Docket:
IMM-1715-11
Citation:
2012 FC 362
Ottawa, Ontario, March
27, 2012
PRESENT: The Honourable Mr. Justice Russell
BETWEEN:
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PANCHALINGAM NAGALINGAM
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Applicant
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and
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THE MINISTER OF PUBLIC SAFETY
AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
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Respondent
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REASONS FOR
JUDGMENT AND JUDGMENT
[1]
This
is an application for judicial review pursuant to subsection 72(1) of the Immigration
and Refugee Protection Act, S.C. 2001, c. 27 (IRPA). The Applicant seeks an
order declaring a deportation order (2003 Order) issued by the Immigration
Division of the Immigration and Refugee Board (ID) and dated 28 May 2003 null
and void. The Applicant also seeks a writ of prohibition preventing the
Respondent from removing him from Canada.
BACKGROUND
[2]
The
Applicant is a citizen of Sri Lanka currently living in Canada under house arrest. He first entered Canada on 31 August 1994. At that time, he claimed
refugee status under the former Immigration Act. The Convention Refugee
Determination Division (CRDD) recognized the Applicant as a Convention refugee
without a hearing on 2 March 1995. The Applicant became a permanent resident of
Canada on 13 March 1997.
[3]
Between
1999 and 2001, the Applicant accumulated four criminal convictions in Canada. On 24 August 2001, the Respondent issued a report which alleged the Applicant was
inadmissible for involvement in organized criminality, based on his membership
in AK Kannan – a gang active in Toronto. The Applicant was arrested and detained
on 18 October 2011 on the basis that he was a danger to the public and would
not attend his admissibility hearing. The ID found on 28 May 2003 that the
Applicant was inadmissible to Canada under paragraph 37(1)(a) of the Act
because he was involved in organized criminal activity. On that date, the ID
also issued the 2003 Order against him.
[4]
After
the 2003 Order was issued, the Applicant applied to this Court on 11 June 2003 for
leave and judicial review of the ID’s admissibility decision. Justice Elizabeth
Heneghan dismissed the application for judicial review on 12 October 2004 (see Nagalingam
v Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration) 2004 FC 1397).
[5]
In
order to return the Applicant to Sri Lanka as a Convention refugee, the Minister
of Citizenship and Immigration or his delegate had to issue a danger opinion
against him under paragraph 115(2)(b) of the Act. The Minister of
Citizenship and Immigration first issued a danger opinion on 4 October 2005
(2005 Danger Opinion). The Applicant applied for judicial review of that danger
opinion on 25 October 2005. After in the Respondent initiated removal
proceedings in 2005, the Applicant made a motion for a stay of removal. This
motion was denied by Justice Eleanor Dawson on 2 December 2005.
[6]
The
Applicant then asked the Ontario Court for an injunction to stop his
deportation. During that proceeding, the Respondent undertook to return the
Applicant to Canada if his application for judicial review of the danger
opinion was successful. Justice Wilson of the Ontario Court of Justice
dismissed the application for an injunction on 5 December 2005. The Canada
Border Services Agency (CBSA) removed the Applicant from Canada on 7 December 2005.
[7]
In
his judgment, dated 28 February 2007, Justice Michael Kelen dismissed the
application for judicial review of the 2005 Danger Opinion (Nagalingam v Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration), 2007 FC 229). However, he also
certified two questions. The Applicant pursued an appeal to the Federal Court
of Appeal. On 24 April 2008, the Federal Court of Appeal quashed the 2005 Danger
Opinion and remitted the matter to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration
for reconsideration (Nagalingam v Canada (Minister of Citizenship and
Immigration) 2008 FCJ 153).
[8]
Pursuant
to his undertaking before the Ontario Court of Justice in 2005, the Respondent eventually
issued the Applicant a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) in February 2009. On 24
February 2009, the Applicant returned to Canada. The CBSA detained him on his
arrival in Canada and placed him in immigration detention. He remained in
immigration detention until April 2009 when he was released to house arrest.
[9]
The
Minister of Citizenship and Immigration issued a new danger opinion under
paragraph 115(2)(b) of the Act on 23 February 2011 (2011 Danger Opinion).
That opinion was subject to an application for judicial review currently before
this Court (IMM-1711-11, which I granted on 8 February 2012.
[10]
On
10 March 2011 a CBSA officer personally served the Applicant with a Notice of
Removal Arrangements (NORA) and told him he would be removed on the basis of
the 2003 Order. The NORA informed the Applicant that he was scheduled for
removal between 23 and 26 March 2011. On 15 March 2011 made the within
application for leave and judicial review. The Applicant also applied for a
stay of removal on 16 March 2011.
[11]
The
Respondent informed the Applicant on 17 March 2011 that his removal had been
administratively deferred. On the strength of that information, the Applicant
asked this court to adjourn his motion for stay of removal sine die. The
Court granted that adjournment.
[12]
On
9 September 2011, a CBSA officer served the Applicant with a report under subsection
44(1) of the Act, which said that the officer was of the opinion that he was
inadmissible under paragraph 36(2)(a) of the Act. This opinion was based
on the Applicant’s convictions in 2000 and 2001. When he went to the Greater
Toronto Enforcement Center (GTEC) for an interview on 16 September 2011,
the CBSA served the Applicant with a deportation order (2011 Order). On 17 September
2011, the Applicant was given another NORA. That notice informed him that he
was scheduled for removal on 29 or 30 September 2011. The Applicant has applied
for leave and judicial review of the inadmissibility report (IMM-6450-11),
which has not yet been granted or denied. He also applied for leave and judicial
review of the 2011 Order, but discontinued that application on 7 December 2011 (IMM-6451-11).
[13]
The
Applicant asked this Court, on 21 September 2011, that his 16 March 2011 motion
for stay of removal be set down for a hearing on 26 September 2011. On 26
September 2011, I stayed the Applicant’s removal pending the outcome of his applications
for judicial review of the 2003 Order and the 2011 Danger Opinion.
ISSUES
[14]
The
Applicant raises the following issues in this proceeding:
a.
Whether
the 2003 Order continues to empower the Respondent to remove him from Canada;
b.
Whether
prohibition is an appropriate remedy.
STANDARD
OF REVIEW
[15]
The
Supreme Court of Canada in Dunsmuir v New Brunswick, 2008 SCC 9,
[2008] SCJ 9, held that a standard of review analysis need not be conducted in
every instance. Instead, where the standard of review applicable to a
particular question before the court is well-settled by past jurisprudence, the
reviewing court may adopt that standard of review. Only where this search
proves fruitless must the reviewing court undertake a consideration of the four
factors comprising the standard of review analysis.
[16]
Also
in Dunsmuir (above), the Supreme Court of Canada held at paragraph 59 that
true questions of vires are subject to the correctness standard. The
Supreme Court of Canada has recently affirmed this holding in Smith v Alliance Pipeline 2011 SCC 7 at paragraph 26 and Alberta (Information and
Privacy Commissioner) v Alberta Teachers’ Association 2011 SCC 61 at
paragraph 30. The Court in this case is called on to determine if the Minister
has the authority to remove the Applicant from Canada. This is a true question
of vires, so the correctness standard applies.
