|
|
|
Canada's New Immigration Policy Raises Red Flags
by Harrison Chastang‚
Jun. 13‚ 2007
This week the sounds of “O Canada” will ring in San Francisco as our friends from the north, the Toronto Blue Jays make their first appearance at San Francisco’s AT&T Park for interleague play. While many Americans see our neighbors to the north as a liberal extension of the United States, the Maple Leaf country is becoming more like the United States concerning who can enter Canada. As part of the United States inspired “war on terror” Canada now “goes by the book” in regard to enforcing laws concerning entry into Canada. People convicted of any crime other than traffic violations can be declared “criminally inadmissible” and turned away at the border or airport. Canada Immigration and Customs (CIC) officials have the authority to turn away Americans with any criminal history, regardless of how long those convictions occurred, or the context of those arrests. Under the Canadian immigration policies that have been implemented since the current Conservative Party government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper was elected in 2006, Americans have been turned away at the Canadian border for 20 year old marijuana convictions, 30 year old shoplifting charges and decades old DUI convictions. Canada’s immigration policies could prevent Rev. Jesse Jackson, Harry Belafonte and Tom Hayden from entering Canada for arrests that occurred during non-violent Civil Rights, Vietnam War and Apartheid protests.
The Canadian admission policy has been in the news recently for several high profile cases; former Black Panther Bobby Seale was denied entry to Canada in March because of his arrests during Seale’s Panther days in the 1970s, and just last week anti-Apartheid activist Winnie Mandela, former wife of Nelson Mandela, was told that she could not enter Canada. Seale was on his way to the Canadian capital of Ottawa to speak at a University of Ottawa conference on racism and oppression and Mrs. Mandela was in route to the opening of an opera in Toronto about her life as an anti-Apartheid activist. Both Seale and Mrs. Mandela had been invited to Canada to speak to a growing Black Canadian population that has complained about increasing police harassment and intimidation of the mix of African Americans expatriates, Caribbeans, Black Europeans and Africans who make up Canada’s Black population. Canadian immigration officials refused to say why either Seale or Mrs. Mandela, who both have traveled to Canada many times in the last 20 years, are now suddenly persona non grata.
Canadian immigration officials say that persons with a criminal record can be allowed entry to Canada if they are not considered a threat to the country and are deemed “rehabilitated.” Being declared “rehabilitated” is a process that can cost up to $1,000 that requires fingerprinting and a statement from the FBI certifying no involvement with crime in the last ten years. The application must be submitted in person at the Canadian Embassy in Washington or one of five Canadian consulates in the United States (the nearest consulate to San Francisco is in Los Angeles.)
On the surface Canada’s policies seem clear cut but in reality there appears to be loopholes to permit entertainers, athletes and other VIPs into the country. The CIC webpage says that anyone facing trial in the United States cannot enter Canada. There’s never a shortage of professional athletes facing charges for crimes ranging from DUI to attempted murder, but when was the last time an NBA, NHL or MLB athlete either facing charges or convicted of DUI or other offense in this country was denied entry into Canada? Other celebrities such as Snoop Dog, who was denied admission to Australia and England because of drug and gun convictions, had no problem being admitted to Canada. The CIC website says that the Minister of Immigration and Customs has the final say on whether a person with an arrest record can enter Canada.
Last week US immigration officials temporarily suspended passport requirements for air or sea travel to Canada because of tremendous demand for passports that has created a three to six month backlog for passport requests. Thousands of Americans have been forced to cancel trips to Canada because of the US passport policy that will only get worse next year when Americans will be required to have passports to drive or walk across the Canadian or Mexican border. Only 20 percent of Americans have passports, and despite the current demand for passports, most Americans without passports have said they are not willing to spend $100 for a document that will only be used for an occasional day trip to Vancouver, Toronto or Tijuana. Given the ease that TB patient Andrew Speaker had entering Canada, despite worldwide warnings that Speaker had a highly contagious disease, should Canada craft new entry policies that focuses on the records of convicted rapists, bank robbers, violent gang members, drug dealers and seriously ill people rather than turning away people with 30 year old DUI convictions or arrests for protesting in the Civil Rights movement or Iraq war protests?
EMAIL THIS STORY
PRINT FRIENDLY
Copyright © 2005-2008
Beyond
Chron.org. All rights reserved.
RSS News Feed
|
|
May 11, 2008
