Children arriving in Canada often as sponsored refugees often have serious health conditions that resolved by screening on arrival, doctors say. Volunteer doctors have set up a pediatric clinic in  Hamilton, Ontario which aims at serving immigrants, refugees and their children in the city. Doctors have studied the health status of children using the clinic by reviewing 342 cases most of them children with an average age of eight. 95% of these children were found to have at least one seriously medical issue that should be addressed.

Refugee children are coming to Ontario from all over the world, but for the last five years, the most common countries of origin were Somalia, Burma and Afghanistan. The majority of the children studied has dental diseases, gum diseases, infectious diseases and nutritional deficiency. Infections like HIV, tuberculosis and malaria were found to be  rare, easily treatable skin infections and stool parasites, were prevailing.

About one fifth of the children were in less than the fifth percentile for height and weight for their age. They need to be monitored closely to ensure the foods they are accustomed to eating are providing adequate nutrition. The consequences of undiagnosed nutritional deficiencies, developmental  and psychosocial problems are at least as important to consider as immunization against infectious diseases.

Immigrants (including refugees) represent about 20 per cent of Canada’s population. Sponsored refugees in Canada are foreign people who have been allowed to immigrate to Canada. These people are usually outside of their and cannot return their for fear of persecution for reason of race, religion or nationality. They view Canada as a durable solution to their situation.

The most important document all refugees and their children need is a Certificate of Identity is a document issued to persons legally landed in Canada for less than three years, who are stateless or are unable to obtain a national passport. Refugees who are unsure as to whether they qualify for a certificate of identity can book a consultation with a refugee professional.

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Fifty per cent more people were deported from Canada last year than a decade ago — proof the system is getting too aggressive with who it gives the boot, says one local immigration lawyer.

Figures from the Canada Border Services Agency show deportations from the country have spiked to 12,732 removed last year, compared to 8,361 in 1999.

While three-quarters of deportations were failed refugee claimants, the rest were removed on criminal or security grounds.

But Calgary immigration lawyer Bjorn Harsanyi says while more people are entering Canada who could be claiming refugee status, he believes the numbers speak to a more aggressive system.

“I do think there is a greater enforcement mandate in immigration and that means willing to deport anyone who is eligible to be removed without exercise of discretion to keep them here,” he said.

“If they can remove them any way, they will.

“I’ve seen many people on the verge of deportation when I don’t think they should be deported.”

The government explains the spike in deportations as the logical result of a jump in refugee applications — 35,000 refugee claims last year and the government says the system can only handle 25,000.

Spokesman for Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said problems with the refugee system will be addressed in upcoming reforms.

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OTTAWA ­ The Harper government is readying for Parliament a package of reforms that for the first time could have Canada fast-tracking refugee claimants from countries where citizens are generally thought to be safe from persecution.

Though the proposal has yet to get the final nod from cabinet, Martin Collacott, a former Canadian diplomat who specializes in immigration issues, says such a move is long overdue.

“We are the only country in the world that will consider a (claim) from someone coming from the United States, from the Philippines, from Thailand, from South Korea,” said Collacott, a senior fellow at the Fraser Institute.

The proposal envisions senior immigration officers hearing the refugee claimants from safe countries more quickly, thereby easing the load on the Immigration and Refugee Board. There would still be an appeal option, but it would be more streamlined than at present and would not necessarily involve another hearing.

As it stands now, it takes an average of 17 months before a claim is heard by the Immigration and Refugee Board. Once the board makes a decision, claimants can launch appeals that can last for years before the claimant is finally deported.

“Essentially, an unsuccessful claimant who is determined to game the system can stay in Canada for several years with a work permit and/or welfare benefits, and this fundamentally undermines the fairness of our immigration system,” Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said.

The stepped-up talk of reform follows a months-long, carefully orchestrated campaign, led by Kenney, to focus attention on a refugee system that almost everyone agrees needs repair.

The campaign picked up steam last month, when Canada slapped visa requirements on visitors from Mexico and the Czech Republic, and climaxed when Prime Minister Stephen Harper sang a “blame Canada” tune while personally explaining to Mexican President Felipe Calderon why the Canadian government was forced to resort to such an unpopular move.

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Canada will lift a ban on deporting illegal immigrants to Burundi, Liberia and Rwanda after an internal review showed “improved conditions” in those countries, the federal government has announced.

“After a thorough review of country conditions and consultations with stakeholders, the government is lifting the suspension of removals to these three countries,” said a statement from Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan issued Thursday evening.

“The removal of individuals who are not lawfully in Canada is key to maintaining the integrity of the immigration program and to ensuring fairness for those who live in this country lawfully.”

