We the undersigned advocate for an ombudsman, an independent body system to be implemented within the Canadian refugee system. The current system is discriminatory because it violates refugee claimant’s basic human rights. Decisions are not appealable; refugees are seen as dependants and disposable. The role of the Ombudsman is to mediate, negotiate, shuttle diplomacy, determine the justification of rejection and make recommendations to correct unfair situations and to address systemic issues. Canada’s immigration law, the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA), contains a section that would give refugee claimants the right to an appeal on the merits for all decisions of the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB). The section of the law that implements the Refugee Appeal Division (RAD) was not enacted when IRPA came into force. The latest attempt to implement the RAD was Bill-C 291, a private member's bill which was defeated on December 10, 2009.

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