Canadian Council for Refugees v. Canada

Canadian Council for Refugees v. Canada
Court (s) Database
Federal Court Decisions
Date
2007-11-29
Neutral citation
2007 FC 1262
File numbers
IMM-7818-05
Notes
Reported Decision
Decision Content
Date: 20071129
Docket: IMM-7818-05
Citation: 2007 FC 1262
Ottawa, Ontario, November 29, 2007
PRESENT: The Honourable Mr. Justice Phelan
BETWEEN:
CANADIAN COUNCIL FOR REFUGEES,
CANADIAN COUNCIL OF CHURCHES,
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL, and JOHN DOE
Applicants
and
HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN
Respondent
REASONS FOR JUDGMENT
INDEX
Page
I. Introduction.................................................................................................................... 5
II. Background.................................................................................................................... 7
A. Legislation and Regulations.................................................................................... 9
(1) Relevant International Law............................................................................ 9
(2) Safe Third Country Designation..................................................................... 13
B. Governor-in-Council’s Decision-Making Process................................................... 18
C. Application of the Regulations/Operation of the STCA........................................... 19
III. Standing......................................................................................................................... 20
IV Principles of Review/Standard of Review........................................................................ 28
A. Vires..................................................................................................................... 30
B. The Standard of Review........................................................................................ 40
(1) The Presence or Absence of a Privative Clause or Statutory
Right of Appeal............................................................................................ 41
(2) Expertise of the Decision-Maker as compared to that of the Court................. 42
(3) Purpose of the Legislation and the Provision in particular................................ 43
(4) Nature of the Question.................................................................................. 44
(5) Conclusion on Standard of Review.............................................................. 44
V. The Evidence: Does U.S. Refugee Law and Practice violate the Refugee
Convention or CAT?...................................................................................................... 45
A. The Experts........................................................................................................... 45
(1) For the Applicants........................................................................................ 45
(2) For the Respondent...................................................................................... 48
B. U.K. and E.U. Practice regarding Safe Third Country Agreements.......................... 50
C. A Brief Overview of the U.S. System..................................................................... 59
D. Analysis of American Refugee Law........................................................................ 62
(1) One-Year Time Bar and Standard for Withholding........................................ 62
(a) Is the standard for withholding higher than asylum and
will this result in refoulement?.............................................................. 63
(b) Is the one-year bar a violation of the Convention Against
Torture and Refugee Convention apart from the
withholding issue?................................................................................ 66
(c) One-year bar: Impact on gender-based and other minority
group claims........................................................................................ 68
(2) Categorical Exceptions for Criminality and Terrorism..................................... 69
(a) Exclusion for Terrorism........................................................................ 70
(b) Exclusion for Serious Criminality.......................................................... 78
(3) Interpretation of the Term “Persecution” and Claims based on
Particular Social Group and Gender Claims................................................. 80
(a) Gender Claims.................................................................................. 81
(b) “Persecution”.................................................................................... 83
(4) Corroboration and Credibility...................................................................... 86
(5) Detention and Access to Counsel................................................................ 89
(6) Summary.................................................................................................... 92
VI. Interpretation and Application of CAT............................................................................ 93
VII. Failure to Review............................................................................................................ 100
VIII. Charter of Rights and Freedoms.................................................................................. 103
A. Is the Charter engaged in this situation, even if the substance of the
human rights violations occur outside of Canada?.................................................. 103
(1) Section 7.................................................................................................... 105
(a) Is a refugee claimant’s life, liberty or security of the
person at stake?................................................................................ 105
(b) Principles of fundamental justice......................................................... 107
(c) Arbitrariness/lack of discretion........................................................... 108
(i) Canada................................................................................... 109
(ii) The United States.................................................................... 111
(iii) The United Kingdom............................................................... 113
(d) Does the Charter require individualized consideration?...................... 113
(2) Section 15.................................................................................................. 116
(a) Does the law impose differential treatment between
the claimants and a comparator group?.............................................. 117
(b) Discrimination................................................................................... 119
(i) Pre-Existing Disadvantage........................................................ 120
(ii) Correspondence of the Law with the Individual’s
Circumstances......................................................................... 120
(iii) Ameliorative Purpose............................................................... 121
(iv) Nature and Scope of Interests Affected.................................... 121
(3) Can the Breaches of Section 7 and Section 15 be justified
under Section 1?......................................................................................... 121
IX. Conclusion..................................................................................................................... 123
PHELAN J.
