Tories deliver on AIDS pledge
Minister expected to announce $50M to help global fight
Nov. 30, 2006. 01:00 AM
TANYA TALAGA AND JOSEPH HALL
HEALTH REPORTERS

The Harper government has picked World AIDS Day tomorrow to finally fulfill
its pledge to provide millions in funding to fight the disease, the Star has
learned.
International Co-operation Minister Josée Verner, is expected to pledge $50
million to the World Health Organization, $20 million for 2006-07 and
another $30 million for 2007-08, a source said.
It would fulfill a commitment made in August during the International AIDS
Conference in Toronto after an expected funding announcement was derailed at
the last minute because the climate had become "too politicized."
Reached in London yesterday on his way to Ireland for World AIDS Day,
Stephen Lewis applauded Canada's decision.
"It's an excellent contribution and desperately needed. It confirms Canada's
position as the most significant donor to the WHO's effort to promote
treatment throughout Africa in particular," said Lewis, the United Nations
Envoy HIV/AIDS in Africa.
Lewis met with Canadian International Development Agency officials at the
International AIDS Conference on Aug. 14, and was told the federal
government would be making a substantial monetary announcement.
He was astounded when at the last minute the press conference was called
off. At the time, the Health Minister Tony Clement complained that too much
of the AIDS conference had been hijacked by activists interested in
grandstanding.
Yesterday, Clement's office remained tight-lipped about the funding. "Our
government remains committed to the global fight against AIDS and there will
be an announcement in the very near future," said Erik Waddell, Clement's
press secretary.
The previous Liberal government contributed $100 million to WHO to
kick-start the "3 by 5" program, intended to bring life-prolonging
antiretroviral drugs to 3 million people by 2005. While the target wasn't
met, more than 1 million people now have access to drugs.
"But $50 million is really important. WHO uses it to send technical advisors
to countries to make sure they can get their treatment in place and do the
practical things that must be done to deliver treatment," Lewis said.
He hopes funds are still coming for other groups. The International
Partnership for Microbicides (IPM), the International AIDS Vaccine
Initiative (IAVI), the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
and WHO are all waiting for Canadian funding, according to Lewis.
Pam Norick, external relations chief with the Washington-based IPM, said
they have had conversations with the Harper government that indicated "all
news is going to be good news" regarding a funding injection, "but the
deal's not cooked until the deal is cooked."
On the 25th anniversary of the birth of AIDS, new numbers from the United
Nations and WHO show the disease continues to devastate the developing
world.
It's estimated 39.5 million people are living with the human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS, with 4.3 million
new infections this year alone. Of those new infections, 2.8 million
occurred in sub-Saharan Africa. Since the start of the pandemic, 25 million
people have died.
"We are obviously still losing the battle," said Dr. Mark Wainberg, director
of the McGill University AIDS Centre in Montreal. He said of those nearly 4
million new infections this year, only 1.5 million people are getting access
to treatment. "We have way, way more people getting infected every year than
are able to access the drugs. That doesn't sound like progress to me."
There is no question the developing world is looking to countries like
Canada to come through and donate, said Wainberg who was also co-chair of
the Toronto AIDS meeting. "Hopefully our government regardless of political
stripes or colours will feel Canada does have a role to play and must
respond to this international public health crisis by being generous," he
said.
Nationally, AIDS infection rates continue to rise. There are about 58,000
people living with HIV/AIDS in Canada.
Over half of all people in Canada living with HIV are men who have sex with
men. And the infection rate of aboriginal people is nearly three times
higher than for other Canadians.
Against that backdrop, Canadian HIV/AIDS groups fear the Harper government
will pull back from programs here.
A spokesperson for one of the county's top AIDS groups says there is concern
in his community that a Tory review of Canada's strategy on the disease may
lead to an Americanization of federally funded programs here.
The Bush administration has been accused of caving in to the religious right
in that country on AIDS-related issues through such things as opposition to
condom use programs and a stress on abstinence initiatives.
Richard Elliott, deputy director of the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network,
says Tory moves to gut the Status of Women Canada group, back down on Indian
treaty agreements and threaten funding of a safe needle injection site in
Vancouver, point to a socially conservative agenda that could influence
their AIDS policy. "Red flags have gone up given how they've handled a
number of other things that are relevant," he said.

Full Article
Toronto police chief says border agency fears about new policy premature
Mike Oliveira, Canadian Press
Published: Wednesday, November 29, 2006

TORONTO (CP) - A plea by the Canada Border Services Agency to help fight terrorism by nixing a Toronto police "don't ask, don't tell" policy dealing with illegal immigrants was met with a cold reception Tuesday from the police chief.

The policy is the first of its kind in Canada and directs Toronto officers to avoid asking routine questions about a suspect or citizen's immigration status. It was drafted to encourage more community co-operation with police and allay fears that illegal immigrants would be deported if they ever contacted authorities.

Members of the Toronto Police Services Board chided representatives of the federal agency on Tuesday for criticizing the policy without having read the whole document, and for fears that police Chief Bill Blair said were unfounded.

