Abbreviation CCR Location Montreal President Loly Rico | Type NGO Region served Canada | |
Purpose To influence the Government of Canada's public policy regarding refugee settlement and determination | ||
The Canadian Council for Refugees (abbreviated CCR, formerly known as the Standing Conference of Canadian Organizations Concerned about/for/with Refugees) is a non-governmental organization that critiques the Government of Canada's public policy regarding refugee settlement and determination, and provides consultation to Canadian immigration authorities. The organization is based in Montreal. According to the CCR, refugee services should focus on mental health.
History
In 1986, when the organization was still known as the Standing Conference of Canadian Organizations Concerned for Refugees, it was composed of approximately 100 refugee advocacy groups.
Before the September 11 attacks in 2001, the CCR issued a statement that there was a disproportionate amount of immigration security provisions applied to particular refugee communities, including Kurdish people, Sri Lankan Tamil people, Palestinian people, people from Algeria, Sikhs, and people associated with the People's Mujahedin of Iran.
The CCR said that refugees became far less likely to show up for their asylum hearings starting in January 2003 when Canadian officials stopped asking the Immigration and Naturalization Service of the United States to guarantee that these refugees would not be arrested.
Towards the end of 2005, the CCR became part of a coalition with Amnesty International and the Canadian Council of Churches to question the constitutionality of the Canada–United States Safe Third Country Agreement. According to the CCR, the agreement would result in increased illegal immigration and people smuggling.