Date: 20061117
Docket: IMM-6465-05
Citation: 2006 FC 1394
Ottawa,
Ontario, the 17th
day of November 2006
Present:
The Honourable Mr. Justice Simon Noël
BETWEEN:
FELICIEN
NGANKOY ISOMI
Applicant
and
THE
MINISTER OF CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION
Respondent
REASONS FOR JUDGMENT AND JUDGMENT
[1]
This is an application for judicial review under subsection 72(1)
of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, S.C. 2001, c. 27 (IRPA)
of a decision of a pre-removal risk assessment (PRRA) officer dated September 20,
2005, rejecting the application for a PRRA by Felicien Ngankoy Isomi
(applicant).
I. Facts
[2]
The
applicant is Congolese. He claimed refugee protection in 1999, shortly after
his arrival in Canada.
[3]
On July 14, 2004, the Refugee Protection
Division (RPD) of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada determined that
the applicant must be excluded from Canada under section 98 of the IRPA
because he is a person described in subparagraphs 1(F)(a) and 1(F)(c) of
the United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees
(Convention), in Schedule 1 of the IRPA, because he had worked as an
officer of the Agence nationale de renseignements (ANR) [national intelligence
agency] in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). At one time, he held the
position of a deputy inspector with the counterintelligence service of the domestic
security branch of the DRC.
[4]
On September 14, 2004, the Federal Court dismissed
the applicant’s application for leave to commence an application for judicial
review of the RPD’s decision, because he had not filed his record.
[5]
On
September 20, 2005, the PRRA officer determined that the applicant had not
shown he would face a danger of torture, a risk to his life or a risk of cruel
and unusual treatment or punishment and therefore could not be recognized as a
person in need of protection within the meaning of section 97 of the IRPA.
This decision is the subject of the present application for judicial review.
II. Issues
(1) Should the
Court accept the applicant’s new evidence, which was not submitted to the PRRA
officer?
(2) What is the
standard of review applicable to decisions of PRRA officers?
(3) Did the
PRRA officer err in endorsing the conclusion reached by the RPD, according to
which the applicant was excluded from Canada pursuant to
subparagraphs 1(F)(a) and 1(F)(c) of the Convention?
(4) Did the
PRRA officer err in concluding that the applicant did not show that he would be
personally subjected to a danger if he were removed to the DRC?
(5) May the
applicant benefit from the stay of removal orders for nationals of the DRC?
(6) Did the
determination of the PRRA officer infringe sections 7 and 12 of the Canadian
Charter of Rights and Freedoms or section 3 of the Convention
Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment?
III. Analysis
(1) Should
the Court accept the applicant’s new evidence, which was not submitted to the
PRRA officer?
[6]
In its
case law, this Court has clearly established that, on judicial review, the
Court may only examine the evidence that was adduced before the initial
decision-maker (Lemiecha (Litigation Guardian) v. Canada (Minister of
Citizenship and Immigration) (1993), 72 F.T.R. 49 at paragraph 4; Wood
v. Canada (A.G.)(2001), 199 F.T.R. 133 at paragraph 34; Han
v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration), 2006 FC 432 at
paragraph 11). In Gallardo
v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration), 2003 FCT 45 at
paragraphs 8 and 9, a case concerning a claim for refugee
protection based on humanitarian and compassionate considerations, Mr. Justice Kelen
wrote:
The
Court cannot consider this information in making its decision. It is trite law
that judicial review of a decision should proceed only on the basis of the
evidence before the decision-maker.
The
Court cannot weigh new evidence and substitute its decision for that of the
immigration officer. The Court does not decide H&C applications. The Court
judicially reviews such decisions to ensure they are made in accordance with
the law.
