Prospective Canadians

"The panel finds that Mexico is a democracy and is making serious efforts to protect its citizens. Mexico candidly acknowledges its past problems and is taking active steps to rectify corruption and impunity." Immigration and Refugee Board

A different culture to be sure, but we share a Continent. We do have some things in common. Canada does seek those who are interesting in emigrating from their countries of origin, to settle within Canada, land of vast resources and countless opportunities. We did read somewhere of late that the economic slowdown from which we are now recovering saw more Canadians on the brink of homelessness than might be believed, according to a survey conducted on behalf of the Salvation Army.

That aside, Canada remains in the business of assessing prospective immigrants for suitability for acceptance to Canada as landed immigrants. The country's many appointed members of Canada's Immigration and Refugee Board are also busy interviewing those declaring themselves to be refugees, wishing to settle and transfer their allegiance and their hopes for their future and those of their dependents, to Canadian soil.

Canada does have a somewhat clear policy of not recognizing as 'refugees' those who state themselves to be such, despite coming from what are considered to be stable, democratic countries. On the theory that those countries, like Canada itself, are more than capable of looking to the social, economic and political needs, along with security of persons, of their own populations.

But in Mexico, a neighbour of Canada, and a democracy, a situation has arisen since 2006 where drug cartels and their viciously violent militias are presenting in direct competition with the government. They behave as though they are the government. And they bestow upon the people who live within their 'jurisdictions' of enabled entitlements, a life of fear and misery and acute insecurity.

Government forces have been dispatched to dissuade these illegal-drug-enabled militias to rein in their activities, only to find themselves equally matched in strength and arms, and over-matched in determination, leading to a checkmate. And leading to the corruption of many officials on the take, and police and military working hand-in-remunerative-glove with the drug cartels.

Those members of the police whose allegiance remains to law and order and the people they serve find themselves suddenly headless for their heedless refusal to comply with the cartels' demands for surrender. The narco-traffickers rule the day. And ordinary citizens die fearsome deaths, along with the rival drug-gang members, in unfortunate public shoot-outs.

Leading to thousands of refugee claims within Canada by Mexican citizens anguished by fear and insecurity and anxious to leave it all behind them. Last year, 9,309 refugee claims were received from Mexican citizens. Of that number 516 were accepted, representing a success rate of 8%. Canada, because of the rising numbers of refugee applications, had imposed visa restrictions on Mexican citizens last year.

Asylum seekers from Mexico cite specific threats against their safety and security, uttered with conviction toward them, and threatening their family members. Desperate to escape those threats and made even more desperate by staged 'accidents' that injure them and their families as a result of their non-compliance with urging to join the cartels' activities, they turn to Canada in desperation.

Yet for most of these refugee claimants, the Immigration and Refugee Boards adjudicators refuse their documented and elaborated claims for refugee status. Those having been refused may go on to ask the Federal Court to intervene. In some, but by no means all, of those referrals to the Federal Court, the decision of the IRB is overturned, granting refugee status to some applicants.

Surely, given these atrociously deadly circumstances that ordinary Mexican civilians face in their everyday lives of desperation, Canada could give special heed to their needs?

"No government is expected to guarantee perfect protection to all of its citizens at all times. Mexico ... has in place a functioning security force to uphold the laws and constitution of the country." Immigration and Refugee Board

Case dismissed.