I. INTRODUCTION
[1] The Canadian Council for Refugees (CCR), the Canadian Council of Churches (CCC), Amnesty International (AI) and John Doe, a Colombian refugee claimant in the United States, filed a judicial review application challenging the Agreement between the Government of Canada and the Government of the United States of America for Cooperation in the Examination of Refugee Status Claims from Nationals of Third Countries, also known as the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA). This agreement, which was enacted in its current form as part of the Smart Border Declaration: Building a Smart Border for the 21st Century on the Foundation of a North American Zone of Confidence (Smart Border) and came into force in December 2004, deems (subject to limited exceptions) a foreign national who attempts to enter Canada at a land border from a “designated country” ineligible to make a refugee claim.
[2] The Applicants seek a declaration that the designation of the United States of America as a “safe third country” for asylum seekers, and the resulting ineligibility for refugee protection in Canada of certain asylum seekers, is invalid and unlawful. The Applicants claim, amongst other grounds, that the Regulation authorizing the STCA is invalid because the preconditions to enacting the Regulation were not met because the U.S. does not comply with certain international conventions protecting refugees and prohibiting returning people to places of torture and in any event, the Regulations and STCA offend the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Applicants are seeking a declaration that the Respondent’s decision to declare the U.S. a designated country is unlawful pursuant to administrative law principles, the Charter and international law.
[3] The STCA operates in a manner whereby a person from a country other than the U.S. who travels through the U.S. and arrives in Canada, by land (and only by land), to claim refugee-protection status is immediately sent back to the U.S.. The net effect is to deny such persons any substantive consideration of their refugee claim by Canadian authorities.
[4] The decision to enter into the STCA was delegated by Parliament to the Governor-in-Council (GIC) subject to certain conditions being met. These conditions include that the other country -- in this case the U.S. -- complies with Article 33 of the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees (Refugee Convention or RC) which generally prevents refoulement (sending back to the persecuting home country), and Article 3 of the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (Convention Against Torture or CAT) which specifically prohibits sending someone back to a country that engages in torture.
[5] In determining whether to enter into a STCA, the GIC is required to consider a number of factors including the “policies and practices” of the other country, not just its legislation.
[6] In addition, the STCA and its operation must comply with the provisions of the Charter.
[7] For the reasons outlined in this judgment, the United States’ policies and practices do not meet the conditions set down for authorizing Canada to enter into a STCA. The U.S. does not meet the Refugee Convention requirements nor the Convention Against Torture prohibition (the Maher Arar case being one example). Further, the STCA does not comply with the relevant provisions of the Charter. Finally, the Canadian government has not conducted the on-going review mandated by Parliament despite both the significant passage of time since the commencement of the STCA and the evidence as to U.S. practices currently available.
II. BACKGROUND
[8] A safe third country clause first appeared in Canadian law in 1988 amendments to the Immigration Act. There was a constitutional challenge to the amendments; however the Federal Court of Appeal held in Canadian Council of Churches v. Canada (Minister of Employment and Immigration), [1990] 2 FC 534 (C.A.), appeal dismissed [1992] 1 S.C.R. 236, that litigation on that provision was premature as no country had been designated. (The Supreme Court decision is discussed below in relation to the issue of standing.) The Government of Canada continued to negotiate with the U.S. towards a mutual designation. The Smart Border and its 30 Point Action Plan contained a new commitment to a STCA. The final text of the STCA was signed on December 5, 2002 and entered into force December 29, 2004.
[9] The STCA is an agreement between Canada and the U.S. The operative provision of the STCA is Article 4(1), which provides that the country of last presence shall examine the refugee status claim of any person arriving at a land border port of entry who makes a refugee claim.
Article 4
1. Subject to paragraphs 2 and 3, the Party of the country of last presence shall examine, in accordance with its refugee status determination system, the refugee status claim of any person who arrives at a land border port of entry on or after the effective date of this Agreement and makes a refugee status claim.
