Date: 20120529
Docket: IMM-2451-12
Citation: 2012 FC 655
BETWEEN:
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THE MINISTER OF CITIZENSHIP AND
IMMIGRATION
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Applicant
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and
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B147
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Respondent
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REASONS
FOR JUDGMENT
RENNIE
J.
[1]
The respondent
is a citizen of Sri
Lanka. He
arrived in Canada on the MV Sun Sea on
August 13, 2010 and made a refugee claim. He has been held in immigration
detention since, initially on the basis of identity and, after the Minister
became satisfied of his identity, on the basis that he posed a flight risk.
[2]
On August
16, 2011, the Immigration Division of the Immigration and Refugee
Board of Canada found
the respondent inadmissible to Canada for having engaged in people
smuggling. A deportation order issued and the respondent became ineligible to
have his refugee claim determined. The pre-removal risk assessment (PRRA) was
initiated in September, 2012, when his removal order came into force. Further
materials with respect to the PRRA were received October 2, 2011.
[3]
The respondent
appeared for his 22nd detention review hearing on March 7, 2012 and
on March 9, Immigration Division Member Trent Cook (Member Cook) ordered the respondent
released from detention on terms and conditions, including the posting of a bond.
The Minister seeks to have that decision set aside.
Decision Under Review
[4]
Member
Cook found that the Minister had established a prima facie case that the
respondent posed a flight risk. This was based on the circumstances of his
arrival, his motivation to avoid returning to Sri Lanka and his lack of credibility. However,
Member Cook found that the reason for the respondent’s detention (flight risk
for credibility reasons, rather than performance issues) and the length of his
detention (19 months in the absence of any evidence that the respondent
presented a public danger) weighed in favour of his release.
[5]
After
reviewing the history of the respondent’s detention reviews, Member Cook noted
that the Minister’s timeframes for the completion of the PRRA process “have
gone from a degree of certainty to total uncertainty.” On September 21, 2011,
Minister’s counsel estimated a three-month timeframe for a decision. That
estimate then changed to an additional two to three weeks, in January 2012, to
“as soon as possible”, and at the last hearing, to no stated expectation at
all. While acknowledging that the respondent’s detention had to be reviewed
every 30 days Member Cook found that the respondent’s case now fell into the
category of “indefinite detention”.
[6]
In
reaching this conclusion Member Cook acknowledged that he had reached a
different conclusion than that reached by Member Shaw-Dyck at the respondent’s
detention review a month previous. He disagreed with her finding that “a
decision will be forthcoming in the reasonable near future”. Member Cook
rejected the proposition that he should accept that the respondent’s detention
was not indefinite because the Minister said that it was being processed even
though that information was accepted as sufficient at the last detention
review. Member Cook instead found the Minister’s failure to provide a time
estimate was “indicative of uncertainty” and that the “notion of an uncertain
timeframe for PRRA is extremely rare”.
[7]
In light of
the uncertain length of the respondent’s future detention Member Cook concluded
that the respondent’s liberty interests were of paramount consideration. He
thus reassessed the alternatives to detention and ordered his release subject
to terms and conditions, including that a $30,000 bond to be posted by the
respondent’s aunt. It was acknowledged that $25,000 of the $30,000 was
provided by the respondent’s brother, a resident of Norway.
[8]
Member
Cook summarized his reasons as follows at pages 12-13 of the decision:
To summarize, you have been a person
detained as a flight risk for the past 19 months. There’s documented
uncertainty as to when your detention might conclude. Your detention is rooted
in credibility issues, not in performance issues of going underground or
breaching conditions. There’s a significant monetary bond being posted by two
family members and there is a release plan in place that includes constant
contact with the aunt, who is going to be living next door to you. You’re going
to live with your father, who has expressed his knowledge of how important it
is to follow immigration conditions and has had an unblemished record in doing
so. I believe that there are people that have been released from detention on
the ground of unlikely to appear with a much less complex release plan [than]
you have.
