Liberal Party of Canada open letter to Minister Steven Blaney on Syrian refugees

September 10, 2015

Dear Minister Blaney,

As you are aware, there are a significant number of Syrian nationals currently living in Canada – almost 800 according to a September 8, 2014, story in NOW – who have had refugee claims denied by the government, and who are facing deportation back to Syria.

Remarkably, your government has yet to issue a Temporary Suspension of Removals (TSR) order for these cases; as you know, a TSR would prevent these individuals from being returned to their home country, and the unspeakable violence that would await them there. Instead, Syrian nationals are dependent on a temporary measure called an Administrative Deferral of Removals (ADR), which pauses, but does not cancel, a deportation.

This is manifestly wrong. Absent a TSR, these individuals are left in a perpetual state of anxiety, never knowing if and when they may be ordered to leave Canada and returned to an active war zone. I will remind you, Minister, that TSRs exist specifically to protect foreign nationals if deportation would place their lives at risk as a result of events like ongoing armed conflict or natural disasters in their home country. In fact, it was specifically this type of risk that caused the federal government to issue a TSR for Haitian nationals, following the devastating 2010 earthquake in that country.

On behalf of the Liberal Party of Canada, I am calling on you to immediately put in place a TSR for Syrians awaiting removal from Canada. Furthermore, the government must conduct an immediate review of the cases of these Syrians, as it would seem that many of these individuals had their refugee status denied based on technical issues with their application.

Canadians can and must do more to help Syrian refugees who are desperately seeking safety. This is about showing leadership and doing what is right as Canadians.

Marc Garneau
Liberal candidate for Notre-Dame-de-Grâce–Westmount