Why sanctuary is necessary

posted on August 10, 2004 | in Category Canada's Immigration Policy | PermaLink

Original author: Mitchell Goldberg, freelancer Source: The Montreal Gazette URL: [link] (subscription required) Date: August 10, 2004 Ottawa broke promise on appeals. Churches step in to correct injustice because refugee system is arbitrary

Judy Sgro, minister of Citizenship and Immigration, was right about one thing in her recent call to churches to stop offering sanctuary: Refugees shouldn't be in sanctuary. She was wrong, however, in her diagnosis of the problem, which lies not with the churches that offer sanctuary, but with the flawed refugee-determination system that fails to protect some refugees. When refugees' lives are at risk because the government is not protecting them, some people of conscience feel a moral obligation to fill the gap by providing sanctuary.

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