The Designated Country of Origin Policy: Help or Hindrance to Canada's Refugee System?

Abstract

The Canadian government recently amended the “Immigration and Refugee Protection Ac” in an attempt to address the long processing times facing refugee claimants and the high cost of the system. Bill C 31, enacted in 2012, was designed to reduce the number of false refugee claimants and, thereby, reduce the backlog of claims and associated costs. A particularly controversial component of the 2012 reform was the Designated Country of Origin (DCO) Policy, which establishes a list of “safe” countries for whose residents it will be much more difficult to claim asylum in Canada. This study reviews the DCO policy, setting it in comparative context, and providing a preliminary assessment of its effectiveness. The study also reviews the significant controversy that the DCO policy has attracted. Although the policy is unlikely to be dismantled, as many critics suggest, one can glean from both the criticisms and the international comparisons, that some areas have room for improvement. The study thus concludes with several recommendations for fine- tuning the DCO policy.