Thea Herman concluded that it was clear that Ellis was seeking to trade sex for a positive ruling when he met with Ji Hye Kim at a Toronto coffee shop in September 2006.

I was planning to just post this as straight news, but here’s where the story starts to smell.

The central piece of evidence at the trial was an audio and video recording of the meeting, made by Ms. Kim and her boyfriend (now husband) Brad Tripp.

The pristine quality recording was played in court during the trial and showed Ellis talking about how he wanted to help Ms. Kim, even though refugee claimants from South Korea are rarely successful.  

There seems to have been no overt proposition.

She obviously married the Canadian guy (I’m guessing Tripp is Canadian) and thus got her immigration status secured.  Why did she need to go through this judge to seek asylum from of all places, South Korea?  Was this a sting from the beginning?

Then notice the couple went to the media with their “pristine” tape recording before seeing the police.  Hmmmm?

Ms. Kim was accused by Mr. Rosen (the lawyer for the judge) during the trial of being willing “to do anything” to get her status as a legal immigrant in Canada, which she adamantly denied. He noted that the couple approached the media with the recording of the meeting, before speaking to police.

There is surely more to this story!