Unappealing Refugee Claimant Prospects 

"To those fleeing persecution, terror and war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith. Diversity is our strength. #WelcomeToCanada."
"Regardless of who you are or where you come from, there's always a place for you in Canada."
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Ottawa, Canada

Canada offers refugee protection to some people in Canada who fear persecution or who would be in danger if they had to leave. Some dangers they may face include:

• torture
• a risk to their life, or
• a risk of cruel and unusual treatment or punishment.

If you feel you could face one of these risks if you go back to your home country or the country where you normally live, you may be able to seek protection in Canada as a refugee.
Government of Canada

An asylum seeker claiming to be from Eritrea is confronted by an RCMP officer as he crosses the border into Canada last month from Champlain, N.Y. (Paul Chiasson/Canadian Press)

It was historically the United States of America that was known as the land of the brave and the free, eager to welcome the oppressed of the world to join it in building into one of the greatest modern nations on Earth, a land of opportunity and equality, where one's heritage, culture, ethnic group or religion made no difference; a great melting pot of humanity welcoming all and sundry. Until it no longer would, because everything must be accomplished in an orderly manner and no nation on this globe willingly accepts the presence of those whose culture and religion is averse to democracy and whose presence potentially represents a burden on the one hand and a potential threat on the other.

In present-day America the issue of undocumented or illegal migrants living in their millions in the country, often in a generational time-span with no official status, has caused a reaction, actually a polarized reaction for it seems that half the population (including industry) would like the presence of the undocumented 'illegals' to be 'normalized' through extending citizenship to them as long as they have no criminal record, and the other half of the population would prefer to see them deported and returned to their countries from which they fled purposing to arrive at the land of freedom and opportunity....

Canada's current government leader is a man of unreconstructed liberalism, enchanted by the kind of socialism he and his father before him felt was represented by Cuba. Typically it is wealthy families who often admire an ideology that would, if fully implemented, deprive them of their wealth for the greater good of dispersing wealth equally among all. Justin Trudeau, as first premier of the nation, like his father before him, aspires to hold onto his personal wealth and grow it, while lecturing others of his class of their obligation to surrender more of their wealth to the public weal.

And in reaction to the administration of a new American presidency which has closed ranks around those preferring to invite illegals to leave the country which has become near, dear and familiar to them, opened his heart and his country and in the process has presented himself on the world stage as the saviour of the huddled masses desperate to escape poverty, persecution and conflict, by stating his version of the U.S.'s generous offer to the oppressed: "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free". Deliberately portraying himself in such a mode as to draw to himself plaudits of admiration from the international community and the liberal-left.

The international community of potential have-seekers and economic migrants no doubt picked up their opportunity-antennae and now Canada is struggling to deal with an unprecedented strain on its immigration and refugee-accepting situation. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada recently released statistics to show that in the first six months of this year, 27,440 claims for asylum were filed, almost a peak record high. And the expectation that a veritable flood will continue upward from those numbers is high.

Canada's Immigration Minister under Mr. Trudeau's government is himself a former refugee from Somalia, a failed African country rife with terrorism and ongoing violent upheaval. Minister Ahmed Hussen, at a meeting with immigration organizations taking place in New York City, stated that based on current trends, Canada could realize 40,000 refugee claims by year's end. That number on top of the approximately quarter-million immigrants that make application to emigrate to Canada annually from their home countries.

The official opposition in Canada is not entirely thrilled with the situation, though they too when in government approved the quarter- to third-million immigration figures annually. "Given the global forced displacement and forced migration, this is now a public policy concern. Nobody is saying that this is going to stop", said the Conservative immigration and refugee critic at that same N.Y.C. meeting. Federal and provincial governments are strained with the cost of at least $353.9 million upwards to $548.8 million it takes to process claims and provide vital services -- cost per claim ranging from $12,900 to $20,000.

Aside from those administrative costs there is the cost of deporting claimants whose applications fail; which is to say, if they can be located, to be deported. Additional costs are those related to aid given to refugee claimants; housing, food, medical attention, straining already strained social services. In August alone the RCMP intercepted 5,530 people crossing illegally from New York State into Quebec, double the number who made that trip in July. British Columbia registered a spike in refugee claimants. Most of those entering Manitoba were Somalian in origin.

As for British Columbia, settlement organizations register refugee seekers from Afghanistan, Iraq, Colombia, Mexico and Turkey, among others; dozens of countries in all. The Immigration and Refugee board warns it is ill-equipped to manage the rise in claims, since it already suffers a backlog it is struggling to deal with. Without system improvements and/or additional resources those rising claims could result in wait times up to 11 years by 2021. Which translates to extended stays in the country by claimants awaiting the disposition of their claims.

Some of those claimants simply melt into the population living underground, and others, if their claims are rejected will appeal, appeal and appeal.