Douglas Cannon: Vancouver Lawyer

Immigration And Refugee Dept: The November ruling found the human rights situation in Sri Lanka had improved and that the likelihood Tamils, particularly young males, would be persecuted if they returned to the country had dropped, according to Vancouver Sun. Douglas Cannon, a Vancouver lawyer who has represented many Tamil migrants, including those who arrived aboard the MV Sun Sea in August, said Tuesday the fact the directive was released at a time when human smuggling is a hot political issue in Ottawa raises questions about the impartiality of the IRB and refugee advocates are questioning whether political interference from Ottawa prompted a senior Immigration and Refugee Board manager to issue a rare notice last month highlighting a ruling that rejected the claim of a young Tamil migrant. A senior IRB manager subsequently called attention to the ruling in a notice to all refugee-claim adjudicators in December. The notice deemed the ruling to be "persuasive" and encouraged adjudicators to follow it in similar cases. As reported in the news.
@t immigration and refugee board, refugee advocates