Up to 2,100 people in Canada could be affected by the lifting of the deportation ban, or “temporary suspension of removals” (TSR). The change is effective immediately.

Refugee applicants from those countries will not be deported while their claims are being assessed.

The government points out such deportation bans are always temporary and are lifted “when conditions in the country improve and there is no longer a generalized risk.”

The bans have been in place for Burundi and Rwanda since 1994, and against Liberia since 2003.

The government says a United Nations peacekeeping force in Burundi has helped create an “atmosphere of security,” while improved domestic and international transport have boosted living conditions.

In Rwanda, war has ended, rebel groups have no base and those linked to the 1994 genocide are being prosecuted, says Ottawa.

Liberia’s government, along with a United Nations mission, is helping maintain that country’s security and stability, says the federal government.

However, Amnesty International’s annual report for 2009 cites a long list of ongoing abuses in Burundi and Liberia, and to a lesser extent Rwanda.

Can’t enter through U.S.

In a related announcement, the government also said it was changing the rules for some refugee claimants who arrive in Canada after first arriving in the United States.

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­Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, who last week announced controversial visa restrictions on Czechs and Mexicans, said he did so to fix a refugee system that doesn’t work.

The Mexican government retaliated by imposing visa restrictions on Canadian diplomats and officials. But while everybody agrees that something has to be done, nobody’s ever been able to define what that “something” is all about.

I have followed immigration issues for many years and I’m no expert, but I’ve acquired enough evidence to say that the biggest problem preventing any government from finding a solution to its immigration and refugee system is not the lack of diversity of ideas, but it’s all the political posturing that follows any proposal from whatever government.

A political party complains about the system while in opposition and makes a commitment to fix the problems when in government, and at the end of the exercise, nobody is doing anything for fear of being called a racist or anti-immigrant.

This means that whoever is in government will make a lot of proposals for big reforms, but at the end of the day, only small changes are made to appease so-called mainstream Canadians, without alienating so-called “ethnic Canadians.”

Basically, it is not about immigration, it’s about politics and votes.

So, the question is not about the seriousness of the government’s intentions or the capacity of Kenney. I have a lot of respect for him and his team. But the question is about his strength and courage to follow through to the end and endure the attacks from the opposition parties who will take Conservatives to task on any change and will try to perpetrate the myth that the Conservatives are against immigration and minorities.

I don’t believe any political party in Canada is against immigrants or immigration. The problem is that none of the parties can afford for another party to take credit for solving the problem and reap the electoral benefits.

This kind of thinking, even though understandable, gives politics and politicians a bad reputation.

Considering that at this time we have a minority government and nobody has enough numbers to do a serious or in-depth reform of the immigration and refugee system, I think Kenney should do what Prime Minister Stephen Harper did with the reform of Canada’s Employment Insurance system: he should turn it into a bipartisan or multi-partisan effort.

The problem is not just confined to Canada’s refugee system; it’s the consequence of a larger problem with the whole immigration system.

It takes years to become a landed immigrant in Canada, so people who really want to immigrate to our country try other avenues. Some ask for political asylum. Others go underground and become illegal workers. The system gets clogged and people are exploited.

This is a human and an economic tragedy that requires the help of everybody to solve. I understand that political positioning is important, but this posturing has been dragging on for more than a decade over an issue that will endanger not just the future of thousands of people, but will endanger our economy and our country’s future.

Kenney should at this point act beyond any partisan interest and ask the leaders of the opposition parties to come out in front of their responsibilities. Considering that everybody agrees that we have a problem, the opposition parties should stop telling us only what they don’t like and put on the table solid proposals on how they want to solve the problem.

At that point, it will be up to the minister of immigration to collect all the suggestions and transform them into a political proposal that everybody can subscribe to. I believe this can be better accomplished by creating a multi-partisan committee formed by politicians and not by appointed experts.

I don’t have anything against experts, but it’s important to have politicians who must take responsibility for their suggestions and support them.

The solution of this important problem can be achieved only with a broader political consensus.

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Forty years ago, Canada signed the United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, binding itself not to expel or return asylum-seekers to a territory where their lives or freedom would be threatened on account of their race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.

Canadians have led the world in sheltering people needing protection.

In 1979-80, Canada resettled 60,000 boat people from Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. The Canadian public sponsored over half of the refugees – one of several acts of generosity for which the United Nations High Commission for Refugees awarded the Nansen Medal to the Canadian people in 1986.

Canada’s refugee determination system – where an independent tribunal, the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB), judges cases – has been held up as a model. In most other countries, immigration officials decide refugees’ fate.

But as they mark World Refugee Day, advocates charge that Canada’s measures in recent years to deter asylum-seekers are undermining its legal commitment to refugees.

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