TORONTO – More than 150 lawyers and academics gathered in Toronto and online, via various satellite transmissions across Canada, on Friday, September 9, for the launch of CARLIA. Drawing on the vast expertise of its members, the new association aims to be an informed national voice on issues relating to refugee law and human rights. In particular, it will be used to promote fair and equitable practices towards refugees across Canada.

Lorne Waldman, a prominent Toronto lawyer, immigration lawyer and newly elected president of CARL, said the new grouping wants to act as a real counterweight to the recent treatment of asylum seekers as well as current politics. tending to limit the rights of refugees in Canada.

The treatment of asylum seekers in detention on the West Coast and the arbitrary detention proposed by recent legislation (Bill C-4) has been a ‘call to arms’ for all concerned with the basic principles of justice. “, did he declare. “Today more than ever, lawyers and academics across Canada must coordinate their efforts to protect human rights, preserve the Charter and defend asylum seekers.

The CARL association promises to intervene, organize and disseminate legal research related to the question of asylum applications, in a wide range including:

• Interventions before the courts on matters of national interest relating to refugee law;
• Submissions to parliamentary committees regarding government policy and legislation;
• Public and educational communications on major refugee law issues;
• Provide legal support to refugee councils across Canada;
• Promoting socio-legal scholarship on refugee law as well as other legal areas impacting the human rights of migrants.

Mitchell Goldberg, a Montreal immigration lawyer, elected vice-president of the association, underlined the determination of CARL to speak out against injustice whenever fundamental human rights are threatened.

ACAADR has no intention of silencing as the government imposes punitive measures on refugees. This is a slippery slope that violates the rule of law as well as Canada’s humanitarian tradition, he said.

Me Goldberg added that the association ACAADR does not intend to replace other important and respected organizations, such as the Canadian Council for Refugees (CCR) or the Canadian Bar Association (CBA), but seeks to provide a fastidious and immediate response in legal spaces and public forums.