[7]
In
addition, in Zolotareva v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration), 2003 FC 1274 at paragraph 36,
in deciding an application for judicial review of a decision of a PRRA officer,
Mr. Justice Martineau wrote the following:
It is unfortunate
that the psychologist’s report was not available to the PRRA Officer at the
time of the determination. Considering that the psychologist's opinion was not
presented before the decision maker who refused her application, the applicant
cannot rely on this new evidence. This Court has recognized on numerous
occasions that the judicial review of a decision has to be made in light of the
evidence that was submitted before the decision maker: see Noor
v. Canada (Human Resource Development), [2000] F.C.J. No. 574 at para. 6
(C.A.) (QL); Rodbom
v. Canada (Minister of
Employment and Immigration), [1999] F.C.J. No. 636 (C.A.) (QL); Bara
v. Canada (Minister of
Citizenship and Immigration), [1998] F.C.J. No. 992 at para. 12 (T.D.)
(QL); Khchinat v. Canada (Minister of
Citizenship and Immigration), [1998] F.C.J. No. 954 at para. 18 (T.D.) (QL);
LGS Group Inc. v. Canada (Attorney General), [1995] 3
F.C. 474 at 495 (T.D.); Quintero v. Canada (Minister of
Citizenship and Immigration), (1995) 90 F.T.R. 251 at paras. 30-33; Franz
v. Canada (Minister of
Employment and Immigration), [1994] 80 F.T.R. 79; Asafov v. Canada (Minister of
Employment and Immigration), [1994] F.C.J. No. 713.”
[8]
The
documents in question are the following:
-
The
affidavit of Alfred Lukhanda, a friend of the applicant, dated October 26, 2005;
-
The affidavit
of Jean Baptiste Nosankoy Ikamba, the eldest brother of the applicant, dated
October 25, 2005;
-
A letter
from Gauthier Wembalenga of Toges Noires [an organization of lawyers for
human rights] dated October
24, 2005;
-
A letter
from André Kebaba of the United Nations Mission in the Congo, undated;
-
A letter
from Claudette Cardinal, coordinator at Amnesty International, dated
November 1, 2005.
Would it have been possible to file these documents for the
PRRA application? No explanation was given for the late filing of these
documents. In his PRRA, the applicant merely stated, [translation]
“I
was persecuted and I am wanted by the authorities of the Democratic
Republic of the Congo”. Furthermore, the PRRA officer noted that [translation] “up to now, no other
written submission has been filed in connection with this application”. In
addition to the documents submitted to the RPD, the applicant sought to submit
only two new documents to the PRRA officer: Canadian Council for Refugees, Review
of temporary suspension of removal to Democratic Republic of Congo, March 15, 2004; Amnesty International, Detention without charge/incommunicado detention/Fear
of ill-treatment - Commander Dieudonné Amundala Kabengele, Urgent Action.
London, November 12, 2003.
[9]
In his
brief memorandum, the applicant claimed that under section 24 of the Canadian
Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Part I of the Constitution Act, 1982,
being Schedule B to the Canada Act 1982 (U.K.), 1982, c. 11 (“the
Charter”), he is entitled to effective and efficient recourse, considering that
this is a matter of life and death and that as such new evidence should be
permitted. In reality, the applicant is seeking to have this judicial review
transformed into an appeal.
[10]
I do not
see how the factual situation described by the applicant or the argument
submitted could call into question the case law of this Court. Under section
18.1 of the Federal Courts Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. F-7, an
application for judicial review of a decision is considered on the basis of the
evidence submitted to the decision-maker. Any addition to this evidence would
change the role of the judge hearing such cases. The judge would be able to
make a determination by taking new evidence into consideration, which would effectively
remove the judge from his or her role as a judge hearing an application for
judicial review. Moreover, the applicant has an alternative at his disposition,
namely section 165 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection
Regulations, SOR/2002-227 (Regulations), which allows the filing
of a new PRRA application and the use of “new” evidence in support of this
application. Accordingly, I do not see how the Charter may be of any use, given
the situation in this case.
[11]
Accordingly,
any new evidence in the applicant’s record which was not submitted to the PRRA
officer is withdrawn from this case, more specifically, pages 48, 50, 51,
52 and 53 to 58 of the applicant’s record. Furthermore, the applicant could use
the abovementioned alternative. However, if the applicant decides to make a new
PRRA application, he will have to make submissions in writing to explain why
any new evidence should be accepted.
(2) What is the
standard of review applicable to decisions rendered by PRRA officers?