Article 4
1. Sous réserve des paragraphes 2 et 3, la partie du dernier pays de séjour examine, conformément aux règles de son régime de détermination du statut de réfugié, la demande de ce statut de toute personne arrivée à un point d’entrée d’une frontière terrestre à la date d’entrée en vigueur du présent accord, ou par après, qui fait cette demande.
[10] The legislative structure that incorporates the principles of the STCA into domestic law is contained in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) and in Regulations Amending the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, SOR/2004-217, October 12, 2004 (STCA Regulations), more fully detailed in paragraphs 20 to 30.
[11] The U.S. is currently the only country designated as a “safe third country” under the STCA Regulations.
[12] The Applicants include three public-interest based organizations, the CCR, the CCC, and AI, all of which are recognized as organizations that assist and advocate for the rights of refugees in Canada.
[13] The Applicant John Doe is an asylum-seeker from Colombia currently residing in the U.S. He was initially refused protection because he failed to apply within one year of arrival in the U.S. He then went into hiding in the U.S. and sought an injunction, during the course of this judicial review, to prevent the Canadian authorities from invoking the STCA if he should be able to arrive at a Canadian port of entry. An interim injunction was granted but it developed that, against the background of this judicial review, U.S. authorities agreed to have his refugee claim reconsidered.
[14] As noted by Bruce Scoffield of the Refugees Branch of Citizenship and Immigration Canada, one of the Respondent’s expert affiants, the Regulations constitute the decision and reasons in this case. The Regulatory Impact and Analysis Statement (RIAS) accompanying the Regulations also comprise part of the reasons for the decision to enter into the STCA.
A. Legislation and Regulations
(1) Relevant International Law
[15] As noted earlier, there are conditions imposed upon the GIC before entering into a STCA and passing the requisite regulations. The conditions of critical importance to this case are U.S. compliance with the applicable provisions of the Refugee Convention Article 33 and Article 3 of the Convention Against Torture.
[16] Article 33 of the Refugee Convention reads:
1. No Contracting State shall expel or return ("refouler") a refugee in any manner whatsoever to the frontiers of territories where his life or freedom would be threatened on account of his race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion.
2. The benefit of the present provision may not, however, be claimed by a refugee whom there are reasonable grounds for regarding as a danger to the security of the country in which he is, or who, having been convicted by a final judgement of a particularly serious crime, constitutes a danger to the community of that country.
[17] Article 3 of the Convention Against Torture reads:
1. No State Party shall expel, return ("refouler") or extradite a person to another State where there are substantial grounds for believing that he would be in danger of being subjected to torture.
2. For the purpose of determining whether there are such grounds, the competent authorities shall take into account all relevant considerations including, where applicable, the existence in the State concerned of a consistent pattern of gross, flagrant or mass violations of human rights.
[18] Those two international agreements find their expression in domestic Canadian law, in part, in the IRPA, more specifically sections 96 and 97:
96. A Convention refugee is a person who, by reason of a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion,
(a) is outside each of their countries of nationality and is unable or, by reason of that fear, unwilling to avail themself of the protection of each of those countries; or
(b) not having a country of nationality, is outside the country of their former habitual residence and is unable or, by reason of that fear, unwilling to return to that country.
97. (1) A person in need of protection is a person in Canada whose removal to their country or countries of nationality or, if they do not have a country of nationality, their country of former habitual residence, would subject them personally
(a) to a danger, believed on substantial grounds to exist, of torture within the meaning of Article 1 of the Convention Against Torture; or
(b) to a risk to their life or to a risk of cruel and unusual treatment or punishment if
(i) the person is unable or, because of that risk, unwilling to avail themself of the protection of that country,
(ii) the risk would be faced by the person in every part of that country and is not faced generally by other individuals in or from that country,
(iii) the risk is not inherent or incidental to lawful sanctions, unless imposed in disregard of accepted international standards, and
(iv) the risk is not caused by the inability of that country to provide adequate health or medical care.
(2) A person in Canada who is a member of a class of persons prescribed by the regulations as being in need of protection is also a person in need of protection.
96. A qualité de réfugié au sens de la Convention — le réfugié — la personne qui, craignant avec raison d’être persécutée du fait de sa race, de sa religion, de sa nationalité, de son appartenance à un groupe social ou de ses opinions politiques :
a) soit se trouve hors de tout pays dont elle a la nationalité et ne peut ou, du fait de cette crainte, ne veut se réclamer de la protection de chacun de ces pays;
b) soit, si elle n’a pas de nationalité et se trouve hors du pays dans lequel elle avait sa résidence habituelle, ne peut ni, du fait de cette crainte, ne veut y retourner.
