RHYME & REASON

When the Supreme Court of Canada speaks, everybody listens.   Or so we hope. On February 23, 2007, the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) rendered its decision in the case of Charkaoui v . Canada where it questioned the procedure behind the issuance of security certificates and the subsequent detention review proceedings.   As expected, this ruling caused political ripples and reignited some of the issues long raised by immigrant and refugee rights advocates in the country.    Among others, the SCC ruled that the closed-door and highly confidential hearings (so confidential even the accused is not apprised of the case against him!) violate Section 7 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms for failing to provide the most basic elements of the right to a fair hearing namely, the right to know the basis of the accusations and the opportunity to provide a meaningful answer or defence.    The SCC also took notice of the differential treatment between permanent residents and foreign nat

Much has been said and written about highly-educated immigrants driving taxis.  To some, it seems like an overused metaphor, but to many others, it is a stark reality.   Apologies for the oft-heard line, but it seems only right to keep saying it until the officials concerned finally take heed:   foreign-trained professionals are having an extremely difficult time getting their foreign credentials recognized.   The very same education and work experience for which they were admitted to Canada are ironically being disregarded within the Canadian labour market.   How fair is that? Mr. and Mrs. Premakumaran, a Sri Lankan couple based in Edmonton and who migrated from England (where they lived for 20 years) nine years ago, have tried their utmost best to seek justice for what they claimed to be a fraud committed against them by the Canadian government.   They fiercely argued (without any legal representation) that the Canadian government failed to disclose the fact that their occu