OTTAWA - Refugee claimants from another five countries will find it more difficult to find haven in Canada after the federal government extended its list of so-called safe countries.
Andorra, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Romania and San Marino are now considered designated countries of origin, bringing the total number of safe countries on the list to 42.
The designation means the Canadian government considers a country respectful of human rights, able to offer state protection and not normally a source of refugees.
People who do make refugee claims from those designated safe countries are processed more quickly and lose certain avenues of appeal available to other refugee claimants.
The government created the designated country of origin list in 2012 in order to deal with what it said was an influx of questionable refugee claims from safe countries.
But critics have said the list is unfairly prejudicial, noting that many democratic states also have known problems protecting the rights of some minorities.
Premier reverses position on justice branding
Fri, 10 Oct 2014 20:34:25 GMT
ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Paul Davis has reversed a decision to rebrand the province's Justice Department and is restoring its old name.
In a statement released late Friday, Davis says the Department of Public Safety is being renamed the Department of Justice and Public Safety.
The premier had renamed the department two weeks ago, with his minister of public safety saying that a spate of violent crime had inspired the change.
But Davis says he decided to reverse the decision after hearing concerns that the new name may cause confusion.
Some lawyers were more blunt in their assessment of the earlier decision, with one calling the change nonsense and fear-mongering.
Davis, a former police officer, had made crime a central message in his push for the Progressive Conservative leadership.
