reference to Canada's numerous international obligations under human rights treaties, including the 1951
Convention relating to the Status of Refugees.
5.3
Counsel also provided an affidavit by the author's niece, who was in India when the author arrived from
Canada. She states that upon his arrival, the author was subjected to interrogation for about six hours and that
he was verbally threatened by officers from the Central Bureau of Investigation. She expressed concern that
he would eventually be subjected to torture or extrajudicial execution. Further information submitted to the
Committee by the niece indicates that the intimidation of the author and his family by the police has continued
and that the author has informed the Human Rights Commission of Punjab about it.
5.4
With respect to the admissibility of the communication, counsel argues, in a submission of 11 June
1998, that at the time the decision of the adjudicator was rendered, it was not absolutely necessary for the
author to seek leave for judicial review in order for him to be able to proceed with a refugee claim. The cost
of the legal proceedings was only one factor which guided the author's decision not to seek review. His main
interest was to avoid any further delays in proceeding with his refugee claim. He had been in Canada for
almost two years and was anxious to present his refugee claim to the Canadian authorities. He did not wish
to delay this process by launching another judicial review. Secondly, there was little likelihood of success at
any judicial review.
5.5
The State party stated that if it had determined that the petitioner did not fall within an inadmissible
category, there would be no basis for excluding him from the refugee determination process and he would not
have been removed pending consideration of his refugee claim. This statement is extremely misleading. In
fact, the finding of the adjudicator resulted in the issuance of a conditional deportation order. This result does
not necessarily mean that an individual will not be afforded the opportunity to proceed with his refugee claim;
it provides that the deportation is conditional upon the outcome of the refugee claim.
5.6
Although it is acknowledged that the adjudicator's finding does provide the immigration authorities with
an avenue to seek the Minister's opinion with respect to whether the refugee process should remain open to
such a person, there is no guarantee that such an avenue will be pursued. There was no obligation on the part
of the Canadian immigration authorities, or even the Minister, to prevent the author from proceeding with his
refugee claim. The author's access to the refugee process was halted for political, not judicial or quasi-judicial,
reasons. His refugee claim could have proceeded in spite of the adjudicator's finding.
5.7
The State party seems to be arguing that due diligence requires that a person ought to protect himself
from every eventuality that might occur. Counsel argues that this is not the standard required by article 22,
paragraph 5, of the Convention. A person who is anxious to proceed with telling his life story to the authorities
in order to secure their protection should not be blamed for not wishing to extend his agony by undertaking yet
another judicial review when the refugee process remains open to him.
5.8
Regarding the author's failure to perfect an application for leave for judicial review of the Minister's
opinion, counsel contends that the deadline would have been near the end of January 1998. However, the
author was removed on 23 December 1997. This damage could not be undone regardless of the outcome of
any judicial review application. The author had every intention of proceeding with an application for judicial
review of the Minister's decision, and counsel appeared in Federal Court on 20 December 1997 to seek a stay
of the removal pending the outcome of this application. Unfortunately, the Federal Court chose to render a
decision on what counsel views as the merits of the author's claim to refugee status. The result was that the
author was deported three days later. The State party has failed to mention what procedure would be used to
bring the author safely back to Canada had the Minister been compelled by the Court to render another
decision.
99
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