La Ligue des Droits et Libertes
Organization profile published 1979
Year Published: 1979
Resource Type: Organization
Cx Number: CX909
Abstract:
We have received the following outline of the experience of the Ligue: "We have found the Quebec Ministry of Immigration most helpful in many of these (i.e. immigration) endeavors. It seems to take the plight of political refugees very seriously, no matter what the country of origin, while the Federal Ministry seems to have some marked biases.
On the other hand, our experience has been that RCMP occasionally blocks, or tries to render ineeffective the status of political refugees - and sometimes succeeds. The RCMP's relations with the police of countries of origin, including the State police of dictatorships, give wierd results, like the jailing of political refugees in Canada on techmical grounds, e.g. on the accusation of using a false passport!
This type of police behaviour, at the same time as it frustrates the objectives of the Canadian legislation on political refugees, contravenes the terms of the Halsinki agreement and of the Universal Declaration of human rights (see especially art. 14(1) dealing with the right on one fleeing persecution to seek asylum in another country).
We feel that perhaps a CANADIAN HELSINKI WATCH COMMITTEE like the one in the U.S. will have to be set up to monitor compliance by the Canadian government with the 1975 Helsinke agreements on human rights."
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