[17]
At
paragraph 50 in Dunsmuir, the Supreme Court of Canada held that
When applying the correctness standard, a
reviewing court will not show deference to the decision maker’s reasoning
process; it will rather undertake its own analysis of the question. The
analysis will bring the court to decide whether it agrees with the
determination of the decision maker; if not, the court will substitute its own
view and provide the correct answer. From the outset, the court must ask
whether the tribunal’s decision was correct.
[18]
This
Court’s jurisdiction to grant a writ of prohibition is found at paragraph
18(1)(a) of the Federal Courts Act RSC 1985 c F-7. In Canadian
Red Cross Society v Canada (Commission of Inquiry on the Blood System in Canada – Krever Commission), [1997] FCJ No 17, the Federal Court of Appeal held
at paragraph 25 that:
One of the objectives of judicial review of the decisions of
administrative bodies is to prevent those bodies from doing acts that they do
not have the power to do, and one method of doing this that is recognized in
the Federal Court Act is to obtain a writ of prohibition (see paragraphs
18(1)(a) and 18.2(3)(b) of the Act).
[19]
Further,
it is well established that prerogative writes like prohibition are
discretionary. See Canada (Citizenship and Immigration) v Khosa 2009
SCC 12 at paragraph 40 and Alberta (Information and Privacy
Commissioner), above, at paragraph 22. If I conclude that the Respondent
does not have the jurisdiction to remove the Applicant under the 2003 Order,
then prohibition is an appropriate, but discretionary remedy.
STATUTORY
PROVISIONS
[20]
The
following provisions of the IRPA are applicable in these proceedings:
36. (2) A foreign national is inadmissible on grounds of
criminality for
(a) having been convicted in Canada of an offence under an Act of Parliament punishable
by way of indictment, or of two offences under any Act of
Parliament not arising out of a single occurrence;
37. (1) A permanent resident or a foreign national is
inadmissible on grounds of organized criminality for
(a) being a member of an organization that is
believed on reasonable grounds to be or to have been engaged in activity that
is part of a pattern of criminal activity planned and organized by a number
of persons acting in concert in furtherance of the commission of an offence
punishable under an Act of Parliament by way of indictment, or in furtherance
of the commission of an offence outside Canada that, if committed in Canada,
would constitute such an offence, or engaging in activity
that is part of such a pattern;
…
45. The Immigration Division, at the conclusion of an
admissibility hearing, shall make one of the following decisions:
…
(d) make the applicable removal order against a
foreign national who has not been authorized to enter Canada, if it is not satisfied
that the foreign national is not inadmissible, or against
a foreign national who has been authorized to enter Canada or a permanent resident, if it is satisfied that the foreign national or the permanent
resident is inadmissible.
…
48. (1) A removal order is enforceable if it has come into
force and is not stayed.
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36. (2)
Emportent, sauf pour le résident permanent, interdiction de territoire pour
criminalité les faits suivants :
a)
être déclaré coupable au Canada d’une infraction à une loi fédérale
punissable par mise en accusation ou de deux infractions à toute loi fédérale
qui ne découlent pas des mêmes faits;
37. (1)
Emportent interdiction de territoire pour criminalité organisée les faits
suivants:
a)
être membre d’une organisation dont il y a des motifs raisonnables de croire
qu’elle se livre ou s’est livrée à des activités faisant partie d’un plan
d’activités criminelles organisées par plusieurs personnes agissant de concert
en vue de la perpétration d’une infraction à une loi fédérale punissable par
mise en accusation ou de la perpétration, hors du Canada, d’une infraction
qui, commise au Canada, constituerait une telle infraction, ou se livrer à
des activités faisant partie d’un tel plan;
…
45. Après
avoir procédé à une enquête, la Section de l’immigration rend telle des
décisions suivantes:
…
d)
prendre la mesure de renvoi applicable contre l’étranger non autorisé à
entrer au Canada et dont il n’est pas prouvé qu’il n’est pas interdit de
territoire, ou contre l’étranger autorisé à y entrer ou le résident permanent
sur preuve qu’il est interdit de territoire.
…
48. (1) La mesure de renvoi est exécutoire depuis sa prise
d’effet dès lors qu’elle ne fait pas l’objet d’un sursis.
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ARGUMENTS
The Applicant
[21]
The
Applicant concedes that the 2003 Order was valid when it was issued. However, he
argues that the Respondent does not have the jurisdiction to remove him from Canada under that order because its legal force was spent when the CBSA removed him on 7
December 2005.
The
2003 Order is Spent
[22]
The
Applicant says that, when the CBSA enforced the 2003 Order, its entire legal
force was exhausted. That order gave a single direction to the CBSA to remove
the Applicant, which was done, so its mandate has been fulfilled. To deport him
again, the Respondent must obtain another deportation order from the ID.
[23]
The
Applicant also says that this interpretation ensures that there is no
redundancy in the Act. To hold that the 2003 Order is not spent and remains in
force would render subparagraph 228(1)(c)(ii) of the Regulations redundant.
That subparagraph requires the ID to issue a deportation order where a foreign
national has re-entered Canada without authorization. The Applicant says that,
if a deportation order is not spent by its execution, there is no need for a
new deportation order under 228(1)(c)(ii) when a previously deported
foreign national re-enters Canada; that foreign national could simply be
deported under the first deportation order.
[24]
In
Communities Economic Development Fund v Canadian Pickles Corporation,
[1991] SCJ No 89, [1991] 3 S.C.R. 388, the Supreme Court of Canada held at
paragraph 36 that
It is a principle of statutory interpretation that every word of a
statute must be given meaning: “A construction which would leave without effect
any part of the language of a statute will normally be rejected” (Maxwell on
the Interpretation of Statutes (12th ed. 1969), at p. 36).
[25]
The
Applicant also says that the jurisprudence of this Court, the Federal Court of
Appeal, and the Immigration Appeal Division of the IRB supports his position.
See Mercier v Canada (Minister of Employment and Immigration), [1986]
FCJ No 739, Mercier v Canada (Minister of Employment and Immigration),
[1985] FCJ 535 (FCA), Huang v Canada (Minister of Citizenship and
Immigration), [2008] IADD No 1453, Raza v Canada (Minister of
Citizenship and Immigration), [1998] FCJ 1826 (TD), and Saprai v
Canada (Minister of Employment and Immigration), [1986] FCJ 273.
The
Respondent
[26]
The
Respondent argues that the 2003 Order is still in effect, so he still has the
authority to remove the Applicant. The Applicant has conceded in his memorandum
that the 2003 Order is valid. There is no ground for the judicial review the
Applicant seeks because he has conceded this point.