Issues
[9]
The core of
the Minister’s submission is that in considering the factors under section 248
of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (SOR/2002-227) (Regulations),
Member Cook erred in finding that the detention was indefinite and in his assessment
of the adequacy and capacity of the bondspersons. The Minister also points to
an overarching error; the failure to provide, as required by the jurisprudence,
clear and compelling reasons for deviating from the previous Immigration
Division decision maintaining detention.
Standard of Review
[10]
The
standard of review of a decision of the Immigration Division to release a
foreign national from detention is reasonableness: B072 v Canada (Citizenship and Immigration), 2012 FC 563 (per Barnes J); The
Minister of Citizenship and Immigration v B001, 2012 FC 523 (per Snider J.).
[11]
It is also
useful to note, by way of preliminary observation, the principles set forth by
Justice Russel Zinn in Canada (Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness) v
Karimi-Arshad, 2010 FC 964 at para 16:
[…]
(ii)
Deference is owed to the member’s findings of fact and assessment of the
evidence: Canada (Minister of Citizenship and
Immigration) v. Khosa,
2009 SCC 12, para. 59.
(iii)
The role of this Court is not to substitute its opinion for that of the member:
Walker v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, 2010 FC 392, paras. 25-26.
(iv)
If a member departs from prior decisions that maintained the detention, then
the member must set out clear and compelling reasons for so doing: Canada
(Minister of Employment and Immigration) v. Thanabalasingham, 2004 FCA 4.
Legal Framework
[12]
Section 55
of the Immigration
and Refugee Protection Act, SC 2001, c 27 (IRPA) provides officers with powers
of arrest and detention in respect of permanent residents and foreign
nationals. Subsection 57(1) of the IRPA requires that within 48 hours
after a permanent resident or a foreign national is taken into detention, or
without delay afterward, the Immigration Division must review the reasons for
the continued detention. Further reviews must occur within seven days after
the 48-hour review and every 30 days thereafter (IRPA section 57(2)).
[13]
The
circumstances in which the Immigration Division is required to order the
release of a detained individual are set out in section 58(1) of the IRPA:
58. (1) The Immigration
Division shall order the release of a permanent resident or a foreign
national unless it is satisfied, taking into account prescribed factors, that
(a) they are a danger to the
public;
(b) they are unlikely to appear
for examination, an admissibility hearing, removal from Canada, or at a proceeding that could lead to
the making of a removal order by the Minister under subsection 44(2);
(c) the Minister is taking
necessary steps to inquire into a reasonable suspicion that they are
inadmissible on grounds of security or for violating human or international
rights; or
(d) the Minister is of the
opinion that the identity of the foreign national has not been, but may be,
established and they have not reasonably cooperated with the Minister by
providing relevant information for the purpose of establishing their identity
or the Minister is making reasonable efforts to establish their identity.
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58. (1) La section prononce
la mise en liberté du résident permanent ou de l’étranger, sauf sur preuve,
compte tenu des critères réglementaires, de tel des faits suivants :
a) le résident permanent ou
l’étranger constitue un danger pour la sécurité publique;
b) le résident permanent ou
l’étranger se soustraira vraisemblablement au contrôle, à l’enquête ou au
renvoi, ou à la procédure pouvant mener à la prise par le ministre d’une
mesure de renvoi en vertu du paragraphe 44(2);
c) le ministre prend les
mesures voulues pour enquêter sur les motifs raisonnables de soupçonner que
le résident permanent ou l’étranger est interdit de territoire pour raison de
sécurité ou pour atteinte aux droits humains ou internationaux;
d) dans le cas où le
ministre estime que l’identité de l’étranger n’a pas été prouvée mais peut l’être,
soit l’étranger n’a pas raisonnablement coopéré en fournissant au ministre
des renseignements utiles à cette fin, soit ce dernier fait des efforts
valables pour établir l’identité de l’étranger.
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[14]
Subsection 58(3)
allows the Immigration Division to impose conditions on the release of a
foreign national or permanent resident:
(3) If the Immigration Division
orders the release of a permanent resident or a foreign national, it may
impose any conditions that it considers necessary, including the payment of a
deposit or the posting of a guarantee for compliance with the conditions.