97. (1) A qualité de personne à protéger la personne qui se trouve au Canada et serait personnellement, par son renvoi vers tout pays dont elle a la nationalité ou, si elle n’a pas de nationalité, dans lequel elle avait sa résidence habituelle, exposée :
a) soit au risque, s’il y a des motifs sérieux de le croire, d’être soumise à la torture au sens de l’article premier de la Convention contre la torture;
b) soit à une menace à sa vie ou au risque de traitements ou peines cruels et inusités dans le cas suivant :
(i) elle ne peut ou, de ce fait, ne veut se réclamer de la protection de ce pays,
(ii) elle y est exposée en tout lieu de ce pays alors que d’autres personnes originaires de ce pays ou qui s’y trouvent ne le sont généralement pas,
(iii) la menace ou le risque ne résulte pas de sanctions légitimes — sauf celles infligées au mépris des normes internationales — et inhérents à celles-ci ou occasionnés par elles,
(iv) la menace ou le risque ne résulte pas de l’incapacité du pays de fournir des soins médicaux ou de santé adéquats.
(2) A également qualité de personne à protéger la personne qui se trouve au Canada et fait partie d’une catégorie de personnes auxquelles est reconnu par règlement le besoin de protection.
[19] Also of relevance is the definition of torture in the Convention Against Torture, which is provided in Article 1 (the Article referred to in section 97(1)(a) of the IRPA):
1. For the purposes of this Convention, the term "torture" means any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity. It does not include pain or suffering arising only from, inherent in or incidental to lawful sanctions.
(2) Safe Third Country Designation
[20] Section 101(1)(e) of the IRPA provides that a person entering Canada from a “designated country” is ineligible to have his or her claim for refugee protection considered by the Immigration and Refugee Board.
101. (1) A claim is ineligible to be referred to the Refugee Protection Division if
[…]
(e) the claimant came directly or indirectly to Canada from a country designated by the regulations, other than a country of their nationality or their former habitual residence
101. (1) La demande est irrecevable dans les cas suivants :
[…]
e) arrivée, directement ou indirectement, d’un pays désigné par règlement autre que celui dont il a la nationalité ou dans lequel il avait sa résidence habituelle
[21] Section 102(1)(a) provides that the Governor in Council (GIC) may designate a country as being subject to section 101(1)(e).
102. (1) The regulations may govern matters relating to the application of sections 100 and 101, may, for the purposes of this Act, define the terms used in those sections and, for the purpose of sharing responsibility with governments of foreign states for the consideration of refugee claims, may include provisions
(a) designating countries that comply with Article 33 of the Refugee Convention and Article 3 of the Convention Against Torture;
(b) making a list of those countries and amending it as necessary; and
(c) respecting the circumstances and criteria for the application of paragraph 101(1)(e).
102. (1) Les règlements régissent l’application des articles 100 et 101, définissent, pour l’application de la présente loi, les termes qui y sont employés et, en vue du partage avec d’autres pays de la responsabilité de l’examen des demandes d’asile, prévoient notamment :
a) la désignation des pays qui se conforment à l’article 33 de la Convention sur les réfugiés et à l’article 3 de la Convention contre la torture;
b) l’établissement de la liste de ces pays, laquelle est renouvelée en tant que de besoin;
c) les cas et les critères d’application de l’alinéa 101(1)e).
[22] The legislation only allows the GIC to designate countries that comply with Article 33 of the Refugee Convention, which prevents refoulement (subject to very limited circumstances) and Article 3 of the Convention Against Torture, which unequivocally prohibits refoulement to torture. In deciding to designate a country, the GIC is required under section 102(2) to consider four factors:
102 (2) The following factors are to be considered in designating a country under paragraph (1)(a):
(a) whether the country is a party to the Refugee Convention and to the Convention Against Torture;
(b) its policies and practices with respect to claims under the Refugee Convention and with respect to obligations under the Convention Against Torture;
(c) its human rights record; and
(d) whether it is party to an agreement with the Government of Canada for the purpose of sharing responsibility with respect to claims for refugee protection.