The
Circumstances Surrounding the Applicant’s Re-entry are Unusual
[27]
The
Applicant returned to Canada on a TRV after the Respondent gave an undertaking to
the Ontario Court of Justice to assist the Applicant to return to Canada if the 2005 Danger Opinion was overturned on judicial review. Had it not been for
this undertaking, the Respondent would not have allowed the Applicant to come
back to Canada. The 2003 Order remains in force because these circumstances are
unusual.
Nature of Prohibition
[28]
The
Respondent says that there is no basis for this application because the
Applicant is not seeking review of the 2003 Order. Although this Court has the
jurisdiction to grant prerogative writs, it cannot grant any relief that is not
within the jurisdiction of the body being reviewed. In Vickers v Canada (Attorney General) 2002 FCT 408, Justice Luc Martineau said at paragraph 11 that
In accordance with the ruling in Thibaudeau v. M.N.R.,
[1994] 2 F.C. 189, at 224, a court hearing an application for judicial review
cannot exercise more powers than the federal board, commission or other
tribunal could have exercised.
[29]
Though
the ID has the authority to grant deportation orders, it does not have the
ability to grant the relief that the Applicant seeks, so this Court also does
not have that authority. The Respondent refers to Psychologist “Y” v Nova
Scotia Board of Examiners in Psychology 2005 NSCA 116 [Psychologist Y]
at paragraph 21 where the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal held that
Prohibition is a drastic remedy. It is to be used only when a
tribunal has no authority to undertake (or to continue with) the matter before
it. Unless a lack of jurisdiction or a denial of natural justice is clear on
the record, prohibition is also a discretionary remedy. As Sara Blake says in
her text, Administrative Law in Canada, 3rd ed. (Butterworths, 2001) at 200, it
may be refused if the existence of jurisdiction is debatable or turns on
findings of fact that have yet to be made. “It must be clear and beyond doubt,”
she writes, “that the tribunal lacks authority to proceed.” Or as 11 Halsbury’s
Laws of England (3rd ed., 1955) p. 115 puts it, prohibition cannot be claimed
as of right unless the defect of jurisdiction is clear.
[30]
Following
Sadique v Canada (Minister of Manpower and Immigration), [1974] FCJ No
89; 46 DLR (3d) 131, the Respondent says that prohibition cannot be substituted
for a stay or an injunction.
Deportation and Enforcement are Separate
[31]
The
Respondent also says that the enforcement of a deportation order cannot affect the
validity of that order. He relies on Kalombo v Canada (Minister of
Citizenship and Immigration) 2003 FCT 460, where Justice Martineau said at
paragraph 27 that
[…] the issuance and validity of removal
orders do not depend upon the intention to execute those orders. The issuance
of a removal order and its enforceability or execution are two distinct
concepts that are not interchangeable. Removal orders arise from the operation
of law and are not premised on intent.
[32]
The
Respondent also relies on Argueles v Canada (Minister of Citizenship and
Immigration) 2004 FC 1477 where Justice Martineau provided the following
guidance at paragraph 23:
In the case at bar, it is worth noting here that the Act
does not make the validity of the removal order subject to its enforcement or
enforceability. The Act clearly separates the two proceedings (Kalombo v.
Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration), [2003] F.C.J. No. 615
(F.C.T.D.) (QL); Nguyen v. Canada (Minister of Employment and Immigration),
[1993] 1 F.C. 696 (C.A.), at pages 708-9). When the panel has made a removal
order, the question of when and where the person concerned will be removed is
entirely a matter for the Minister (Chieu v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship
and Immigration), [2002] 1 S.C.R. 84, at paragraph 74). At this stage,
therefore, it cannot be assumed that the deportation order will be carried out
by the Minister.
[33]
The
Respondent also points to Wajaras v Canada (Minister of Citizenship and
Immigration) 2009 FC 200, and says that the 2003 Order remains in force even
though it was enforced in 2005 because the enforcement and issue of deportation
orders are separate processes.
2011
Danger Opinion was Issued Because of the 2003 Order
[34]
The
Respondent notes that the delegate issued the February 2011 danger opinion
because of the Order; the Order is only enforceable against the Applicant – as
a convention refugee – once there has been a danger opinion issued under
paragraph 115(2)(b) of the IRPA as an exception to the principle of
non-refoulement. The Respondent says that the Applicant understands that he
remains subject to removal based on the Order.
Delay
[35]
The
Respondent further argues that the Applicant cannot object to the 2003 Order in
these proceedings because he has had several opportunities to object but has
not availed himself of any of them. The Applicant could have raised the
validity of the 2003 Order when he was detained on his return to Canada in February 2009, or at his detention review hearings in February and April 2009.
The Respondent says that the ID specifically raised the enforceability of the 2003
Order at the Applicant’s detention review hearing in April 2009 when the member
said
He is detained pending his removal, he is subject
still of the removal order that was issued in 2003. It was understood that in
essence his legal situation would be essentially the same as it was of the 4th
of December, 2005, the day before he was removed from Canada the 1st
time except that at that time the 115(2)(b) was in existence and was
used to support his removal.
[36]
The
Applicant cannot now object to the 2003 Order because he did not take this
earlier opportunity to do so and has not objected to it during the two years
since he returned to Canada.
Seeking a Fresh Order
Would be an Abuse of Process
[37]
The
Respondent further says that the Applicant has no status in Canada while he says at the same time that the Respondent must seek a fresh deportation order. The
Respondent argues that seeking a new deportation order would be an abuse of
process because, the Applicant having conceded the validity of the 2003 Order
in his memorandum, the issuance of a deportation order is now res judicata.
There is no legal reason to remit the matter to the ID to conduct a new admissibility
hearing in order to issue a new removal order where an enforceable order is in
place. As Justice Jean-Eudes Dubé said in Kaloti v Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration), [1998] FCJ No 1281 at paragraph 12
Consequently, I must find that, generally, res judicata has
an application in public law. Otherwise, applicants could re-apply ad infinitum
and ad nauseam with the same application, an abuse of the process of
administrative tribunals.
[38]
The
Respondent says that there are public policy reasons which support the
application of the principle of res judicata in the context of
immigration law and that seeking a fresh deportation order is inappropriate in
this case.
The
Applicant’s Reply
[39]
The
Applicant replies that the Respondent’s has mischaracterized his position on
the validity of the 2003 Order. The Applicant says that he has not conceded
that the 2003 Order is valid, only that it was valid when it was issued. He
maintains his argument that the 2003 Order no longer has any force because it
was spent when he was removed on 7 December 2005. He also says that the
Respondent mischaracterises the lis in these proceedings as a review of
the 2003 Order; the Applicant seeks a declaration that the 2003 Order is spent,
not a review of its original issuance.
[40]
The
Applicant also points out that there is no authority for the Respondent’s
argument that the unusual circumstances of his return to Canada overcome the lack of statutory jurisdiction. The Respondent has not rebutted his argument
that the correct interpretation of the Act leads to a finding that the 2003 Order
is spent. The Respondent also has not distinguished the jurisprudence upon
which the Applicant relies.