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(3) Lorsqu’elle ordonne la
mise en liberté d’un résident permanent ou d’un étranger, la section peut
imposer les conditions qu’elle estime nécessaires, notamment la remise d’une
garantie d’exécution.
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[15]
Where
grounds for detention are found to exist, section 248 of the Regulations
requires that the Immigration Division consider certain factors before deciding
to detain or release the individual:
248. If it is determined that
there are grounds for detention, the following factors shall be considered
before a decision is made on detention or release:
(a) the reason for detention;
(b) the length of time in
detention;
(c) whether there are any
elements that can assist in determining the length of time that detention is
likely to continue and, if so, that length of time;
(d) any unexplained delays or
unexplained lack of diligence caused by the Department or the person
concerned; and
(e) the existence of
alternatives to detention.
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248. S’il est constaté qu’il
existe des motifs de détention, les critères ci-après doivent être pris en
compte avant qu’une décision ne soit prise quant à la détention ou la mise en
liberté :
a) le motif de la détention;
b) la durée de la détention;
c) l’existence d’éléments
permettant l’évaluation de la durée probable de la détention et, dans
l’affirmative, cette période de temps;
d) les retards inexpliqués ou
le manque inexpliqué de diligence de la part du ministère ou de l’intéressé;
e) l’existence de solutions de
rechange à la détention.
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The Finding of Indefinite Detention
[16]
The
finding of indefinite detention was open to Member Cook on the evidence. The
Minister did not provide any timeframe either at the February or March
detention reviews. The Minister’s attempt to explain this by pointing to the
“unique and complex nature” of MV Sun Sea cases did not alter the fact
that, unlike prior detention reviews, no expectation was provided as to when
the respondent’s PRRA would be complete.
[17]
The respondent
rightly points out that Member Cook did not make a finding that the Minister’s
information regarding the processing of the PRRA was unreliable or not
credible. Rather, Member Cook found that, despite the normal practice, the
Minister had failed to provide an update on the estimated timeframe. Member
Cook thus concluded that the Minister’s “silence on this subject is indicative
of uncertainty.” This did not amount to speculation but was a reasonable
inference drawn from the record before the Member.
[18]
The
Minister contends that “no new evidence was presented to suggest that a new
development in the processing of the respondent’s PRRA application would cause
the respondent to be detained for a substantially longer period of time”.
While creative, this argument does not respond to, nor address, the absence of
evidence. The absence of evidence, in circumstances where it was reasonable to
expect evidence, is, in fact, evidence upon which it was reasonable for the Member
to predicate an inference and conclusion. There had been a progressive
deterioration in the degree of precision or certainty as to the timeframe when
the decision might be expected. Given that the PRRA application had been made seven
months earlier, it was reasonable to expect greater, rather than less,
precision as to the probable date of the decision.
[19]
The
Minister also points to the fact that Member Cook was advised that the PRRA
“was being processed” and that assistance was being sought from Citizenship and
Immigration Canada’s national headquarters. It was also argued that Member
Cook unreasonably discounted the unique and complex nature of assessing MV
Sun Sea PRRA applications. The Minister argues that Member Cook failed to
provide any cogent basis for rejecting this information and that the failure to
do so rendered the conclusion of indefinite detention unreasonable.
[20]
In my
view, the Member was free to reject generalized statements that the PRRA “was
being processed” or, as it was characterized in argument “that the PRRA was not
stalled”. Those statements, when reflected upon, merely say that the
application has not been set aside or lost. Members are entitled to presume
that, in the ordinary course, PRRA applications are being processed with a
reasonable degree of due diligence and dispatch; hence a statement to the
Member that the PRRA is being processed is of little probative value.
[21]
Secondly,
if there were particular complexities, such as those arising from the gathering
of evidence abroad or where necessary information was dependent upon the
cooperation of third parties, the Minister could have said so. The mere
statement that the matter was complex was, in and of itself, an insufficient
evidentiary foundation on which it can be argued that the decision was
unreasonable. The consequences of the complexity and its implication for the
timing of the decision could have been articulated. In sum, the finding of
indefinite detention cannot be impugned on the basis that it was speculation. In
the absence of any timeframe provided it was not speculation. It was an
inference drawn from the only evidence before the Member.
