Prime Minister’s Office ordered halt to refugee processing
The Prime Minister’s Office directed Canadian immigration officials to stop processing one of the most vulnerable classes of Syrian refugees this spring and declared that all UN-referred refugees would require approval from the Prime Minister, a decision that halted a critical aspect of Canada’s response to a global crisis.
The Globe and Mail has learned that the Prime Minister intervened in a file normally handled by the Citizenship and Immigration department in the months before dramatic images of a dead toddler brought the refugee crisis to the fore. The processing stop, which was not disclosed to the public, was in place for at least several weeks. It is unclear when it was lifted. At the same time, an audit was ordered of all Syrian refugees referred by the United Nations in 2014 and 2015.
The Prime Minister’s Office asked Citizenship and Immigration for the files of some Syrian refugees so they could be vetted by the PMO – potentially placing political staff with little training in refugee matters in the middle of an already complex process.
PMO staff could have also had access to files that are considered protected, because they contain personal information, including a refugee’s health history and narrative of escape, raising questions about the privacy and security of that information and the basis on which it was being reviewed.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/prime-ministers-office-ordered-halt-to-refugee-processing/article26713562/
Stephen Harper denies report his office vetted refugee applications
OTTAWA—Conservative Leader Stephen Harper says his government ordered an audit of Syrian refugees admitted to Canada to ensure security concerns were being addressed but has denied a report that his political staff were involved in vetting and approving applications.
The plight of Syrian refugees — and Canada’s response to the crisis — blew up on the campaign trail Thursday with a report that Conservatives delayed the intake of vulnerable refugees from war-torn Syria in the spring as the prime minister’s office got directly involved in processing immigration files.
CTV News, quoting Citizenship and Immigration insiders, reported Thursday night that the PMO went through Syrian refugee applications to ensure that religious minorities such as Christians were being accepted over applications from Shia and Sunni Muslims.
The Conservatives told CTV that potential security threats prompted the delay of applications. But Citizenship and Immigration sources told the network that politics were also an influencing factor.
http://www.thestar.com/news/federal-election/2015/10/08/prime-ministers-office-delayed-intake-of-syrian-refugees-report-says.html
Stephen Harper denies PMO staff vetted Syrian refugee files
U.S. intelligence reports suggested refugees could pose a threat
The Canadian Press reported Wednesday that what the Prime Minister's Office ordered in June was a security review, as a result of intelligence reports in the U.S. suggesting refugees could pose a threat to that country.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-election-2015-refugee-processing-pmo-1.3262423
Another fine mess.