[41]
The
Applicant further says that the Respondent’s argument based on the nature of
the relief sought is a further mischaracterization of the matter in dispute.
Though it may be that the ID is not empowered to review its own orders, this
application is not against the ID but against the Respondent and the CBSA. What
is at issue is not the power to review the order but the continuing force of
the order to authorize the Respondent to remove the Applicant. Psychologist
Y, above, does not assist the Respondent. That case stands for the
proposition that prohibition is an appropriate remedy where there is a lack of
jurisdiction, which is what the Applicant says is the case with respect to the
2003 Order. The Respondent lacks jurisdiction to remove the Applicant because
the 2003 Order is spent, so prohibition is appropriate.
[42]
The
Applicant agrees with the Respondent that the enforcement and issuance of
deportation orders are separate processes. However, the Respondent’s
submissions on this point are irrelevant because the Applicant is not arguing
that the 2003 Order was invalid when it was issued. Enforcement does not alter
the original validity of the order, but it does expend the order’s force such
that the Respondent no longer has the jurisdiction to remove the Applicant.
[43]
The
Respondent’s statement that the 2011 Danger Opinion was issued pursuant to the 2003
Order is simply irrelevant. Also, the Respondent’s statement that the Applicant
is without status is incorrect; he is still a Convention refugee.
[44]
Further,
the Respondent’s submissions on delay are not supported by the evidence. The
Applicant put the Respondent on notice of his position regarding the
continuing force of the Order as early as 30 May 2008. On that day, the
Applicant wrote a letter to Bridget O’Leary, a lawyer in the Immigration
Section of the Department of Justice, in which he said
Be advised that I dispute your contention that the
Deportation Order remains in effect. The Deportation Order if May 2003 was
executed when Mr. Nagalingam was deported in 2005. There is therefore no
Deportation Order in effect at this time.
[45]
The
Respondent has not taken any steps to resolve this issue, so he cannot say that
delay bars the Applicant from seeking relief in this Court.
[46]
Though
there may be difficulty in getting the ID to hear a new application for a
deportation order, this is not relevant to whether the 2003 Order still gives
the Respondent jurisdiction to remove him. If there are public policy arguments
which support the application of res judicata in the immigration
context, the Respondent can presumably marshal similar public policy arguments
in support of a new order.
[47]
Finally,
the Applicant notes that, while there has been no excess of jurisdiction to
date, the whole point of his application is to seek a declaration regarding
jurisdiction and an order of prohibition to prevent an excess of jurisdiction.
The
Respondent’s Further Memorandum
The
Deportation Order Remains Enforceable
[48]
The
Respondent further says he would be without a means to remove the Applicant if
his argument that he cannot be deported without a fresh deportation order is
correct, even though he remains inadmissible and is not challenging the
issuance of the 2003 Order. The admissibility process has been completed in
this case and was upheld on judicial review. To force the Minister to repeat
this process would be a waste of time and money. The Respondent also says that
the issue of admissibility is res judicata and that there is no
legislative authority for the Applicant’s assertion that the Order is no longer
enforceable.
The Applicant Accepted the Respondent’s
Authority to Remove Him
[49]
The
Respondent points out that the Applicant was detained on his return from Sri Lanka on the understanding that he remains inadmissible and is subject to removal. Though
the Applicant raised objections to enforceability in correspondence with the
Minister as early as 30 May 2008, in the letter to Counsel at the Department of
Justice and in letters dated 25 June 2008 and 2 February 2009, these objections
were prior to the Applicant’s return to Canada. The Respondent says that the
Applicant did not raise any objections to enforceability of the 2003 Order at
his immigration detention reviews, which suggests that he accepted the
enforceability of the 2003 Order. Had the 2003 Order not been enforceable, the
immigration detention proceedings would have been without basis, so the
Applicant should have objected at that time.
[50]
The
Respondent points out that the ID repeated the understanding of all parties
that the Applicant remained subject to the 2003 Order at the Applicant’s third
detention review. All parties, including the Applicant, understood that his
legal situation would be the same as it was on 6 December 2005, the day before
he was removed to Sri Lanka. The Applicant did not object to this statement.
Further, the Applicant did not raise the enforceability of the 2003 Order in
his submissions to the Minister’s Delegate assigned to formulate the 2011
Danger Opinion. That danger opinion was premised on the Respondent’s ability to
remove him under the 2003 Order, so the Respondent asks why the Applicant did
not challenge the Order at that time.
[51]
The
Applicant has acquiesced in the terms and conditions attached to his release
that he negotiated with the Minister. In the two years that he has been out of
immigration detention, the Applicant has not raised the issue of the Order,
though he has had several opportunities to do so. This means that he has given
up his right to object under the common-law doctrine of waiver. The Respondent
relies on Benitez v Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration)
2006 FC 461 where Justice Richard Mosley wrote ay paragraph 213 that
The principle of common law waiver is described
by Justice MacGuigan in In re Human Rights Tribunal and Atomic Energy of
Canada Limited, [1986] 1 F.C. 103, (1985) 24 D.L.R. (4th) 675 (F.C.A.), […]
Justice MacGuigan stated that at common law, even an implied waiver of
objection to an adjudicator at the initial stages is sufficient to invalidate a
later objection. Justice MacGuigan noted:
The
only reasonable course of conduct for a party reasonably apprehensive of bias
would be to allege a violation of natural justice at the earliest practicable
opportunity. Here, AECL called witnesses, cross-examined
the witnesses called by the Commission, made many submissions to the Tribunal,
and took proceedings before both the Trial Division and this Court, all without
challenge to the independence of the Commission. In short, it ... impliedly ...
waived its right to object.
[emphasis
in original]
[52]
It is reasonable to believe that the Applicant
would have objected to the basis for his detention when he was brought back to Canada. He was aware of the issue, as shown by his correspondence with the Minister in 2008
and early 2009, so he cannot now raise the issue. The Applicant’s silence is
equivalent to acquiescence.
ANALYSIS
General
[53]
Neither
side has been able to identify a specific statutory provision or legal
authority that decides the issue before me.
[54]
There
is no dispute between the parties that the 2003 Order was valid when it was
issued, and that the Applicant was legitimately removed from Canada pursuant to that order. The disagreement is over the current status of the 2003 Order and its
impact for any future removal of the Applicant. The Applicant takes the
position that because he was removed to Sri Lanka in 2005 pursuant to the 2003
Order, the force of that Order is now spent so that any further removal requires
the Minister to obtain a new deportation order. On the other hand, the Respondent
says that, even though the Applicant was removed in 2005, the force of the 2003
Order is not spent. On this reading of the situation, once the issue for which
the Applicant has returned to Canada has been resolved, he can be removed again
under the 2003 Order.
