The law boosts the number of points awarded those immigration claimants who have a second diploma and a certificate of competence, and raises from 44 to 49 the upper age limit for qualifying for maximum points. The total points required on various criteria drop from 80 to 75, a figure that will be lowered again to 70 at the end of March 2003. While supporting the thrust of the measures, Nancy Anthony, the chair of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, described them as "insufficient for sectors of the Canadian economy to expand and follow the rhythm at the international level."

At the same time the law takes away the right of welfare recipients, whether immigrants or Canadian-born citizens, to sponsor their spouses or children, blocking the reunification of their families. It also introduces a new "Maple Leaf" permanent residency card, which will allegedly be harder to falsify. The federal immigration minister, Denis Coderre, has announced that he will push for the inclusion of biometric identification devices on the card.

The bill reduces from two to one the number of commissioners who will determine at a hearing whether or not a refugee claim is "receivable," making the process more arbitrary. It also puts in place a new appeals tribunal to review the cases of refugees who have been turned down. This tribunal will not start to function until next year, however, meaning that the record 44,000 new refugees denied legal status last year cannot appeal these decisions. Coderre justified this move as a way to cut down on the volume of refugee claims and reduce delays in processing applications.

One of the main changes that will affect many refugee claimants is a new ban on their submitting claims as they enter Canada from the United States, forcing them to do it at a Canadian consulate or embassy there. In the weeks leading up to implementation of the new law, hundreds of refugees rushed to the U.S.-Canadian border trying to enter Canada under the previous rule.

Any refugee claimant coming into Canada without identification papers can be subject to detention.  
 
Moves to deport Algerian refugees
Meanwhile, hundreds of Algerian refugees continue their struggle against the April 5 federal government decision to lift the moratorium on deportations. This moratorium, which had been in effect since 1997, allowed Algerians who were not recognized as refugees by the Canadian government to stay in the country because of the civil war raging in Algeria.

Although they have identification papers and are not considered illegal by the government, these individuals do not have legal status. Unlike officially recognized refugees, they have no right to a medical insurance card, and must pay a $150 fee for the yearly renewal of their work permits. They also have no right to study if they have a work permit, and have no access to grants or loans for studies. Their children don’t have the right to family allocations even if they were born in Canada.

The moratorium was lifted while Canadian prime minister Jean Chrétien was on a business trip to Algeria, seeking to increase Canadian trade with and investments in the north African country. Around 1,000 refugees are affected by this decision, the overwhelmingly majority of whom reside in Montreal. Coderre said that he is considering lifting similar moratoriums on Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda.

On June 24 several Algerian refugees participated in the celebrations of Quebec’s national holiday in Montreal, distributing hundreds of flyers with information about their fight. They are demanding that the moratorium be reinstated, that the situation of all the refugees without status be regularized, and that none of them be deported.

The Action Committee of Those Without Status is planning a march on July 26 at the offices of the Ministry of Immigration, 1010 St-Antoine in downtown Montreal. The march will proceed to the Guy-Favreau Complex, the main federal government building in Montreal, after going to Concordia University to pick up another contingent of supporters. The committee has been organizing vigils every Monday at 4:00 p.m. in front of the immigration offices. For more information, call (514) 848-7585.

Sébastien Desautels is a garment worker and a Teamsters union member. Michel Prairie contributed to this article.  
 
 
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