Canada's response to refugee claims is inadequate, said a human-trafficking expert.
UBC prof. Benjamin Perrin said yesterday the case of 76 Sri Lankan migrants found on the Ocean Lady off the coast of Vancouver Island demands a swift response from federal authorities.
"We don't have a fair system. We don't have a fast system," he said.
According to Perrin, the processing system, currently mired in 54,200 pending claims, makes Canada a destination for people seeking asylum on bogus grounds because of the soft approach on delays.
In Canada, a failed refugee claimant can stay in the country, in some cases, up to eight years before being removed.
Perrin proposed a new 13-month processing timeline in which a claim would be decided in six months, reviewed in four months with failed claimants removed in three months.
