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The Canadian Council for Refugees (abbreviated CCR, formerly known as the Standing Conference of Canadian Organizations Concerned about/for/with Refugees) is a non-governmental organization that critiques the Government of Canada's public policy regarding refugee settlement and determination, and provides consultation to Canadian immigration authorities. The organization is based in Montreal. According to the CCR, refugee services should focus on mental health.

History

In 1978, when the organization was still known as the Standing Conference of Canadian Organizations Concerned for Refugees, it was composed of approximately 100 refugee advocacy groups.

Before the September 11 attacks in 2001, the CCR issued a statement that there was a disproportionate amount of immigration security provisions applied to particular refugee communities, including Kurdish people, Sri Lankan Tamil people, Palestinian people, people from Algeria, Sikhs, and people associated with the People's Mujahedin of Iran.

The CCR said that refugees became far less likely to show up for their asylum hearings starting in January 2003 when Canadian officials stopped asking the Immigration and Naturalization Service of the United States to guarantee that these refugees would not be arrested.

Towards the end of 2005, the CCR became part of a coalition with Amnesty International and the Canadian Council of Churches to question the constitutionality of the Canada–United States Safe Third Country Agreement. According to the CCR, the agreement would result in increased illegal immigration and people smuggling.

Consultations

The CCR holds biannual consultations, the results of which are published on their website library . The consultations last three days and each one has a specific focus. In the fall 2016 consultation, “Welcoming Diversity,” The CCR published their support for Bill C-6. Bill C-6 was introduced by the Liberal Party of Canada in the summer of 2017 and made serious amendments to the Citizen Act. Bill C-6 makes access to Canadian citizenship easier.

Safe Third Country Agreement

In 2005, the CCR challenged the Canadian government’s Safe Third Country Agreement with the United States, which came into effect in 2004. The Agreement stipulates that “refugee claimants are required to request refugee protection in the first safe country they arrive in, unless they qualify for an exception to the Agreement.” In Canadian Council for Refugees, et al. v. Her Majesty the Queen, the Canadian Council for Refugees, the Canadian Council of Churches, Amnesty International, three NGOs and a John Doe collectively brought the Canadian government to Federal Court, after a Colombian national was denied refugee status in the United States. This rendered his status in the US illegal and put him at risk of refoulement. The court applicants claimed that the U.S. was therefore not a Safe Third Country and that "[t]he United States' policies and practices do not meet the conditions set down for authorizing Canada to enter into a STCA. The U.S. does not meet the Refugee Convention requirements nor the Convention Against Torture prohibition.” In 2007, the Federal Court upheld the challenge, but in 2008 the government appealed the decision and so the STCA continues to be enforced.

Membership

The structure of the organization is based on membership. Organizations must be Canadian non-profits to join, and individuals can become non-voting Associate Members. The Council has members in all of the provinces but not the territories. There are over 170 member organizations.

Recommendations to the Canadian Government

On April 4th, 2018, the CCR published a set of recommendations to the Canadian government to:

1. Resettle 20,000 government-assisted refugees annually.
2. Ensure applications of privately sponsored refugees are processed within 12 months.
3. Reform the refugee determination system so that all claimants have access to a fair hearing before an expert independent tribunal (the Immigration and Refugee Board).