The justice initiatives committee of KAIROS, of which the PCC is a member, presented the federal government with a petition bearing more than 10,000 names urging the immediate implementation of refugee appeals as promised.
Refugee rights groups say the government has "insisted on delaying" creation of a refugee rights division for the past three years. The Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, created in 2002, reduced the initial decision-maker panel which reviews refugee claims from two to one. There is an appeal provision in the act, but the government has failed to implement it thus far. The petition asks the government to implement the appeals procedure.
The petition circulated the national offices of the Presbyterian church, encouraged by Justice Ministries and Presbyterian World Service and Development, who work closely with KAIROS. The petition was presented to the House of Commons on April 4, Refugee Rights Day.
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