Canada should welcome North Korean defectors, senators urge
North Koreans are subject to arbitrary arrests and detention. Their freedom of movement is restrained, their privacy rights are non-existent and they cannot speak their minds. They live in a country isolated from the world.
About 1,000 North Koreans will defect this year — a dramatic drop from years past due to tightened border security. For those who do escape, their nightmare has just begun.
In these grim circumstances, the Senate Committee on Human Rights urges the government to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to allow North Korean defectors to qualify for refugee status in Canada.
In the short term, the committee is also recommending that the Minister of Immigration use his powers under the Act to allow the entry into Canada of the most vulnerable North Korean defectors.
These recommendations are at the core of the committee’s report — The Forgotten Many: Human Rights and North Korean Defectors — that was released today. Members of the committee appeared at a press conference in Ottawa to discuss the report.
"There are people who are out of sight, out of mind, who are forgotten, who are not part of the public debate in this country. Canada can become a haven for people fleeing North Korea in search of a peaceful life.
I was in North Korea in the late 80s when I was based in Beijing for CTV. We were followed and listened to each and every day. It was beyond Orwellian."
Senator Jim Munson, committee chair
"[The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees] does not recognize the North Koreans as refugees and that has been a huge hindrance for them to come because they're not deemed as refugees.
What stands out to me is the word that they used for the refugees in Thailand. They said they're people basically who have no rights, who have nowhere to go and they're known as floaters. And that stuck with me because I thought that's a horrible way for any human being to live."
Senator Salma Autallahjan, deputy chair of committee
"Any North Korean who has successfully defected has done so for their survival. And until they have secured refuge in a safe and developed country, their lives remain at serious risk.
The journey out of North Korea is quite perilous and we heard some of the dangers, especially for women and young girls, as they try to find some safe haven."
Senator Yonah Martin, committee member
“We believe Canada should lead on North Korean human rights. North Korean defectors have nothing.
It is our duty as Canadians — as human beings — to ensure they are not forgotten.”
Senator Thanh Hai Ngo, committee member
WATCH: A North Korean defector testifies at the Senate Human Rights Committee
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Canada should welcome North Korean defectors, senators urge
North Koreans are subject to arbitrary arrests and detention. Their freedom of movement is restrained, their privacy rights are non-existent and they cannot speak their minds. They live in a country isolated from the world.
About 1,000 North Koreans will defect this year — a dramatic drop from years past due to tightened border security. For those who do escape, their nightmare has just begun.
In these grim circumstances, the Senate Committee on Human Rights urges the government to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to allow North Korean defectors to qualify for refugee status in Canada.
In the short term, the committee is also recommending that the Minister of Immigration use his powers under the Act to allow the entry into Canada of the most vulnerable North Korean defectors.
These recommendations are at the core of the committee’s report — The Forgotten Many: Human Rights and North Korean Defectors — that was released today. Members of the committee appeared at a press conference in Ottawa to discuss the report.
"There are people who are out of sight, out of mind, who are forgotten, who are not part of the public debate in this country. Canada can become a haven for people fleeing North Korea in search of a peaceful life.
I was in North Korea in the late 80s when I was based in Beijing for CTV. We were followed and listened to each and every day. It was beyond Orwellian."
Senator Jim Munson, committee chair
"[The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees] does not recognize the North Koreans as refugees and that has been a huge hindrance for them to come because they're not deemed as refugees.
What stands out to me is the word that they used for the refugees in Thailand. They said they're people basically who have no rights, who have nowhere to go and they're known as floaters. And that stuck with me because I thought that's a horrible way for any human being to live."
Senator Salma Autallahjan, deputy chair of committee
"Any North Korean who has successfully defected has done so for their survival. And until they have secured refuge in a safe and developed country, their lives remain at serious risk.
The journey out of North Korea is quite perilous and we heard some of the dangers, especially for women and young girls, as they try to find some safe haven."
Senator Yonah Martin, committee member
“We believe Canada should lead on North Korean human rights. North Korean defectors have nothing.
It is our duty as Canadians — as human beings — to ensure they are not forgotten.”
Senator Thanh Hai Ngo, committee member
WATCH: A North Korean defector testifies at the Senate Human Rights Committee