[22]
I turn to
the Minister’s final argument and that is that, given that the PRRA process was
finite and that there was no evidence that it was stalled, the finding of indefinite detention was
not open to the Member.
[23]
This argument has
been previously rejected by this Court: Sahin v Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration), [1995] 1
FC 214 at paras
25-27. In the absence of any reasonable certainty as to when the PRRA process
might conclude, the existence of 30-day detention reviews does not save the
detention from being characterized as indefinite.
[24]
I note as
well, that the constitutionality of the provisions of detention, depend in
part, on the 30-day periodic review. The important role served by the 30-day
detention review would be defeated if the Court accepted the Minister’s claim
that PRRA is a finite process, one which must ultimately come to an end, even
though the Minister failed to provide any timeframe for its completion.
[25]
Member
Cook’s decision on the question whether the detention had become indefinite was
a question of mixed fact and law to be assessed against a standard of
reasonableness. On the evidence before him there was no assurance, even in its
most general terms, as to the likely timeframe for decision, and as such, it
was open to him to conclude that the detention had become indefinite.
Reasons
for Detention
[26]
In light
of the finding that the detention had become indefinite the Member assessed the
factors under section 248 of the Regulations with the respondent’s
liberty interests as the paramount consideration. One of those factors is the
reason for detention.
[27]
In
considering the reason for detention Member Cook found the respondent to have
“played a relatively minor role” in the people smuggling operation of the MV
Sun Sea.
[28]
In
reaching this conclusion the Member relied on the findings of the inadmissibility
determination of the Immigration Division. A closer and fuller reading of the Immigration
Division decision suggests (para 20) that the respondent’s involvement was
otherwise:
With respect to (c), […] had nothing
directly to do with the operation of the Sun Sea or its entry into Canada. But his activities were part
of the staging of the operation in Thailand.
By repeatedly distributing food over a period of several months to dozens if
not hundreds of would-be migrants pending the finalization of arrangements for
their transportation to Canada, he played a significant role
in the preparation of the smuggling operation. The marshalling of Sun Sea
migrants in limited specific locations, and arrangements for their feeding in
those locations, were important elements of the logistics of ensuring their
availability for departure whenever that might be arranged, and of lessening
the chances of the operation’s being discovered by authorities….
[29]
If a member
chooses to rely on the Immigration Division inadmissibility determination in
order to characterize the reasons for detention, he or she cannot be
selective. Here, the reliance on the finding of the Immigration Division that
the respondent played a minor role was wholly de-contextualized, such that it
resulted in the Member approaching the section 248 considerations on an
entirely different understanding of the nature and extent of the respondent’s
involvement in the smuggling operation. There is nothing in the reasons that
explains the diametrically opposed finding as to the nature of the respondent’s
participation.
[30]
It was
argued that this error was not material to the decision to release. It is
difficult to sustain this argument. As a logical matter, the reason for
detention bears directly on the assessment of all related factors under section
248 and it is impossible to segregate or isolate the implications of this
finding of fact from the decision as a whole. The reasons for detention, for
example, co-relate to the assessment of the adequacy of the proposed
bondsperson and the degree to which the respondent remained a flight risk.
[31]
As it is
not clear what the outcome of the exercise of discretion at this detention
review would have been had the Member not proceeded on the basis of this
erroneous finding, the application for judicial review must be granted.
Requirement to Give Reasons
[32]
Before
leaving this matter, there was considerable argument about the requirement
stemming from the Court of Appeal’s decision in Canada (Minister of
Citizenship and Immigration) v Thanabalasingham, 2004 FCA 4 that reasons
for departing from prior detention review decisions must be given in clear and
compelling terms.