(emphasis added)
102 (2) Il est tenu compte des facteurs suivants en vue de la désignation des pays :
a) le fait que ces pays sont parties à la Convention sur les réfugiés et à la Convention contre la torture;
b) leurs politique et usages en ce qui touche la revendication du statut de réfugié au sens de la Convention sur les réfugiés et les obligations découlant de la Convention contre la torture;
c) leurs antécédents en matière de respect des droits de la personne;
d) le fait qu’ils sont ou non parties à un accord avec le Canada concernant le partage de la responsabilité de l’examen des demandes d’asile.
(non souligné dans l’original)
[23] The legislation also requires ongoing review by the GIC of any country it designates as safe under section 102(1)(a). Section 102(3) provides as follows:
102 (3) The Governor in Council must ensure the continuing review of factors set out in subsection (2) with respect to each designated country.
102 (3) Le gouverneur en conseil assure le suivi de l’examen des facteurs à l’égard de chacun des pays désignés.
[24] By virtue of section 5(1) of IRPA, Parliament conferred on the GIC the power to make regulations under the Act. Regulations must conform to section 3 of the IRPA. Subsection 3(d) and (f) are relevant to the matter in issue:
(3) This Act is to be construed and applied in a manner that
[…]
(d) ensures that decisions taken under this Act are consistent with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, including its principles of equality and freedom from discrimination and of the equality of English and French as the official languages of Canada;
[…]
(f) complies with international human rights instruments to which Canada is signatory.
(3) L’interprétation et la mise en oeuvre de la présente loi doivent avoir pour effet :
[…]
d) d’assurer que les décisions prises en vertu de la présente loi sont conformes à la Charte canadienne des droits et libertés, notamment en ce qui touche les principes, d’une part, d’égalité et de protection contre la discrimination et, d’autre part, d’égalité du français et de l’anglais à titre de langues officielles du Canada;
[…]
f) de se conformer aux instruments internationaux portant sur les droits de l’homme dont le Canada est signataire.
[25] The provisions of the Charter which have been raised in this judicial review are:
1. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees the rights and freedoms set out in it subject only to such reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society.
7. Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of the person and the right not to be deprived thereof except in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice.
15. (1) Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination and, in particular, without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability.
1. La Charte canadienne des droits et libertés garantit les droits et libertés qui y sont énoncés. Ils ne peuvent être restreints que par une règle de droit, dans des limites qui soient raisonnables et dont la justification puisse se démontrer dans le cadre d'une société libre et démocratique.
7. Chacun a droit à la vie, à la liberté et à la sécurité de sa personne; il ne peut être porté atteinte à ce droit qu'en conformité avec les principes de justice fondamentale.
15. (1) La loi ne fait acception de personne et s'applique également à tous, et tous ont droit à la même protection et au même bénéfice de la loi, indépendamment de toute discrimination, notamment des discriminations fondées sur la race, l'origine nationale ou ethnique, la couleur, la religion, le sexe, l'âge ou les déficiences mentales ou physiques.
[26] In accordance with the regulation-making power under IRPA s. 102(1), the Governor-in-Council enacted paragraph 159.3 of the STCA Regulations which designated the U.S. as a country that complies with Article 33 of the Refugee Convention and Article 3 of CAT on October 12, 2004. This designation is the central point of contention in this judicial review.
[27] Paragraph 159.5 outlines the exceptions to the general rule provided for in paragraph 101(1)(e) of IRPA that a claim is not to be referred to the Refugee Protection Division. These exceptions cover generally the following classes of persons:
• family members of Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and protected persons;
• unaccompanied minors;
• holders of Canadian travel documents;
• persons who do not need visas to enter Canada, but need visas to enter the U.S.;
• persons who were refused entry to the U.S. without having their claim adjudicated or permanent residents of Canada being removed from the U.S.;
• persons who are subject to the death penalty; and
• persons who are nationals of countries to which the relevant Minister has imposed a stay on removal orders.
[28] Once a Canadian immigration officer determines that a claimant does not fall within one of these stated exceptions, the officer retains no discretion to allow the claimant into Canada. The person must be returned to the U.S.
[29] A feature of the STCA regime is that, in accordance with the Regulations, it only operates at land ports of entry. The STCA regime does not apply to travellers arriving in Canada by air or water from the U.S.
