Published by Senator Mobina Jaffer on 20 August 2010
The migrant ship carrying Tamil migrants that arrived in BC last week presents an interesting conundrum, highlighting the difficult issues Canada faces in relation to its immigration policy. The approximately 490 Tamil individuals aboard the migrant ship have been travelling for 4 months in unsafe conditions. Horrifyingly, the Tamil migrants say they are fleeing "mass murder" in Sri Lanka, a country that recently ended a 25-year-civil war. Among the migrant ship passengers are 25 women and 44 children.
Yet, the Canadian government is still deciding what to do. Canada's reaction is complicated by the fact that those on board may be connected to the Tamil Tigers terrorist group. The migrant ship – a cargo ship refurbished to cram in 500 people – may present a case of human smuggling in connection with a criminal group. The ship may simply be a "test" – those who sent it could be watching how Canada reacts before sending more migrants forward. Some argue that, if granted refugee status, the Tamils are jumping the queue to migrate to Canada (see CBC report: http://www.cbc.ca/politics/story/2010/08/16/tamil-migrant-ship-toews.html)
With this in mind, our government must decide whether or not to grant the Tamil migrants refugee status, while determining whether or not they are connected to a larger criminal group. It must also consider national security concerns that result from the arrival of a ship filled with individuals who have unclear identities.
Even if the Tamil migrants have been smuggled into Canada, they may have chosen to come in this way because they are fleeing persecution. People are smuggled into Canada on a daily basis. What makes this case unique is that these individuals have been brought on a ship and in large numbers. We need to formally assess whether or not the migrants are indeed facing persecution and at the same time find ways to punish the smugglers. The migrants demand our compassion.
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