[33]
I accept
that there are limitations on the scope and application of this proposition. If
the decision of the first detention review was largely binding on the Member
hearing the 22nd detention review, the requirement that detention be
reviewed fairly, openly and with a fresh perspective to evolving facts and
circumstances would be easily and frequently, if not invariably, defeated. While
the Court requires a clear and compelling rationale for departing from prior
decisions where the issue in question is material, the Court of Appeal’s
reasons also balance against that the recognition that an independent and fresh
exercise of discretion is integral to the purpose and object of a detention
review. In this case, the factual determination as to the reason for detention
was central to the decision whether to release. For this reason, clear and
compelling reasons had to be given if the nature of the respondent’s
involvement was to be significantly re-characterized from substantial to the
peripheral.
Capacity and Ability of the Proposed Bondspersons
[34]
It is not,
in light of the finding on the first issue, necessary to address the second
ground of review advanced by the applicant. I will do so however, given the
emphasis placed on this ground by the parties and its centrality to the
decision under review. The Minister submits that Member Cook failed to meaningfully
assess whether the respondent’s aunt and brother were capable of controlling
the respondent’s actions in view of serious credibility concerns presented by
the respondent, the reasons for his detention, the finding that he remained a
flight risk and the Deportation Order issued against him. I agree, and do so
for three reasons.
[35]
Before
addressing these reasons, three preliminary observations are in order.
[36]
First, it
was open to Member Cook to conclude that the evidence regarding the respondent’s
allegiance to his family was believable. A pre-disposition to lie in one
respect does not necessarily mean that the respondent’s evidence is not to be
trusted in another. In Sittampalam v Canada (Minister of Public Safety and
Emergency Preparedness), 2006 FC 1118, Justice James O’Reilly noted at
paragraph 17 that “just because Mr. Sittampalam’s testimony about his past gang
activity was found not to be credible should not necessarily mean that his
evidence on the detention review must be disbelieved.” Thus, B147’s prior
untruths in respect of his degree of involvement in the human smuggling
operation could be separated from his statements about his willingness to
comply with the terms of his release and his commitment to his family.
[37]
Second, as
noted earlier, the Member correctly approached the section 248 criteria with
the respondent’s liberty interests in the forefront. The Member was exercising
a fresh and independent discretion and as such was free to depart or disagree
with prior decisions.
[38]
Third, the
sole stricture on this discretion was that were the Member to depart from prior
detention review decisions, clear and compelling reasons need be given for so
doing. It is in this later regard that the decision in respect of the bondspersons
fails.
[39]
The Member
affirmed the findings reached in prior detention reviews that the respondent
remained a flight risk and was unlikely to appear for removal:
So it’s very clear to me that your
different stories were coming about during detention matters as much as they
were admissibility matters. Accordingly, I concur with the previous Member’s
findings that credibility played a major role in the finding that you pose a
flight risk. I believe that a person who is willing to go back and forth so
many times on their stories is willing to say just about anything if he feels
that it will benefit him.
In addition to you[r] credibility issues,
I agree with other Members’ decisions to detain you as a flight risk because of
other factors. It’s very evident that you have motivation to be in Canada. This is based simply on the
time, effort, risk and cost of getting here in the manner that you did. Your
engagement of the refugee process and application for PRRA shows me that you
undoubtedly have motivation to avoid a return to Sri Lanka, so I think that the circumstances of
your arrival and your motivation, coupled with your credibility, certainly from
a prima facie case that you pose a flight risk. It’s very reasonable
for me and other Members to conclude, on balance, that you would be unlikely to
voluntarily report for your removal.
[40]
In
considering the aunt as a bondsperson, the Member wrote:
When
your aunt’s offer of $5,000 was turned down by Members, nobody made any
disparaging comments about your aunt. This bond was turned down because of the
credibility concerns that Members had about you. Your aunt has never been found
to be an inappropriate bondsperson. She is currently the bondsperson for both
your father and your sister and by all accounts they are performing
exceptionally well under her supervision. I have not heard any information
about either of them breaching their conditions of release, so there most
certainly is a blueprint for success in your aunt’s ability to influence your
father and sister to comply with their conditions.