[30] The RIAS states that the STCA reflects a “widespread and growing international consensus that no refugee receiving country can, on its own, solve the refugee problems of the world. International obligations necessitate a sharing of responsibility.”
B. Governor-in-Council’s Decision-Making Process
[31] The RIAS states that consultations were undertaken with NGOs who oppose the STCA both on principle, and because they do not feel the U.S. meets its international refugee protection obligations. The RIAS notes that it considered submissions from interested parties as to whether the U.S. is a safe country, including information provided as to detention practices, expedited removal and mandatory bars to asylum. The RIAS states that these concerns resulted mainly in the expansion of the existing exceptions. The Government also engaged in a gender-based analysis and found that the body of case law is broadly supportive of gender-based claims in the U.S.
[32] The RIAS also states that after the Regulations were pre-published in 2002, the Government continued to monitor developments in the U.S. It further notes that a process for ongoing review, in accordance with subsection 102(3), was already in the making. Furthermore, the RIAS claims that the Government would be in a better position to determine impact after the implementation of the Regulations.
[33] According to the Respondent, on May 29, 2006, in testimony before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration (Standing Committee), Mr. Jahanshah Assadi, the UNHCR representative in Canada, stated that the UNHCR considers the U.S. to be a safe country.
C. Application of the Regulations/Operation of the STCA
[34] The UNCHR, Canada, and U.S. One-Year Review (contained at Exhibit TH2 to Tom Heinz’s affidavit) (One-Year Review Report) provides an overview of the process involved in applying the STCA. First, a person who makes a claim for refugee protection must undergo admissibility and eligibility determinations. The Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) is responsible for administering the port of entry (POE) process. Upon making a claim for protection at the POE, an individual appears before a CBSA Border Services Officer for an examination in order to determine whether his or her claim is eligible to be referred to the IRB. An eligibility decision must be made within three working days after receipt of the claim or the claim will be deemed referred to the IRB. Pursuant to the STCA, persons whose claims are found to be ineligible and who are issued a removal order can be removed to the U.S. Removals are most often conducted on the same day.
[35] Upon making a claim for refugee protection, the eligibility determination of the claim by one officer is reviewed by a separate decision maker (Minister’s Delegate). The appeal process of the delegate’s decision is by way of judicial review, often from outside the country. There are thus two levels of review of a determination of ineligibility under the STCA.
[36] However, the effect of the operation of the STCA is, upon determining that the person is one who has come by land from the U.S., to return that person to the U.S. without further regard to their personal situation including any consideration of their refugee claim or their concerns about being returned to the U.S. The effect is to deprive a person of the ability to claim refugee protection in Canada.
III. STANDING
[37] The Respondent has challenged the standing of the three organizations to bring this judicial review. In particular, the Respondent says that these organizations fail to meet the third prong of the standing test – the absence of any other reasonable and effective manner to have this matter brought before a court. The argument is made in the face of the operation of the STCA in Canada, which has as its purpose the immediate return of the putative claimant to the U.S. – ideally on the same day as their arrival.
[38] The test for public interest standing was established in Thorson v. Canada (Attorney General), [1974] 1 S.C.R. 138, where the Supreme Court established three factors that must be met for standing to be granted. These factors are also discussed, to the same effect, in Borowski v. Canada (Attorney General) et. al., [1989] 1 S.C.R. 342, and Finlay v. Canada (Minister of Finance), [1986] 2 S.C.R. 607. The questions to be examined are whether:
1. there is a serious issue to be tried (as to the invalidity of the legislation);
2. the person has been affected directly or has a genuine interest as a citizen in the validity of the legislation; and
3. there is no other reasonable and effective manner in which the issue may be brought before the Court.
[39] The Respondent submits that the Applicants CCR, CCC and AI failed to satisfy the third criteria of the test for obtaining public interest standing, which requires that there must be no other reasonable and effective manner in which the issue may be brought before the Court. Individuals who are directly affected by the designation of the U.S. as a safe third country are available and would be in a better position to litigate this matter. Although John Doe arguably has a personal interest in the litigation, the Respondent argues the Applicants do not address the issues from his perspective. According to the Respondent, allegations of a Charter breach should only be evaluated on the basis of a proper factual record.