"Your concerns, I have to say, are a little premature," Blair said.

"The policy our board adopted really gave us the ability to deal in a more sensitive and compassionate way with victims of crime and with our witnesses, and it simply says in the absence of bona fide reasons to ask (about citizenship), we're not asking."

"But if those bona fide reasons do exist, we'll continue to (ask)."

But John Gillan, regional director for the border agency, said the policy would cripple co-operation between different law enforcement agencies and could help people get away with criminal activities - including terrorism.

"Our post 9-11 reality - increased security concerns, threats from organized crime, community safety concerns - have reinforced the need for ... timely information sharing and co-operation between law enforcement agencies at all levels," he said.

"Failure to share information and co-ordinate our efforts can lead to undesirable and perhaps unforeseen and unfortunate consequences."

He pointed to a recent example of the border agency helping to identify a victim in a Toronto shooting as a potential suspect. The agency provided police with information on immigration violations and serious criminal charges that resulted in the man being extradited to Canada from the United States.

"We want to make sure we have the maximum opportunity to apprehend anybody that's involved in significant criminal activity," Gillan said. "We're very concerned that ... police officers do not ask the basic questions anymore."

But there was no support on the police board for the border agency's message, and one panel member, Hamlin Grange, said he was taken aback by its tone.

"For a moment there I thought I was listening to a presentation from Homeland Security of the United States," he said.

Police are still in the process of finalizing and implementing the policy, which will go before the board again in February for review.

Lawyers and citizen groups who advocated for the policy are anxious to see it go ahead, and criticized the border agency for trying to stop it.

"Policing and immigration functions are separate functions, and for the police to do their job they shouldn't be harassing people about their immigrant status," said lawyer Peter Rosenthal, who reviewed the policy and gave police a legal opinion on it.

"Inquiring into the immigration status of victims and/or witnesses discourages the reporting of crimes, and results in the failure to provide protection to some Toronto residents."

© The Canadian Press 2006

Toronto Star

Board fires back at border agency

Police officials defend `don't ask' immigration policy after federal body argues it would jeopardize national security

Nov. 29, 2006. 01:00 AM

TRACY HUFFMAN

CRIME REPORTER



The Canada Border Services Agency wants changes to the Toronto Police Service's controversial "don't ask, don't tell" policy, but officials with the agency admit they haven't even read it.



"I'd like you to review the policy you object to ... that would be useful before we all get into a tizzy," said police board vice-chair Pam McConnell at a meeting of the board yesterday.



McConnell was directing her comments to two officials with the agency who had been addressing board members about the policy that prevents police officers from inquiring about the immigration status of victims and witnesses to crimes unless there's a good reason.



"Let me be clear. The CBSA supports initiatives that encourage victims and witnesses to come forward and assist law enforcement efforts," said John Gillan, the federal agency's director general for the Greater Toronto Area, who said he is concerned the policy may significantly compromise public safety and security.



"The decision to not ask the basic immigration question is a decision to disregard relevant information about a person's background," he said. "The unintended result may be that a person posing a potentially serious risk to public safety remains free to live among us."



The stated purpose of the policy is an effort to break down a wall of silence between crime victims living illegally in Canada and police. The policy is supported by many groups that deal with abused women and children who do not have status in Canada.



Yesterday, the board heard that many victims of abuse who do not have legal status in Canada fear calling the police to report abuse. They worry that if they call for help, they will be the ones thrown in jail, a dozen community representatives told the board.



Gillan said the agency suggests a collaborative effort to "develop the right balance between protecting victims and witnesses and ensuring the safety of the community."



Some measures are already in place to protect victims, he said. Victims of human trafficking are permitted to remain in Canada to seek counselling and support and to assist with court proceedings, and "to assess their need to remain in Canada on a permanent basis," Gillan said.


But he said it can be difficult in some investigations to determine who is the victim, witness and perpetrator without all of the facts, including information relating to immigration status.



Believed to be the only police service in Canada with such a policy, the police board approved the idea after exhaustive consultation with community groups and legal experts. It was implemented in February with the understanding it would be reviewed after a year.



McConnell said the board would welcome the border agency's input at the time of review.

"Your concerns are a little premature," police Chief Bill Blair told the border agency officials. "We don't ask unless there are bona fide reasons to ask. If we have a good reason, we ask."



The chief also noted that the policy doesn't go as far as "don't tell," explaining officers are legally obligated to report illegal status.



Community members who addressed the board said the policy is not being implemented by all officers and many victims still fear calling police.



A notice was sent to officers shortly after the policy was approved by the board and is in effect, said a spokesperson for the Toronto force.

Toronto Star
Asylum bids blocked at U.S. border
Study shows 55% drop in claimants
New pact flawed, refugee groups say
Nov. 17, 2006. 01:00 AM
NICHOLAS KEUNG
IMMIGRATION/DIVERSITY REPORTER

The number of asylum seekers who managed to cross the U.S.-Canadian border and file a refugee claim here dropped by a whopping 55 per cent last year, a government review of the two-year-old Safe Third Country Agreement has found.