[12]
In Kandiah
v. Canada (Solicitor General), 2005 FC 1057 at paragraph 6, Madam
Justice Dawson studied the matter of standards of review applicable to
decisions rendered by PRRA officers and concluded as follows:
As to the appropriate standard of review to be applied to a
decision of a PRRA officer, in Kim v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and
Immigration), [2005] F.C.J. No. 540, Mr. Justice Mosley, after conducting a
pragmatic and functional analysis, concluded “the appropriate standard of
review for questions of fact should generally be patent unreasonableness, for
questions of mixed law and fact, reasonableness simpliciter, and for
questions of law, correctness”. Mr. Justice Mosley also endorsed the finding of
Mr. Justice Martineau in Figurado v. Canada(Solicitor
General), [2005] F.C.J. No. 458, that the appropriate standard of review
for the decision of a PRRA officer is reasonableness simpliciter when
the decision is considered “globally and as a whole”. This jurisprudence was
followed by Madam Justice Layden-Stevenson in Nadarajah v. Canada(Solicitor
General), [2005] F.C.J. No. 895 at paragraph 13. For the reasons given by
my colleagues, I accept this to be an accurate statement of the applicable
standard of review.
[13]
In the
case at bar, the applicant alleges that the PRRA officer made two errors. The
first one was that she adopted the same conclusion as the RPD, to the effect
the applicant was a person excluded under section 1(F) of the Convention;
the second error was her determination that the applicant had not shown he faced
a danger of torture or a risk to his life if he were to return to the DRC. In
my opinion, the argument that the PRRA officer erred in adopting the conclusion
of the RPD, to the effect that the applicant was a person excluded under section
1(F) of the Convention, is a question of mixed law and fact, because such a
decision required an analysis of the evidence before the RPD and the RPD’s
conclusions while taking into consideration the statutory provisions on this
point. Accordingly, the standard of review applicable to this decision is that
of reasonableness simpliciter. The second argument, to the effect the
PRRA officer erred in determining that the applicant did not show he faced a
danger of torture or a risk to his life if he returned to the DRC, is also a
question of mixed law and fact, as the officer had to assess the evidence
submitted by the applicant concerning the risk that he faced and the burden of proof
under section 97 of the IRPA. Therefore, the standard of review applicable to
this determination is also that of reasonableness simpliciter.
(3) Did the
PRRA officer err in endorsing the conclusion reached by the RPD, according to
which the applicant was excluded from Canada pursuant
to subparagraphs 1(F)(a) and 1(F)(c) of the Convention?
[14]
PRRA
officers are not bound by the conclusions reached by the RPD. However, when the
evidence before the PRRA officer is essentially the same as that before the
RPD, it is reasonable for the PRRA officer to reach the same conclusions (see Klais
v. Minister of Citizenship and Immigration), 2004 FC 783 at paragraph 11). In addition, PRRA officers
do not sit on appeal or judicial review and therefore may rely on conclusions
reached by the RPD when there is no new evidence (see Jacques v. Canada (Solicitor General),
[2004] F.C. 1481).
[15]
In this
case, the applicant submitted that the RPD was not diligent and prudent in its
analysis of section 1(F) of the Convention, which led it to mistakenly
conclude that the applicant was a person excluded from Canada under section 98 of the IRPA. I
note that the RPD sat on six different occasions and saw and heard the
witnesses, including the applicant, before rendering a very detailed and reasoned
decision.
[16]
That being
said, in her decision, the PRRA officer noted the following:
[translation]
In spite of
the opportunity to give new explanations concerning the contradictions and
inconsistencies raised by the IRB, the applicant did not submit any additional
information in support of this application.
In such a
context, I can only agree with the conclusions of the IRB, which, after having
heard the applicant in six hearings held over a period of approximately one and
one-half years, determined that he had been active in the ANR. However,
the panel did not believe the story according to which he had been reprimanded
and jailed by state authorities for not having supported the positions of the
ANR.
(see Applicant’s Record,
page 15)
Considering that the applicant did not submit any new
evidence to the PRRA officer, it is reasonable for her to have reached the same
conclusion as the RPD.