[55]
It
seems to me that the issue of whether or not the Minister has a continuing
jurisdiction to remove the Applicant pursuant to the 2003 Order depends upon
the nature and purpose of this kind of deportation order and the role it is
intended to play in our immigration system. To simplify the issue somewhat,
does the 2003 Order authorize only a single removal, or does it define the
Applicant’s status and render him subject to removal at any time until that order
is either lifted or modified? If it is the former, then it seems to me that
there is some force to the Applicant’s argument that the authority of the 2003 Order
is now spent, because what it authorized has taken place. If, however, the 2003
Order defines the Applicant’s status and renders him subject to removal at any
time when no other impediment to removal exists, then it seems to me that the
authority of the 2003 Order is not spent and the Respondent still has the
jurisdiction to remove the Applicant under that order.
[56]
If
the Respondent is correct and a removal order continues to empower and require him
to remove subjects of removal orders from Canada, then it follows that, if a
person previously subject to a removal order returns, the Respondent is also
obligated to remove that person on their return. At the same time, the Minister
of Citizenship and Immigration is permitted to authorize subjects of removal
orders to return to Canada. Although they have authorization to return, people
formerly subject to removal orders would be in danger of removal. It simply
does not make sense to me that one Minister can authorize a person to return
while another is concurrently obligated to remove that person from Canada.
[57]
One
could interpret an authorization to return to Canada as including an implicit
stay of deportation. However, this approach does not deal with the potential
redundancy the Applicant has identified in his submissions. Under subparagraph 228(1)(c)(ii)
of the Regulations, the Immigration Division (ID) is required to issue a
deportation order where a person has returned to Canada without authorization.
If the Respondent is correct and a removal permits a second removal and
subsequent removals, it is redundant to require the issuance of a second
deportation order under subparagraph 228(1)(c)(ii). As the Supreme
Court of Canada noted, at paragraph 36, in Communities Economic Development
Fund v Canadian Pickles Corp., [1991] 3 S.C.R. 388,
It
is a principle of statutory interpretation that every word of a statute must be
given meaning. “A construction which would leave without effect any part of the
language of a statute will normally be rejected”…
[58]
The
authority to remove flows from subsection 48(2). This section does not speak
about the duration of the authorization to remove, so it would seem that,
unless there is a limitation somewhere else in the Act or the Regulations, the
duration of the order would be indefinite. I do not think that this fits with
the scheme of the Act.
[59]
Looking
at the scheme of the Act and Regulations as a whole, I think “enforceable” in
section 48 must mean “executable only once.” Interpreting removal orders in
this way solves the duration issue and resolves the potential tension between
the obligation to remove and the discretion to authorize return. If the force
of the order to authorize removal is spent by a single removal, the Minister is
free to authorize return without having to stay removal prior to return.
Further, a single-removal order eliminates the administrative hurdle for
subjects of departure and exclusion orders.
Jurisprudence
The Applicant
[60]
The
Applicant has argued that the deportation order which was used to remove him
from Canada in 2005 is no longer in force, so it cannot empower the Minister to
remove him from Canada. He says that the cases he has cited at paragraph 9 of
his Memorandum show that, once a deportation order is executed, it ceases to
have any force or effect. He relies on Rawle Ramkissoon v Canada (Minister of Manpower and Immigration), [1978] 2 FC 290 (FCA); Mercier v Canada (Minister of Employment and Immigration), [1985] FCJ 535 (FCA); Saprai,
above; Bhawan v Canada (Minister of Employment and Immigration), [1987]
FCJ 573; Raza, above; and Huang, above.
[61]
In
Ramkissoon v Canada (Minister of Manpower and Immigration), [1978] 2 FC
290 (FCA) (QL), the appellant was ordered deported on 14 February 1974,
to Trinidad, because he had been convicted of a criminal act. He left Canada and returned on 13 March 1976 without notifying the Minister. The appellant appealed
this first deportation order to the Immigration Appeal Board (IAB); the appeal
was heard on 17 November 1975, before he returned to Canada. The appellant was
ordered deported a second time because he returned to Canada without either the
Minister’s consent or a successful appeal after a deportation order had been
made against him.
[62]
The
issue before the Federal Court of Appeal was whether the appellant’s departure
from Canada had executed his deportation order such that the IAB no longer had
jurisdiction to consider an appeal of that deportation order. The Federal Court
of Appeal held that the definition of “removal” in the 1952 Immigration Act,
RSC 1952 c 325 (1952 Act) was broad enough to include a voluntary departure.
More importantly for the present case, the Federal Court of Appeal held that
the execution of the deportation order deprived the appellant of any status to
appeal that order.
[63]
It
seems to me that the Applicant is attempting to use this case to show that,
because the IAB no longer had jurisdiction to entertain an appeal of the order
in Ramkissoon, the deportation order must have been spent of all its
legal force by its execution. Ramkissoon argued that he had not executed the
order against him, so the IAB had jurisdiction to hear his appeal; having not
been executed, he argued that the order was not spent and his right of appeal
still flowed from the order. The Federal Court of Appeal held that
The
legal effect of the applicant’s voluntary departure was that he was thereby
deprived of the any status entitling him to appeal against the first
deportation order under the equitable section 15 jurisdiction of the Board.
[64]
The
Federal Court of Appeal held that, under section 15 of the Immigration Appeal
Board Act RSC 1970, c I-3, the IAB had jurisdiction to quash or stay a
deportation order which continued to be in force and had not yet been executed.
The Federal Court of Appeal said
Nowhere
in section 15 is the Board clothed with the jurisdiction to take any action in
cases where the deportation order has been executed. All the powers conferred
on the Board under section 15 relate to possible action before the execution of
the deportation order.
[65]
I
agree with the Applicant that Ramkissoon suggests that, when the act
contemplated by the removal order is done, the force of the order is spent. If
this were not so and the order were still in force, the IAB would have had
jurisdiction to hear Ramkissoon’s appeal. By executing the removal order
against him, Ramkissoon expended the force of the order and deprived himself of
the right to an appeal which flowed from an unexecuted order.
[66]
In
Mercier v Canada (Minister of Employment and Immigration), [1985] FCJ No
535 (FCA), Mercier applied for a writ of mandamus to compel the
Respondent to hold an inquiry under the 1976 Immigration Act RSC 1985 c
I-2 in which Mercier could claim refugee status. He also applied for an
injunction preventing the Respondent from deporting him, but withdrew this
request at the trial level. Under the 1976 Immigration Act, a person
against whom a removal order was executed, but who returned to Canada, could only raise a claim for refugee status during an inquiry. Mercier argued that,
by voluntarily removing himself, he had carried out the deportation order and
so was entitled to an inquiry where he could raise a refugee claim.
[67]
Mercier
argued that, having executed the deportation order, its force was spent. The
Federal Court of Appeal refused to address this issue because it was raised for
the first time on appeal and depended on an allegation of fact that was not
before the Trial Division. Hence, I cannot say that this case supports the
Applicant’s position before me.
