Canadian Civil Liberties Association: Amnesty International

Canadian Association Of Refugee Lawyers Dept: The Justice for Refugees and Immigrants Coalition, comprising members from Amnesty International, the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and the Canadian Council for Refugees, held a news conference Monday to denounced Bill C-31, according to Vancouver Sun. "C-31 is a bill that violates the Canadian Charter of Rights, international law and common sense as well," said Peter Showler of the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers. "We believe it is necessary to reform Canada's refugee system, but it is important to do it in a way that has features that are fast, fair and effective. None of these features are contained in Bill C-31." A new bill under debate is dangerous and will strip refugee claim-ants of their most basic rights under Canadian and international law, according to a group of human-rights advocates and refugee lawyers. Bill C-31, now at second reading, is an attempt to update the Immigration and Refugee Protections Act in the hopes of speeding the process and limiting a backlog of applicants. It could become law as early as June. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.