[17]
In
addition, the decision to adopt the same conclusions as the RPD seems to be
warranted by the fact that the application for leave and for judicial review of
the RPD’s decision was dismissed by this Court, given the failure to file the
record. I concluded in the following excerpt from Jacques v. Canada, supra,
at paragraph 22, that a PRRA decision is not an appeal of a decision of
the IRB:
As the respondent
argues, a PRRA officer does not sit on appeal or in judicial review and is therefore
entitled to trust the IRB’s findings in the absence of new evidence.
[18]
In concluding
on this point, the PRRA officer did not make any error in adopting the
conclusion of the IRB to the effect that the applicant is a person excluded
from Canada under subparagraphs 1(F)(a) and (c) of the Convention.
(4) Did the
PRRA officer err in concluding that the applicant did not show that he would be
personally subjected to danger if he were removed to the DRC?
[19]
It is
acknowledged that a person excluded under section 1(F) of the Convention may,
in the case of a PRRA, have the protection of Canada even if refugee protection has not been
granted (see subsection 112(3) of the IRPA) if he or she meets the
criteria under paragraph 113(d) of the IRPA. Under this paragraph,
for a person to receive protection from Canada, that person must meet the
criteria specified in section 97 of the IRPA and establish that he or she is
not a danger to the Canadian public or to the security of Canada. Section 113
of the IRPA reads as follows:
113. Consideration of an application for
protection shall be as follows:
(a)
an applicant whose claim to refugee protection has been rejected may present
only new evidence that arose after the rejection or was not reasonably
available, or that the applicant could not reasonably have been expected in
the circumstances to have presented, at the time of the rejection;
(b)
a hearing may be held if the Minister, on the basis of prescribed factors, is
of the opinion that a hearing is required;
(c)
in the case of an applicant not described in subsection 112(3), consideration
shall be on the basis of sections 96 to 98;
(d)
in the case of an applicant described in subsection 112(3), consideration
shall be on the basis of the factors set out in section 97 and
(i) in
the case of an applicant for protection who is inadmissible on grounds of
serious criminality, whether they are a danger to the public in Canada, or
(ii) in
the case of any other applicant, whether the application should be refused because
of the nature and severity of acts committed by the applicant or because of
the danger that the applicant constitutes to the security of Canada.
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113. Il est disposé de la demande comme il suit :
a) le demandeur d’asile débouté ne peut présenter que des éléments de
preuve survenus depuis le rejet ou qui n’étaient alors pas normalement
accessibles ou, s’ils l’étaient, qu’il n’était pas raisonnable, dans les
circonstances, de s’attendre à ce qu’il les ait présentés au moment du rejet;
b) une audience peut être tenue si le ministre l’estime requis compte
tenu des facteurs réglementaires;
c) s’agissant du demandeur non visé au paragraphe 112(3), sur la base des
articles 96 à 98;
d) s’agissant du demandeur visé au paragraphe 112(3), sur la base des
éléments mentionnés à l’article 97 et, d’autre part :
(i) soit du fait que le
demandeur interdit de territoire pour grande criminalité constitue un danger
pour le public au Canada,
(ii)
soit, dans le cas de tout autre demandeur, du fait que la demande devrait être
rejetée en raison de la nature et de la gravité de ses actes passés ou du
danger qu’il constitue pour la sécurité du Canada.
|
It is also important to note the wording of section 97:
97. (1) A person in need of protection is a person in Canada whose removal to their country or countries of
nationality or, if they do not have a country of nationality, their country
of former habitual residence, would subject them personally
(a) to a danger,
believed on substantial grounds to exist, of torture within the meaning of
Article 1 of the Convention Against Torture; or
(b) to a risk to
their life or to a risk of cruel and unusual treatment or punishment if
(i) the person is unable
or, because of that risk, unwilling to avail themself of the protection of
that country,
(ii) the risk would be
faced by the person in every part of that country and is not faced generally
by other individuals in or from that country,
(iii) the risk is not
inherent or incidental to lawful sanctions, unless imposed in disregard of
accepted international standards, and
(iv) the risk is not caused
by the inability of that country to provide adequate health or medical care.