[68]
In
Mercier v Canada (Minister of Employment and Immigration), [1986] FCJ No
739, the applicant (the same Mercier as above) had been ordered deported on 17
November 1982 because of his criminal activities. While this deportation order
was in force, the applicant went to his native Haiti and then returned to Canada. He made a similar argument in this case to the one he had made before the Federal
Court of Appeal (see Mercier, above), to the effect that he had executed
the order against him voluntarily so he was entitled to a new hearing under
subsection 44(1) of the 1976 Immigration Act.
[69]
Justice
Joyal held that Mercier had not sought or received leave before he left for Haiti under section 54 of the 1976 Immigration Act, so his departure had not executed
the order against him. The order remained in effect. Because the order had not
been executed, it remained in force and precluded him from seeking refugee
status again.
[70]
Justice
Joyal also said, however, that counsel’s argument that, having been executed,
the order was no longer valid, “has a certain logic to it.” While the order in Mercier
was in force, the applicant had been able to pursue appeals before the IAB.
Ultimately, Justice Joyal held that Mercier had not executed the order, so it
remained in effect.
[71]
In
Saprai, above, the applicant was ordered deported in 1977, under the 1952
Immigration Act. Though the deportation order was issued under the 1952
Act, the transitional provisions in the 1976 Immigration Act converted
the order into a deportation order under that statute, so the enforcement
provisions of the 1976 Immigration Act applied to the order. Saprai had
been advised that he would be removed to New Delhi on 24 February 1986. He
argued that he had executed the deportation order himself when he left Canada on 6 March 1986.
[72]
Saprai
sought an injunction restraining the Respondent from removing him, on the
grounds that he had voluntarily executed the order against himself and expended
its force. The Court held that, without permission to depart, he could not have
executed the order against himself. In that context, an unexecuted removal
order empowered the Respondent to remove Saprai from Canada, so the Respondent
could not be enjoined from detaining and removing Saprai.
[73]
This
case clearly establishes that an unexecuted removal order remains in force; by
implication, it also seems to suggest that the force of a deportation is spent
once it has been executed.
[74]
Bhawan, above, presents
a similar fact situation to the cases already reviewed: an applicant subject to
a deportation order voluntarily departed Canada, then returned and claimed that
his departure had executed the deportation order. Here, though, the applicant
argued that, because he had executed the deportation order, the Minister could
not deport him without issuing a fresh order. The Court did not comment on the
necessity of a second deportation order to remove the applicant. Rather, it
followed Mercier, which held that a voluntary departure, to execute a
deportation order, required the permission of the Minister. As in Mercier,
Bhawan had not sought the Minister’s permission before leaving so he had not
executed the deportation order. Since it had not been executed, the order
remained in force.
[75]
In
Raza, above, the applicant challenged the determination of an
immigration officer who had found that, because he had not received the
permission of the Minister before leaving Canada, he had not executed the
deportation order against himself. The Court in Raza relied on Mercier
and Ramkissoon and found that Raza had not executed the deportation
order because he did not have the Minister’s permission to leave. Hence, the
deportation order remained in force and Raza was precluded from claiming refugee
status.
[76]
In
Huang, above, the appellants appealed an exclusion order made by a
member of the Immigration Division (ID) against them on the basis that they
were inadmissible under section 40(1) of the Act for misrepresentation. The
appellants relied primarily on H&C grounds for their appeal, but the issue
of execution of the exclusion order came up. It came to light at the hearing
that the appellants had gone to China for a month, then returned to Canada. Prior to their departure, they had appealed the exclusion order against them. The
IAB found that the appellants had not intended to give up their rights to
appeal. It also found that, because the appeal had not been finally determined,
the exclusion orders were not in force when they had left Canada. Therefore, they could not have executed the exclusion orders and lost their right of appeal
to the IAD.
[77]
The
applicability of Huang to the instant case is not entirely clear. At all
relevant times in Huang, the exclusion order was not in force by virtue
of the appeal to the IAD. Since the appellants were ultimately successful, the
exclusion order never came into force against them, so the effect of execution
on the orders’ validity did not arise.
[78]
From
the cases above it seems that where an unexecuted removal order is in force the
Respondent remains empowered to remove subjects and, to the extent that rights
of appeal flow from an enforceable removal order, those rights remain only so
long as the order remains in force. Further, Ramkissoon establishes
that, where rights of appeal depend on an enforceable removal order, those
rights are lost once the removal order is executed. The Applicant says that
these cases demonstrate that an executed removal order is no longer valid. In
my opinion, although the cases do not directly establish the Applicant’s point,
the reasoning behind them suggests that the force of a removal order is not
perpetual. By implication at least it would seem that once a removal order has
been executed then its force is spent.
The Respondent
[79]
The
Respondent relies on Kalombo, above, for the proposition that the
issuance and enforcement of deportation orders are separate process. He says
that, since they are separate processes, the execution of the 2003 Order did
not affect the continuing force of that order to allow him to remove the
Applicant.
[80]
The
applicant in Kalombo was a Convention refugee from the Democratic
Republic of the Congo (DRC) who was convicted of a number of criminal offences
and directed to an inquiry under paragraph 27(1)(d) of the 1976 Immigration
Act, as amended by SC 1992 c 47, section 78. After that inquiry, the ID issued
a removal order against him and he appealed to the IAD. Before the IAD, Kalombo
argued that the order was invalid and should be stayed because the Respondent
had a moratorium in place on removals to the DRC.
[81]
Following
the appeal, the IAD found that the deportation order against Kalombo was valid
and held that the decision on whether or not to execute a removal order was
within the Respondent’s discretion. Although the Respondent did not wish to
execute the removal order, this did not change the fact that the deportation
order was valid at law. On judicial review, Kalombo again challenged the
validity of the deportation order against him. He argued again that the
Minister did not intend to remove him, so the removal order was invalid.
[82]
Justice
Martineau disagreed with the Applicant’s position and found that the order
arose out of the operation of law. He found that “the Act does not make the
removal order contingent upon its execution or enforceability.” Justice
Martineau also noted that the issue of where an individual will be removed is a
matter for the Respondent to decide. See Chieu v Canada (Minister of
Citizenship and Immigration), [2002] SCJ No 1.
[83]
As
I read this case, it does not say that the execution of a removal order has no
effect on the continuing legal force of that order. In Kalombo, the
applicant had not yet been removed from Canada, so the question of whether a
completed removal impacts the continuing authority to remove was not decided by
the Court.
[84]
I
also think that Kalombo deals with the impact of administrative
arrangements to remove, including the Respondent’s intent to remove the subject
on the validity of the order. That is, Kalombo stands for the
proposition that a removal order is valid even though the Respondent does not
intend to enforce it. What this case does not deal with, in my view, is whether
performing the removal, the act mandated by the order, expends the Respondent’s
authority to remove the subject from Canada under that order.
[85]
Argueles, above, is
another case which considered the impact of administrative arrangements on the
validity of removal orders. Argueles applied for judicial review of a
deportation order issued against him by the ID because he was inadmissible
under paragraph 36(1)(a) of the IRPA. Under that order, Argueles was to
be removed to his native Cuba, where he feared persecution for political
activities. On judicial review, Argueles argued that the deportation order was
issued against him contrary to his Charter rights and that section 36 of
the IRPA was unconstitutional because it violated the Charter. In his
reasons, Justice Martineau refers to Kalombo, above, for the proposition
that
When
the panel has made a removal order, the question of when and where the person
concerned will be removed is entirely a matter for the Minister.
