Denial.
The Canadian government has denied a gay El Salvador national’s asylum claim. Joaquin Ramirez alleges three coppers raped him in 2006 and he fears for his life if forced to return home. The government, however, does not seem convinced and wants to send him back. And here we thought the Canadians were progressive… [Toronto Star]
Canadians are progressive… our government isn’t. Not right now anyway.
Agreeing with Jude up there…never was happy with Harper being our PM but now it’s just that much worse x.x
None of the western governments have adopted a welcoming attitude towards GLBT refugees fleeing death and torture. Most of the refugees come from the Middle East, Africa and Latin America.
US policy has always been based on racism and homophobia. In many EU nations, particularly England, a wave of rightwing sponsored islamophobic and anti-African racism combined with traditional christian homophobia creates a potent barrier for GLBT refugees.
Politics is behind this, for sure, but not because of the Prime Minister. Immigration and Refugee Review Board appointments are notorious for their political patronage and rarely have anything to do with the appointees grasp of what it is they are supposed to be doing. Once this gets appealed to a proper judiciary it will be reversed, I am certain. The Star story made it clear, I think, that they didn’t refuse the claim based on Canadian policy, but on the grounds that they thought he was not telling the truth. While it might be fun to poke fun at Canada’s progressive image, the real story is that there is a legacy of unqualified political appointees to 6-figure quasi-judicial jobs who have no grasp of the principles they are expected to apply in the execution of their duties. I am sure Mr Ramirez will see justice in the end.
Good decision. Nice to see our government stand up to the central-american scammers and illegals who try to flood Canada with their BS refugee claims. Vancouver is FULL of gay mexicans who just want a higher paying job, but falsely claim they are persecuted for being gay.