(2) A person in Canada who is a member of a class of persons prescribed by the
regulations as being in need of protection is also a person in need of
protection.
|
97. (1) A qualité de personne à protéger la personne qui se trouve au
Canada et serait personnellement, par son renvoi vers tout pays dont elle a
la nationalité ou, si elle n’a pas de nationalité, dans lequel elle avait sa
résidence habituelle, exposée :
a) soit au risque, s’il y a des motifs sérieux de le croire, d’être
soumise à la torture au sens de l’article premier de la Convention contre la
torture;
b) soit à une menace à sa vie ou au risque de traitements ou peines
cruels et inusités dans le cas suivant :
(i) elle ne peut ou, de ce
fait, ne veut se réclamer de la protection de ce pays,
(ii) elle y est exposée en
tout lieu de ce pays alors que d’autres personnes originaires de ce pays ou
qui s’y trouvent ne le sont généralement pas,
(iii) la menace ou le
risque ne résulte pas de sanctions légitimes — sauf celles infligées au
mépris des normes internationales — et inhérents à celles-ci ou occasionnés
par elles,
(iv) la menace ou le risque
ne résulte pas de l’incapacité du pays de fournir des soins médicaux ou de
santé adéquats.
(2) A également qualité de personne à protéger la
personne qui se trouve au Canada et fait partie d’une catégorie de personnes
auxquelles est reconnu par règlement le besoin de protection.
|
[20]
With
regard to section 97 of the IRPA, the case law of this Court has established that
to be acknowledged as a person in need of protection, the person in question
must prove that he or she has valid individualized grounds to fear being
tortured, threatened or mistreated, taking into consideration the objective
situation in the country to which he or she will be removed (Kandiah v.
Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration), 2005 FC 181 at paragraph
18; Bouaouni v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration), 2003 FC
1211 at paragraph 41). In Ahmad v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and
Immigration), 2004 FC 808 at paragraphs 21-22, Mr. Justice Rouleau
explained the applicable test to be recognized as a person in need of
protection under section 97 of the IRPA in the following terms:
21 First of all, I wish
to point out that the relevant test under section 96 is in fact quite distinct
from the test under section 97. A claim based on section 97 requires the Board
to apply a different criterion pertaining to the issue of whether the
applicant's removal may or may not expose him personally to the risks and
dangers referred to in paragraphs 97(1)(a) and (b) of the Act.
However, this criterion must be assessed in light of the personal characteristics
of the applicant. Indeed, as Blanchard J. noted in Bouaouni, supra:
¶ 41 [T]he wording of paragraph 97(1)(a) of the Act... refers to
persons, “...whose removal ... would subject them personally...”. There
may well be instances where a refugee claimant, whose identity is not disputed,
is found to be not credible with respect to his subjective fear of persecution,
but the country conditions are such that the claimant’s particular
circumstances, make him/her a person in need of protection. [Emphasis added]
22 Thus the assessment
of the applicant's fear must be made in concreto, and not from an
abstract and general perspective. The fact that the documentary evidence
illustrates unequivocally the systematic and generalized violation of human
rights in Pakistan is simply not sufficient to establish the specific and individualized
fear of persecution of the applicant in particular. Absent the least proof that
might link the general documentary evidence to the applicant's specific
circumstances, I conclude that the Board did not err in the way it analyzed the
applicant's claim under section 97.
[21]
Furthermore,
in Li v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration) 2005 FCA 1 at
paragraphs 8-13, the Federal Court of Appeal ruled that for protection to
be awarded under section 113 of the IRPA, an applicant must establish on a
balance of probabilities that he or she will be subject to the dangers or risks
mentioned in paragraphs 97(a) and (b) of the IRPA if he or
she were to be removed to the country of destination.
[22]
As far as
the application for a PRRA is concerned, the applicant did not submit any
evidence to the officer showing that he was in danger of being persecuted if he
were to be removed to the DRC. As noted earlier, in his answer to question 51
of the PRRA form, the applicant simply stated, [translation]
“I
was persecuted and wanted by the Democratic Republic of the Congo” (Court
record, volume 2, page 592). In answer to question 37 of his Personal
Information Form, the applicant stated the following in connection with his
fear of persecution:
[translation]
I am afraid
that if I return to my country I will be arrested, detained and condemned to
life in prison or to death for having deserted my duties and having refused to
serve the government in the armed forces because of my political opinions and
my conscientious objection . . . .