[86]
Justice
Martineau then went on to discuss the procedures in place for evaluating the
risk faced by subjects of a removal order prior to their removal and the
availability of H&C relief from the order. He concluded that the judicial
review application should be dismissed because the order did not violate the
applicant’s Charter rights.
[87]
As
with Kalombo, I read Argueles as dealing with the impact of pre-removal
administrative procedures on the enforceability of removal orders. As Justice
Martineau said in Argueles, “I consider that the application for
judicial review [of the order] is premature.” The applicant’s challenge was
premature because the proper place to assert his Charter rights was in
an application for review of the choice of the place to which he was to be
deported, not in a challenge to the validity of the order itself. Although a
deportation to risk might violate the applicant’s Charter rights, the
decision to deport him did not. Also, as in Kalombo, the removal order
had not yet been executed against the applicant, so the Court did not have to
deal with whether the act of removal expends the legal force of an order to
empower the Respondent to remove the subject.
[88]
In
Wajaras, above, Wajaras was a citizen of Sudan and a Convention refugee
in Canada. After living in Canada, he committed several crimes which resulted
in both an admissibility hearing and a danger opinion. While the admissibility
process was underway, a Minister’s delegate determined that Wajaras was not a
danger to the Canadian public. The ID then found that he was inadmissible to Canada on the grounds of serious criminality and issued a deportation order against him. Wajaras
asked for judicial review of the deportation order, arguing that it was an
abuse of process for the Respondent to seek a deportation order through the
admissibility process even though he was precluded from removing the applicant
under the principle of non-refoulement. Wajaras noted that, because of the
deportation order, he had lost his permanent resident status in Canada.
[89]
Justice
Barnes found that it was not an abuse of process for the Respondent to seek a
deportation order against Wajaras, even though that order could not be
enforced. Most importantly for the instant case, Justice Barnes relied on Argueles
and Kalombo, above and found that, at paragraph 13 of Wajaras,
above,
The decision in Kalombo was applied in Argueles for the point that the validity of a removal
order is not subject to its enforceability (see para. 23). Similarly, the validity
of the removal order obtained against Mr. Wajaras is not dependant upon whether
it can now or ever be executed. The Applicant effectively seeks to connect the
two issues by suggesting that the inadmissibility process ought to have been
halted by the Minister as soon as it was found that Mr. Wajaras was not a
danger to the Canadian public. There is no legal basis for such an argument and
the Board was right to reject it.
[90]
As
with Kalombo and Argueles, it is my view that Wajaras
deals with the connection between the validity of a removal order and another,
separate, administrative process. In Wajaras, this was clearly a distinct
step which had to be completed before the applicant could be removed. The
danger opinion the delegate was required to make was a separate process with
its own set of procedural entitlements. Wajaras shows that the Court has
been concerned to prevent processes which are ancillary to the purpose of a
removal order from affecting the validity of the order.
[91]
In
Wajaras, the act the applicant attempted to use to challenge validity
was not required by the removal order. What made the danger finding necessary
was the principle of non-refoulement. In a similar way, the Respondent’s
moratorium on removals to the DRC in Kalombo also arose out of the
principle of non-refoulement. In Argueles, the protection granted by the
Charter stood in the way of removal. The common thread of these cases,
it seems to me, is that the requirements separate from the act contemplated by
the order do not affect the underlying validity of the order.
[92]
Taken
together, I think that Argueles, Kalombo, and Wajaras show
that there is an important distinction between pre-removal administrative
processes and removal itself. Although the processes leading up to removal are necessary
and important and may impact a subject’s rights, they are ancillary to the
validity of the removal order. Removal is the act authorized and mandated by
the order, while pre-removal administrative processes are only necessary by
implication; they are required to carry out the act, but they are not the act
authorized and mandated by a removal order.
[93]
Looking
to the case at hand, I do not find the Respondent’s argument based upon Kalombo,
Argueles, and Wajaras, to be persuasive. As noted, these cases
all deal with pre-removal administrative arrangements.
[94]
The
Respondent’s position is that, even though he has removed the Applicant once
under the 2003 Order, he can still use the same order to remove the Applicant
in the future. As I read Kalombo, Argueles, and Wajaras, however,
they do not show that executing the specific act contemplated by a removal
order (i.e. removal) cannot affect its validity.
Remedy
[95]
Assuming
that my above comments are correct and the 2003 Order no longer empowers the
Respondent to remove the Applicant from Canada, this raises the question of the
appropriate remedy in this case. In his Application for Leave and Judicial
Review, the Applicant asks for
An
order declaring the removal order of May 28, 2003, to be null and void and prohibiting
the [Respondent] from removing the Applicant from Canada.
[96]
The
Respondent has argued, following Vickers, above, that prohibition is an
inappropriate remedy because the ID cannot grant prohibition. In Vickers,
at paragraph 11, Justice Martineau held that
In accordance with the ruling in Thibaudeau v. M.N.R.,
[1994] 2 F.C. 189, at 224, a court hearing an application for judicial review
cannot exercise more powers than the federal board, commission or other
tribunal could have exercised. In the case at bar, the vice-chairman of the
Board could have granted or denied leave to appeal under subsection 83(2) of
the Plan. Accordingly, the Court here cannot grant the plaintiff a disability
pension and can only reverse the Board’s decision and refer the matter back for
re-determination.
[97]
While
it may be that the ID cannot grant prohibition against its own orders, this
does not mean in my view that prohibition is not available in the appropriate
case. As the Respondent has noted
Prohibition
is a drastic remedy. It is to be used only when a tribunal has no authority to
undertake (or to continue with) the matter before it. Unless a lack of
jurisdiction or a denial of natural justice is clear on the record, prohibition
is also a discretionary remedy.
[98]
If
the Court were to accept the Respondent’s argument, this would leave the
Applicant without any means of challenging an improper exercise of the
authority granted to the Respondent concerning removal orders. In my view, this
cannot be the case.
[99]
With
that said, however, I think the relief the Applicant has requested is too
broad. What the Applicant challenges here is not the validity of the removal
order but its present authority to effect his removal a second time. To declare
the 2003 Order wholly void would be to grant the Applicant more than is
necessary to vindicate his rights as established in this case.
[100]
The
validity of the 2003 Order is not contested; the Applicant has admitted its
validity in his arguments. The relief the Court grants should accord with facts
before it, including the validity of the 2003 Order.
[101]
The
Applicant also asks the Court for an order “prohibiting the [Respondent] from
removing him from Canada.” This too, I think, is too broad.
