Home
  Upcoming activities
  Send a card to Minister Volpe
  Contact your M.P.
  Contribute financially
  Contact us
   
  GET MORE INFORMATION
  Who is in sanctuary?
  Why turn to sanctuary?
  Resources on the Web
  Who are we?
   
 
  Media coverage
  Press releases
   
 
  Many thanks to...

 

 

 

 

 

THE FIGHT CONTINUES
2 other cases end!

13 Feb 2005: The Colombian family which was in sanctuary since July 2003 was told this week that her demand based on humanitarian and compassionate grounds was finally accepted. The three Colombians will be able to stay in Canada. After Minister Sgro announced, on Dec 13th, she would allow 1 family in sanctuary in Montreal (Union United church) and 1 gentleman from Bengladesh in sanctuary in Ottawa (Unitarian church) to stay in Canada, this is the third sanctuary case to be resolved in 2 months.
No doubt that our campaigns helped the Ministers realize that these cases merited the compassion and protection of Canada.

March 2005: The Palestinian family in NDG church is free to go.

The fight continues though. There are still 1 case of sanctuary in Canada and the appeal process is still not in place.

 

WHAT WE ARE ASKING immigration MINISTER SGRO
Put in place the long overdue appeal process and solve the sanctuary cases!

We are deeply concerned that, because of flaws in the refugee determination system, people whose lives and safety are in jeopardy currently face deportation from Canada. In failing to protect some refugees, Canada is not meeting its moral and legal obligations.

Errors in refugee determination are occurring which the system cannot correct because the government has not implemented the appeal on the merits provided by the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. Uncorrected errors can mean that a person is sent back to torture, death or other forms of persecution.

We call on the Canadian government to protect refugees in Canada by ensuring that all claimants have access to a fair hearing before a well-qualified decision-maker, by implementing the appeal on the merits and by offering a meaningful review of the cases of refused claimants currently in Canada whose claims appear to have been wrongly rejected.

Declaration supported by:

United Church of Canada, Unitarian Universalist Church of Canada, Social Ministry of the Archdiocese of Montreal, Canadian Conference of Bishops Episcopal Commission for Social Affairs, Anglican Church of Canada, Canadian Islamic Congress, Centre Justice et Foi, B'Nai Brith Canada, Canadian Council for Refugees, Colombianos Unidos, McGill Refugee Research Project, Ligue des Droits et Libertés, Canadian Labour Congress, Réseau oecuménique justice et paix, Concertation Comprendre et Agir pour une paix juste, Primate's World Relief and Development Fund , and many others...

 

 

 

MOBILIZATION
Sanctuary Week, Oct 17-24

The mobilization is growing! In Montreal, Ottawa and Quebec City, people gathered their energies to make week of Oct. 17 to 24 a successful Sanctuary Week.
See the calendar of activities.

 

CURRENT SITUATION
Who is currently in sanctuary?

Contrary to what the Canadian government would like us to believe, churches do not offer sanctuary to just anybody who requests it and they do not want to spread the movement. Cases are thoroughly evaluated and accepted only if there is a serious threat to the refugee's life or security and there is no other possible solution.

Right now, there is one individual in sanctuary in Canada. Read more.

 

explaining SANCTUARIES
Why do people turn to sanctuary?

The principle of sanctuary dates back to antiquity and is based on the knowledge that houses of worship are sacred places and that violating the sanctity of such a place to enter and remove someone by force is a sacrilege. Read more.