I am afraid
of returning to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as I will be arrested
and condemned to life in prison or to death for having deserted the intelligence
service for political reasons and reasons of conscience. I also fear for my
life because I will be automatically associated with the opposition by reason
of my political opinions.
I also fear
being condemned to death for having refused to serve in the armed forces. I am
a conscientious objector and refuse to continue to cooperate with a government
that violates human rights and forces us to kill other Congolese citizens.
(Court record, volume 2, page 645)
Nothing else was
added to the PRRA application in connection with his personalized fear of
persecution in the DRC. The record shows that the evidence submitted only deals
with the general situation in the DRC. Even at paragraph 17 of his memorandum
in support of this application for judicial review, the applicant made only the
following comment:
[translation]
Mr. Ngankoy is
risking everything because he was a member of a security organization and
because he left his position. He will most certainly be seen as an opponent
because of his attitude and his claim for refugee protection in a democratic
country.
(Applicant’s Record, pages
62-63)
[23]
The PRRA
officer took into consideration numerous sources of documentation which
described the general situation in the DRC, including the fact that violations
of human rights, arbitrary arrests, illegal detention with torture and other
cruel and inhuman treatment still take place in the DRC. In her analysis, she
dealt with the applicant’s situation as a former employee of the ANR and of the danger to which he could be
subjected. She concluded that the risk was not significant.
[24]
The PRRA
officer noted the horrible treatment that a former member of the ANR sustained
at the hands of officers of this organization, but she considered this
information generally without linking it to a situation which the applicant might
personally experience if he returned to the DRC. She put the emphasis on what
she considered to be an implausibility in the applicant’s story. His work, as
described before the RPD, was to accompany the person in charge of a UN mission
investigating the human rights situation. This did not match the content of the
report of the organization to the effect that ANR agents obstructed the investigation
rather than facilitating it, as the applicant had explained. Accordingly, she
questioned the applicant’s credibility and minimized his role within the ANR.
[25]
However,
it was proven that at one time the applicant was a deputy inspector in the ANR, and the record shows that persons who
were associated with the ANR may be subjected to physical abuse, inhumane
treatment, persecution or even torture upon their return to the country (see
Court record, volume 2, pages 429, 452, 458, 668-671). According to
the documentation submitted to the PRRA officer, there may be a connection
between the role or the former role played by the applicant as an ANR officer and the imposition of unacceptable
treatment that could be linked to torture or death. This aspect, although
briefly mentioned, should have been more developed, in that it had been proven
that the applicant had been an deputy inspector of the ANR. To reach this
conclusion, I studied the explanations given by counsel for the respondent.
However, these explanations cannot replace what the analysis should have
contained. In any event, this documentation should have been studied by the
officer, even if only to consider the applicant’s former work with the ANR.
[26]
Moreover,
there is documentation explaining that a person forced to return to the DRC may
have his or her documents seized, may be detained and sometimes tortured (see
the document from the Canadian Council for Refugees, Review of temporary
suspension, March 15, 2004, in which reference is made to an article in the
newspaper Le Phare in Kinshasa, Congo, dated February 13, 2004).
Although the PRRA officer was not obliged to comment on all of the
documentation, she had to comment on the document or documents raising circumstances
which may be associated with a PRRA applicant. It seems to me that the article in
Le Phare is the type of information which requires a minimum of comment,
considering the application for a PRRA.
[27]
I would add
that the stay of removal order (moratorium) is another cause for concern, even though
the moratorium does not apply to the applicant (see paragraph 230(3)(e)
of the Regulations). In itself, the moratorium gives rise to a disconcerting
factual situation which must be taken into consideration in studying the PRRA.
The existence of a moratorium for DRC nationals could be useful for the
purposes of the analysis by the PRRA officer. This was not done.
[28]
Taking
into consideration all the reasons resulting from the study of the issue, I
reach the conclusion that the decision of the PRRA officer was unreasonable and
that the analysis must be redone by another member of the PRRA staff, taking
this decision into consideration.