[102] What I think is
the most appropriate remedy here is a declaration from this Court that the
Respondent is not empowered to remove the Applicant from Canada under the 2003 Order and an order of prohibition preventing the Respondent from using that
order to remove the Applicant. In Canada (Prime Minister) v Khadr 2010
SCC 3, the Supreme Court of Canada held at paragraph 46 that
A court can properly issue a declaratory remedy so long as it has
the jurisdiction over the issue at bar, the question before the court is real
and not theoretical, and the person raising it has a real interest to raise it.
Such is the case here.
[103] In this
Application, the Court’s jurisdiction over the issue is found in subsection
18(1) of Federal Courts Act RSC 1985 c F-7, which says that
18. (1)
Subject to section 28, the Federal Court has exclusive original jurisdiction
(a) to issue an
injunction, writ of certiorari,
writ of prohibition, writ of mandamus
or writ of quo
warranto, or grant
declaratory relief, against any federal board, commission or other tribunal;
and
(b) to hear and
determine any application or other proceeding for relief in the nature of
relief contemplated by paragraph (a), including any proceeding
brought against the Attorney General of Canada, to obtain relief against a
federal board, commission or other tribunal.
|
18. (1) Sous réserve de l’article
28, la Cour fédérale a compétence exclusive, en première instance, pour:
a) décerner une injonction, un bref de certiorari, de mandamus,
de prohibition ou de quo warranto, ou pour rendre un jugement déclaratoire contre tout office fédéral;
b) connaître de toute demande de réparation de la nature visée
par l’alinéa a), et notamment de
toute procédure engagée contre le procureur général du Canada afin d’obtenir
réparation de la part d’un office fédéral.
|
Waiver and Consent
[104]
The
Respondent has argued in his submissions that the circumstances surrounding the
Applicant’s return to Canada in 2009 were unusual in a way that impacts the
continuing validity of the 2003 Order. He also says that the parties were all
operating under the understanding that the Applicant would be in the same
position after his return as he was immediately prior to his removal in 2005.
The Respondent says that the parties agreed that the 2005 removal would have no
effect on the continuing enforceability of the 2003 Order. Further, the
Respondent argues that, because the Applicant has not objected to the validity
of the 2003 Order before (at his detention reviews, for example), he is
precluded from raising the 2003 Order’s validity now.
[105] The common
thread that runs through all of these arguments is the notion that the
Respondent’s authority to remove the Applicant can somehow be extended by
consent of the parties or a waiver of the right to object. The Respondent’s
authority to remove anyone from Canada is delegated to him by the Act and
Regulations. It does not seem to me that the Respondent’s authority to remove
someone in accordance with the Act and the Regulations can be enlarged by the
consent of the parties.
[106]
Further,
it
does not make sense to me that the subject of a deportation order can somehow
empower a second removal simply by not raising the issue at the earliest
opportunity. This would mean that, although the IRPA authorizes only a single
removal, the lack of a timely objection somehow enlarges the Respondent’s
powers beyond what are granted under the Act. In my view, whether or not an applicant
objects to the Respondent’s authority cannot change the scope of that
authority.
[107]
Also,
I am not convinced that, when he was returned to Canada in 2009, the Applicant
believed that the 2003 Order could still be used to deport him. The Applicant
filed the within application on 14 March 2011, only four days after he was
notified on 10 March 2011 that the CBSA intended to remove him on the strength
of the 2003 Order.
[108]
The
Respondent has also said that the Applicant should have objected to the
validity of the 2003 Order in the context of the 2011 Danger Opinion. However,
as discussed below, the danger opinion and admissibility processes are
separate; the validity of the 2003 Order had no bearing on the propriety of the
section 115 process, so it was not reasonable to expect the Applicant to raise
the 2003 Order’s validity in that context. In my view, there cannot have been
waiver of the right to object to the 2003 Order in those proceedings.
The
Danger Opinion
[109]
The
Respondent has also argued that the 2011 Danger Opinion was sought on the basis
of the 2003 Order and that, without an inadmissibility finding, there is no
requirement to seek a danger opinion. It may be that the Minister of
Citizenship and Immigration was motivated to seek the 2011 Danger Opinion
because he thought that the 2003 Order was in force. However, I do not think
there is any legal basis to this argument. As noted above, the jurisprudence
the Respondent has cited establishes that the administrative processes
surrounding removal and the validity of the underlying removal order are
separate.
[110]
The
current case is similar to Wajaras, above, where Justice Barnes held
that it was not an abuse of process for the Minister of Citizenship and
Immigration to seek a deportation order through the admissibility process, even
though a Minister’s Delegate had found Wajaras was not a danger to the public.
Justice Barnes found that the two processes were separate and rejected the
argument that the admissibility processes should be halted as soon as the
delegate found that Wajaras was not a danger to the public. In a similar way,
the underlying validity of the 2003 Order cannot and does not depend on where
the Applicant is in the section 115 process.
Abuse of Process
[111]
The
Respondent also argues that holding the 2003 Order invalid and forcing him to
seek a new deportation order is an abuse of process. On the facts and for
reasons given above, this argument has no merit in my view.
The
Applicant has Conceded the 2003 Order’s Validity
[112]
The
Respondent also says that the Applicant has conceded that the 2003 Order is
valid. This argument is not persuasive on the facts; the Applicant has only
conceded that, when it was issued, the 2003 Order was valid. What is at issue
in this application is whether the 2003 Order continues to be valid and
authorizes the Respondent to remove the Applicant. Also, even if the Applicant had
conceded that the 2003 Order was valid, I do not see how the Respondent’s
authority to remove the Applicant can be enlarged by consent.
A
New Order is a Waste of Time and Money
[113]
The
Respondent also argues that forcing him to seek a new order is a waste of the
ID’s resources. Whether or not this is the case, I do
not see how it can perpetuate the Respondent’s authority to remove the
Applicant under a deportation order whose force is spent.
No
Means of Removal
[114]
Finally,
the Respondent argues that, because the admissibility finding from 2003 remains
in place and has been upheld on judicial review, holding that the 2003 Order is
spent will leave him without a means to remove the Applicant because the ID
cannot re-declare him inadmissible. It seems somewhat contradictory to me for
the Respondent to argue that seeking a new order is a waste of time and money
and then to argue that the Respondent has no means of removing the Applicant.
In any event, the situation before the Court arose because of the Respondent’s
undertaking to the Ontario Court of Justice in 2005 to return the Applicant to Canada. A strategic choice was made to deal with the Applicant in a particular way. If the
consequences of that choice are not what the Respondent expected, I do not
think the Court can base its views of the present status of the 2003 Order upon
that fact. The Respondent has to be taken to have known the law when the choice
was made.
JUDGMENT
THIS
COURT’S JUDGMENT is that
1.
The
application for judicial review is allowed in part. The Court declares the 2003
Order dated 28 May 2003, although valid when made, has now been executed and
its force is spent. Hence, it cannot now be used as the basis of any future
deportation of the Applicant and the Court prohibits the Respondent from using
the 2003 Order to remove the Applicant from Canada.
2.
There
is no question for certification.
“James
Russell”