Canada and the Refugee Question in International Law

Abstract

“A victim of man’s inhumanity to man, the refugee has been with us since the beginning of history.” History records the expulsion of the Moors and Jews from Spain, the scattering of the Huguenots to all corners of Europe, the departure of the émigrés during the French Revolution, the migration of the United Empire Loyalists, and the lengthy exodus of minority groups and sects from Europe to settle in North America. It was not until the twentieth century with its cataclysmic wars and revolutions, however, that the problem reached epic proportions and the international community became sufficiently organized to make serious efforts to manage the refugee movement on a global scale.