[41]
The first
error lies in the reasoning that underlies the conclusion that the respondent’s
aunt could positively influence B147’s behaviour. The Member concluded that as
the respondent’s father and sister had complied with the conditions of their
release on bonds posted by the aunt, so would the respondent. There is good
reason to question the reasonableness of this conclusion, including the failure
to address certain relevant facts.
[42]
Unlike his
father and sister, the respondent has a history of being untruthful with Canada
Border Services Agency (CBSA) officials and had been found inadmissible to Canada. Secondly, the respondent
had not seen his aunt for 12 years. Moreover, at the November 17, 2011
detention review, Member Cook reached the exact opposite conclusion as to the
ability of the aunt to influence the respondent:
The fact that your aunt has been able to
exert a positive influence over your sister and father, does not hold a lot of
weight with me, when I consider the type of influence she might have against
you.
Not only are your father and sister not
facing the same issues that you’re facing, regarding their eligibility to make
a refugee claim denied, but they don’t even come close to having the same
credibility issues as you do.
I simply, at that time, didn’t think that
you were a person who could be influenced.
I make that same finding today. […]
[…]
Once again, sir, I find that you would
not be a person influenced by the suasion of others, simply because I think
that you will say one thing to people and then simply turn around and say
something else to others. The words that come out of your mouth cannot be
trusted.
[…]
So while the monetary value of the bond
offer is quite high, the appropriateness of your bother as an influential
bondsperson is not anywhere near the degree that I would need, to be satisfied
that the high degree of flight risk that you pose would be mitigated.
[…]
So while I might believe that you would
report regularly to a Canada Border Services Agency official like your father
and sister are doing, I think you would only report your pre-removal risk
assessment was outstanding. If that decision was not in your favour, I think
that your history shows that it is extremely likely that you would employ
deception and live underground in Canada because it is very obvious to me that
you have absolutely no desire nor incentive to return to Sri Lanka.
[43]
The Member
is quite free to change his mind, but where that is the case, on material
matters such as the extent to which the individual is a flight risk, credibility,
and the reasons for detention, clear and compelling reasons must be offered in
support of the change.
[44]
The
reasons do not explain why the considerations and findings which were central to
the two prior decisions by the same Member to reject the aunt evaporated. It
is also difficult to rationalize or understand the conclusions reached with the
prior history of the case. The aunt had been rejected as a suitable
bondsperson on three occasions, most recently in September 2011. On November,
17, 2011, the same Member had rejected a bond of $20,000 offered by the aunt
and brother.
[45]
The second
error lies in the reasons with respect to the analysis of the role of the brother
in posting the bond. While the Release Order only names the respondent’s aunt
and provides that the entire $30,000 is to be deposited by her, it was
understood and acknowledged by counsel that $25,000 of the bond was paid by the
respondent’s brother, in Norway, and the balance by his aunt.
[46]
As noted,
the adequacy of the brother as a bondsperson had been considered and rejected
in November, 2011 by Member Cook and again in February, 2012 by Member Shaw-
Dyck. In November, 2011 Member Cook concluded:
In
addition, the testimony of your brother revealed a number of factors that weigh
in my decision to find him to be an inappropriate bondsperson for you. Though
the sum of $15,000 is a good deal of money, and I believe your brother can
probably afford it, I don’t see how he would be able to exude any influence
over you, with him living in Norway and you proposing to live in Montreal.
[47]
In the
November, 2011 decision the Member also observes that the brother had no
knowledge of the status of B147’s case, that he had a clear interest in B147
staying out of Sri Lanka, that he did not appear to understand the
responsibilities of a bondsperson or that his money would be forfeited if the
conditions were breached.
[48]
Although not mentioned in the
decision, B147 had not seen his brother in over seven years.
[49]
The reasons do
not consider the fact that, with the exception of the $5,000 posted by the
aunt, neither his aunt, his father or sister would suffer repercussions or consequences of default.
Nor do they comply with Thanabalasingham and the requirement to explain
why the brother, although not named as a bondsperson, would nevertheless be
effective in exerting control and influence when the opposite had been found in
November, 2011, a few four months earlier.