(5) May the
applicant benefit from the stay of removal orders for nationals of the DRC?
[29]
Evidence
has been adduced to the effect that there is a stay of removal orders, in Canada, for citizens of the DRC.
[30]
This being
said, paragraph 230(3)(e) of the Regulations specifically concerns
persons who are excluded under section 1(F) of the Convention and who come
from a country to which the moratorium applies. Section 230 of the Regulations
reads as follows:
230. (1) The Minister may impose a stay on
removal orders with respect to a country or a place if the circumstances in
that country or place pose a generalized risk to the entire civilian
population as a result of
(a) an armed
conflict within the country or place;
(b) an environmental
disaster resulting in a substantial temporary disruption of living
conditions; or
(c) any situation
that is temporary and generalized.
(2) The Minister may cancel the stay
if the circumstances referred to in subsection (1) no longer pose a
generalized risk to the entire civilian population.
(3) The stay does not apply to a
person who
(a) is inadmissible
under subsection 34(1) of the Act on security grounds;
(b) is inadmissible
under subsection 35(1) of the Act on grounds of violating human or
international rights;
(c) is inadmissible
under subsection 36(1) of the Act on grounds of serious criminality or under
subsection 36(2) of the Act on grounds of criminality;
(d) is inadmissible
under subsection 37(1) of the Act on grounds of organized criminality;
(e) is a person
referred to in section F of Article 1 of the Refugee Convention; or
(f) informs the Minister in writing that they consent to their
removal to a country or place to which a stay of removal applies.
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230. (1) Le ministre peut imposer un sursis aux mesures de renvoi vers un
pays ou un lieu donné si la situation dans ce pays ou ce lieu expose
l’ensemble de la population civile à un risque généralisé qui découle :
a) soit de l’existence d’un conflit armé dans le pays ou le lieu;
b) soit d’un désastre environnemental qui entraîne la perturbation
importante et momentanée des conditions de vie;
c) soit d’une circonstance temporaire et généralisée.
(2) Le ministre peut révoquer le sursis
si la situation n’expose plus l’ensemble de la population civile à un risque
généralisé.
(3) Le paragraphe (1) ne s’applique pas
dans les cas suivants :
a) l’intéressé est interdit de territoire pour raison de sécurité au
titre du paragraphe 34(1) de la Loi;
b) il est interdit de territoire pour atteinte aux droits humains ou
internationaux au titre du paragraphe 35(1) de la Loi;
c) il est interdit de territoire pour grande criminalité ou criminalité
au titre des paragraphes 36(1) ou (2) de la Loi;
d) il est interdit de territoire pour criminalité organisée au titre du
paragraphe 37(1) de la Loi;
e) il est visé à la section F de l’article premier de la Convention sur
les réfugiés;
f) il avise par écrit le ministre qu’il accepte d’être renvoyé vers un
pays ou un lieu à l’égard duquel le ministre a imposé un sursis.
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As appears from the Regulations, a person excluded from Canada under section 1(F) of
the Convention cannot have the benefit of a stay of removal orders.
Accordingly, the applicant cannot take advantage of the moratorium in force, in
Canada, for nationals of the DRC.
[31]
Having
said this, and as mentioned previously, I would add that in the case of a
moratorium, as a minimum, the PRRA officer must refer to the stay of removal orders
in force by commenting on it and by distinguishing the specific facts of the
case being studied. If there are facts related to torture or persecution, they
must be considered in the analysis. The objective of such an analysis is not to
circumvent the Regulations, but rather to ensure there is no risk of torture or
persecution to the person in question stemming from the grounds on which the
moratorium is based.
(6) Did the
determination of the PRRA officer infringe sections 7 and 12 of the Canadian
Charter of Rights and Freedoms or section 3 of the United Nations
Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading
Treatment or Punishment?
[32]
It has
been clearly determined by case law that the removal of a person from Canada is
not contrary to the principles of fundamental justice and that the enforcement
of a removal order is not contrary to sections 7 and 12 of the Charter (Canada
(Minister of Employment and Immigration) v. Chiarelli, [1992] 1 S.C.R. 711,
pages 733-735; see also Medovarski v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and
Immigration), [2005] 2 S.C.R. 539 at paragraph 46).