This first report, released nearly a year later than mandated, said the number of land border claims fell from 8,896 in 2004 to 4,033 in 2005, a year after the bilateral agreement was implemented. The 2004 agreement requires that refugee claims in the U.S. and Canada be processed in the country where the asylum seekers first land.

The joint review, conducted by Citizenship and Immigration Canada and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, was monitored by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

But advocacy groups argue that it didn't probe deeply enough into the consequences for refugees — such as what happened to them later or whether the U.S. really qualifies as a safe country for those Canada is turning away at the border.

"Yes, the report reviewed what the agreement's meant to do, but it didn't look at whether it's something right or wrong to do," said Gloria Nafziger, refugee co-ordinator for Amnesty International Canada. "We fundamentally object to the existence of the agreement because it's based on the premise that Canada and the U.S. share the same protection for asylum seekers."

Janet Dench, executive director of the Canadian Council for Refugees, said U.S. officials' treatment of asylum seekers is questionable, as most are detained while being processed.

Refugee advocates also say the report doesn't account for those who put their lives at risk in the hands of unscrupulous smugglers so they can get into Canada to file an "inland" claim.

Questions were raised in a parliamentary committee before the agreement was implemented about possible harm to refugees, particularly women fleeing gender-based violence — which Canada recognizes as a valid basis for asylum — and a potential increase in human smuggling. Neither was examined in the review, says the Canadian Council for Refugees.

Under the new restrictions, the proportion of Canada's refugee claimants who arrived here via the U.S. border dropped significantly, from 35 per cent in 2004 to 20 per cent in 2005.

Of the 4,033 refugee claims accepted at land crossings last year, 3,254 qualified under one of the exceptions outlined in the agreement, such as having relatives in Canada or coming from a politically volatile country.

Opposition fuming over latest IRB appointment

Andrew Mayeda, CanWest News Service; Ottawa Citizen
Published: Thursday, November 16, 2006

OTTAWA - Opposition MPs are slamming the Conservative government for appointing an executive member of the Ontario Progressive Conservative party to the Immigration and Refugee Board.

Marlene Hogarth was one of two appointees to the board announced Wednesday.

Hogarth is the northwestern region vice-president for the Ontario PCs, according to the party's website. She was also a PC candidate in Thunder Bay, Ont., during the 1993 federal election, but was defeated.

Tory MPs have sharply criticized the former Liberal government for making patronage appointments to the board. But opposition MPs say those accusations now smack of hypocrisy.

''The more it changes, the more it stays the same,'' said New Democrat MP Olivia Chow, the party's deputy immigration critic. ''It looks to me to be a patronage appointment.''

Liberal MP Raymonde Folco, the party's immigration critic, noted the Tories have given her party a rough ride in the past over appointments to the board.

''We were hit by the Conservatives while we were in power. They cried high and low that they wanted to change the system,'' she said.

In their 2006 election platform, the Conservatives promised to make ''qualified government appointments,'' pointing out the Liberals ''have repeatedly appointed insiders, in some cases completely unqualified, to important public offices.''

The IRB has been under considerable scrutiny since last month, when board member Steve Ellis was charged by the RCMP over allegations he solicited sex from a refugee claimant.

This month, Citizenship and Immigration Minister Monte Solberg announced an independent review of the selection process for IRB members, who adjudicate refugee and immigration-related claims.

At a meeting last month of a parliamentary committee on immigration, IRB chair Jean-Guy Fleury explained how the nomination process was improved in 2004 to ''eliminate the perception that patronage trumped merit in the selection of IRB decision-makers.''

Candidates are now vetted by an independent advisory panel, which presents its selections to the immigration minister for appointment. Previously, the selection panel contained members appointed directly by the government.
At the committee meeting, Conservative MP Barry Devolin told Fleury ''the road to getting an appointment on your board for the past 10 years or so has been largely a partisan process, and it wasn't equally open to all Canadians.''

A spokeswoman for Solberg defended the appointment of Hogarth, noting it was made through a ''merit-based process.''

She also noted the IRB, at Solberg's urging, recently took the ''unprecedented step'' of advertising board positions in national newspapers, which resulted in 350 new candidates.

''We're continuing to look for ways to reform the system and get competent, professional members of the Board,'' said Lesley Harmer.

Hogarth is a former member of the Social Benefits Tribunal, which evaluates social assistance claims for the Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services.

She also served as co-chair of the medical-review committee with the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.

Chow said board nominees should be free to have their party allegiances. But she found it disturbing Hogarth does not appear to have much experience with refugee or immigration issues.

''That person could be partisan, but they need to have the qualifications,'' said Chow.

Hogarth did not respond to an e-mail request for comment late Wednesday afternoon.

The other appointment was Daniel McSweeney, a former official with Cancer Care Ontario. Both were appointed to three-year terms.