[40] The Supreme Court in Canadian Council of Churches v. Canada (Minister of Employment and Immigration), [1992] 1 S.C.R. 236 at 253, applied the standing test in a similar context as this case. The Supreme Court affirmed that this test was the appropriate test for challenging legislation and did not need to be adapted. The Supreme Court then reviewed the standing of Canadian Council of Churches to bring an action challenging several provisions in the then Immigration Act. The Court held that the CCC failed to satisfy the third prong of the test. However, its reasons for doing so were that refugees from within Canada were capable of bringing the full challenge on their own. Justice Cory stated:
[…] The challenged legislation is regulatory in nature and directly affects all refugee claimants in this country. Each one of them has standing to initiate a constitutional challenge to secure his or her own rights under the Charter. The applicant Council recognizes the possibility that actions could be brought but argues that the disadvantages which refugees face as a group preclude their effective use of access to the court. I cannot accept that submission […]
From the material presented, it is clear that individual claimants for refugee status, who have every right to challenge the legislation, have in fact done so. There are, therefore, other reasonable methods of bringing the matter before the Court. On this ground, the applicant must fail. I would hasten to add that this should not be interpreted as a mechanistic application of a technical requirement. Rather it must be remembered that the basic purpose for allowing public interest standing is to ensure that legislation is not immunized from challenge. Thus the very rationale for the public interest litigation party disappears. The Council must, therefore, be denied standing on each of the counts of the statement of claims […]
[41] Justice Cory held that it is a matter of the courts’ discretion to grant public interest standing when challenging administrative action. The balance must be struck between access to the courts and preserving judicial resources. The granting of public interest standing is not required when, on the balance of probabilities, the measure will be subject to attack by a private litigant.
[42] Justice Cory also held at paragraph 36 that “when exercising the discretion [to grant standing] the applicable principles should be interpreted in a liberal and generous manner”.
[43] In this instance, no refugee from within Canada can bring the claim. Instead, a challenge requires a refugee from outside of Canada to bring the challenge. The Applicants provide some evidence indicating that most claimants in the U.S. who might be caught by the STCA would be unwilling to undertake this litigation. Some would be afraid that becoming involved in litigation might bring their presence to the attention of U.S. authorities and put them at risk of being deported or detained and put in the very position in the U.S. of refoulement which forms the basis of this Court challenge.
[44] Chaoulli v. Quebec (Attorney General), [2005] 1 S.C.R. 791, addresses some of the realities involved in public interest litigation by vulnerable persons. There, a doctor and a patient challenged legislation that prohibited private health insurance on the ground that the delays in the public system violated the Charter and the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms. Justice Deschamps considered the issue and determined that the doctor and patient both had standing. Her analysis is found at paragraph 35 of that judgment.
Clearly, a challenge based on a charter, whether it be the Canadian Charter or the Quebec Charter, must have an actual basis in fact: Operation Dismantle Inc. v. The Queen, [1985] 1 S.C.R. 441. However, the question is not whether the appellants are able to show that they are personally affected by an infringement. The issues in the instant case are of public interest and the test from Minister of Justice of Canada v. Borowski, [1981] 2 S.C.R. 575, applies. The issue must be serious, the claimants must be directly affected or have a genuine interest as citizens and there must be no other effective means available to them. These conditions have been met. The issue of the validity of the prohibition is serious. Chaoulli is a physician and Zeliotis is a patient who has suffered as a result of waiting lists. They have a genuine interest in the legal proceedings. Finally, there is no effective way to challenge the validity of the provisions other than by recourse to the courts
[45] Even in dissenting opinions in that judgment, there was agreement on the issue of standing. Justice Binnie and Justice LeBel, at paragraph 189, underscored the practical difficulties in finding a person to initiate the litigation.
All three of these conditions [set out in Borowski] are met in the present case…the appellants advance the broad claim that the Quebec health plan is unconstitutional for systemic reasons. They do not limit themselves to the circumstances of any particular patient. Their argument is not limited to a case-by-case consideration. They make the generic argument that Quebec's chronic waiting lists destroy Quebec's legislative authority to draw the line against private health insurance. From a practical point of view, while individual patients could be expected to bring their own cases to court if they wished to do so, it would be unreasonable to expect a seriously ailing person to bring a systemic cha