[33]
With
regard to the applicant’s argument that the PRRA officer infringed section 3
of the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or
Degrading Treatment or Punishment (Convention Against Torture),
section 97 of the IRPA, which is the basis of the analysis made by the
PRRA officer under paragraph 113(d), incorporates the principles
stated in section 3 of this Convention. Section 97 specifically prevents
the removal of a person to a country where he or she risks being mistreated,
tortured or killed, which is precisely the type of protection required under
section 3 of the Convention Against Torture (see Li, supra,
at paragraph 33).
[34]
On this
point, the applicant’s arguments to the effect that the decision of the PRRA
officer infringed the Charter or Canada’s
international obligations, as a signatory of the Convention Against Torture,
are unfounded.
IV. Certified Question
[35]
Counsel
for the applicant submitted two (2) questions for certification, which were not
explained in detail, in his memorandum or subsequently:
1) Does section 24 of the Canadian
Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which guarantees access to legal remedies
and which ensures that there will be no removal to probable torture or death,
authorize in cases of judicial review by the Federal Court, reference to new
evidence or to the most up to date information, following the Supreme Court of
Canada’s judgment in Suresh? Is new evidence which was not submitted to
the decision-maker admissible in the analysis under section 24?
2) Does section 3 of the
Convention Against Torture apply before the Immigration and Refugee Protection
Board and in the PRRA procedure pursuant to the Canadian Charter of Rights
and Freedoms? Is it compulsory to take this into consideration in the
determination of the PRRA?
[36]
The
respondent opposes the application for certification of these questions because
they do not transcend the interests of the immediate parties to the
litigation and contemplate issues of broad significance or general application.
[37]
As far as
question 1 is concerned, recourse to Charter principles does not give rise to
an automatic right to certification, especially when it is crystal clear in law
that an application for judicial review is not an appeal and that such an
application is studied taking into consideration the evidence submitted to the
initial decision-maker. Furthermore, in this case, the applicant did not even deign
to submit any evidence to explain why the new evidence was not submitted to the
PRRA officer. If he actually does have any explanations to give, the applicant can
still try to submit a new application for a PRRA under section 165 of the
Regulations.
[38]
There are
procedures to be followed when making a PRRA, and the applicant did not abide
by them. He cannot invoke section 24 of the Charter to compensate for his
non-compliance with these procedures to support such an argument. This question
will not be certified, as it does not raise an important question of law,
considering the facts and the proceedings on record; it does not transcend the
interests of the immediate parties to the litigation and contemplate issues of
broad significance or general application (see MCI v. Liyanagamage (1994) 176 N.R. 4 (F.C.A.)).
[39]
As far as
the second question is concerned, it has already been dealt with by the case
law of this Court (see Liyanagamage, supra). The principles of
section 3 of the Convention Against Torture are incorporated into section
97 of the IRPA. The question as stated does not warrant certification.
JUDGMENT
THE COURT ORDERS THAT:
-
The
application for judicial review is allowed in part, and the file must be
returned to another PRRA officer so a new analysis may be conducted, taking
into consideration this decision;
- No question will be
certified.
“Simon
Noël”
Certified true
translation
Michael Palles
FEDERAL COURT
SOLICTORS OF RECORD
DOCKET: IMM-6465-05
STYLE OF CAUSE: FELICIEN
NGANKOY ISOMI v THE MINISTER OF CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION
PLACE OF
HEARING: Montréal
DATE OF
HEARING: October 26, 2006
REASONS FOR
ORDER BY: The Honourable Mr. Justice Simon
Noël
DATED: November
17, 2006
APPEARANCES:
Stewart
Istvanffy
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FOR THE APPLICANT
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Diane Lemery
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FOR THE RESPONDENT
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SOLICITORS
OF RECORD:
Istvanffy,
Vallières & Associés - Montréal
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FOR THE APPLICANT
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John H. Sims,
Q.C.
Deputy
Attorney General of Canada
Federal
Department of Justice - Montréal
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FOR THE RESPONDENT
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