[50]
Section
47(2)(a) of the Regulations would preclude the brother, as neither a
citizen of Canada nor a permanent resident
physically residing in Canada, from posting the bond. In
this case, on the evidence, the brother is, de facto, posting the bond.
This, in and of itself, warranted close analysis of the role of the brother in
ensuring the respondent’s compliance.
[51]
In
assessing the adequacy of the bondsperson several factors need to be considered
and assessed against the objective of ensuring compliance with immigration
processes. The provenance of the funds need to be assessed in determining the
effectiveness of the bondsperson in ensuring his future compliance, the impact
or effect of forfeiture on the person who posts, the degree of influence the
person who posts the bond and their understanding of the detainees
circumstances. Put otherwise, as it is the brother who stands to loose should
the respondent not abide the terms and conditions of his release, it is the
relationship between the brothers that ought to have been central to the
assessment of adequacy. The failure to address these considerations
effectively circumvents the purpose and object of section 47(2)(a).
[52]
I turn
next to the third and final ground on which I find that the decision must be
set aside.
[53]
The error,
in this case, is in respect of the law. The Member approached the section 248
criteria from the perspective that the respondent’s liberty interests were
paramount. For example:
I think that it is important to note that
when Members rejected the bondspeople, it was in the understanding that a PRRA
decision would be decided in a reasonable amount of time. It’s apparent to me
now that this is no longer the case. I believe your detention has reached an
indefinite stage and it is appropriate to consider your liberty interests above
all else.
[54]
Section 7
interests, under the Canadian
Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Charter), are rarely absolute. Rather, they imply
a balancing of considerations. As stated by McLachlin J. in Cunningham
v Canada, [1993] 2 S.C.R. 143, at
pp 151-152:
The principles of fundamental justice are concerned not
only with the interest of the person who claims his liberty has been limited,
but with the protection of society. Fundamental justice requires that a fair
balance be struck between these interests, both substantively and procedurally.
. . .
[55]
The
purpose of the detention provisions of the IRPA are not only to protect
Canadians from those who may pose a danger, but, importantly, to ensure that
those who come to and remain in Canada
do so in accordance with legal principles.
[56]
The
respondent’s liberty interests are a grave and weighty concern; but they are
not paramount. They are to be balanced against the objects served by the
provisions authorizing detention. In sum, in viewing the issue through the
lens of paramouncy of the liberty interests, the Member erred. Indeed, the
language of section 248 implies a balancing of considerations.
Conclusion
[57]
The fact
that the detention was indefinite does not transform an unsuitable bondsperson
into a suitable one. Nor does it mitigate the assessment of the respondent’s
flight risk from extremely high to that of assured compliance. It is in
circumstances such as these where a significant reassessment is made on
critical factual determination, that the clear and compelling reasons which
underlie the change must be articulated: Thanabalasingham, paras 12-13.
[58]
The
obligation of a judge sitting in judicial review is not to substitute his or
her opinion for that of the member. Members have a discretion to exercise. It
is their discretion, not that of the Court, and it is to be reviewed against
the deferential standard of reasonableness. In this case, there was an insufficient
evidentiary foundation to support the exercise of discretion, nor were clear
and compelling reasons provided for departing from prior detention decisions.
[59]
This does
not mean that there are no circumstances under which the respondent could be
released. A member of the Immigration Division could reach the same result as
reached by the Member, but in a manner that meets the requisite legal standards
and addresses the shortcomings identified in the decision in issue. Such a
decision would proceed on a correct factual foundation as to the nature of B147’s
involvement in the smuggling operation, would explore and rationalize with prior
decisions the ability of the brother to influence the respondent would account
for the fact that there are substantive differences in the relationship between
the aunt and the father and that of the aunt and the brother. They are not
similarly situated, nor is there symmetry in the facts. The risks are not the
same. Finally, the decision would consider the extent to which the respondent,
as a person against whom a deportation order has issued, would have an
incentive to comply.
[60]
The
application for judicial review is granted. As a further detention review is
imminent, no purpose would be served by remitting the decision back to the
Member for re-consideration. No question for certification has been proposed.
"Donald J. Rennie"
Ottawa, Ontario
May 29, 2012