Abstract
This study assesses the current Canadian refugee determination process and Canadian refugee policy by comparing it with the narrative experience of Haitian refugee claimants in Toronto, Canada. The analysis was guided by a critical anti-racist framework and forced migration theory. Qualitative research was conducted by interviewing five Haitian refugee claimants and a Haitian community leader, all living in Toronto. The research found that Haitian refugee claimants face a multitude of barriers when navigating through the refugee determination process. A socio-political history of Haiti is provided to contextualize the motivations and factors which have induced Haitian migration. This study is the first of its kind with regard to research focused specifically on the experience of Haitian refugee claimants in Canada and in particular Toronto. It contributes to the very limited existing research on Haitian refugees in Canada.
Highlights
In spite of the desperate conditions that resulted in the forced migration of thousands of Haitians, most of the "boat people" who arrived on American shores were defined as economic migrants and not as political refugees by the U.S Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) (Kretsedemas, 2003)
Providing further insight into Canadian refugee policy, the refugee lawyer consulted for this study suggested that “it has become far more difficult for Haitians to leave the country with visas as the USA and Canada are keenly aware of the deplorable conditions in Haiti and are strictly limiting issuance of visas” (RB, personal communication, March 9, 2012)
This study found that Haitian refugee claimants believe that Canada represents a clear pathway to citizenship, but they are often disappointed by the process and eventual results
Summary
In 2007, as a volunteer in the advocacy office of the Daily Bread Food Bank in Toronto, I started to observe, along with the director of the program, a higher than normal number of Haitian refugees accessing the resources of the advocacy center as well as the food bank. A young man in his early 20s, made me question the efficacy of the Canadian refugee determination process This young man came into the advocacy office asking for assistance to find some money for an airplane ticket in order to return to Haiti (where he knew he would face political persecution and violence) because he was so frustrated with the Canadian system. He had made his way from the United States, and had spent several years navigating through the Canadian refugee determination process to no avail. Chapter Seven is comprised of a discussion of the findings and a summary of the study discussing its limitations and suggestions for future research
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