CIMM Committee Report
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PART 10: IMPLEMENTATION DATE
The Immigration and Refugee Protection Act received Royal Assent on November 1, 2001. The government has announced, and confirmed on February 26, 2002, that it is planning to bring the Act and the regulations into force on June 28, 2002. Although some of the Committee’s witnesses suggested that the implementation date be postponed in order to ensure a smoother launch, the Committee is confident that the necessary work is well underway in order to support implementation at the end of June.
If the new Act were minor legislation, with few immediate effects, then the Committee might feel differently. But the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act is the first complete overhaul of Canada’s immigration laws since the mid-1970s. It will affect — and improve — virtually all aspects of our immigration and refugee program. Not the least of these the national security and public safety provisions that, in the wake of September 11, assume even more significance.
These security measures include stronger powers of detention, broader grounds for denying people access to Canada for reasons related to organized crime, tightened rules regarding access to the refugee determination system and an increased ability to use sensitive information to bar or remove people from the country if they pose a threat. It is essential that these measures be in place as soon as is reasonably possible.
Families will benefit from the new law. The revised definition of "dependent child" will mean more children will be eligible to be sponsored. Common-law partners will be formally recognized for the first time. The excessive demand aspect of medical inadmissibility will cease to apply to spouses, common-law partners and dependent children.
Refugees seeking resettlement from abroad will also benefit. Selection criteria will be broadened and family members will be able to be reunited faster. Refugees and their dependents will also be exempted from the excessive demand aspect of medical inadmissibility.
Genuine refugees seeking protection from within Canada should find the process faster and fairer, and there will be new mechanisms to deal with those who may be using the system for other purposes.
For all of the above reasons the Committee supports the decision to implement the new Act and regulations on June 28, 2002.