E/CN.4/2001/83/Add.1 page 22 Government 83. The Special Rapporteur encourages the Government of Canada to continue its efforts to involve NGOs working with migrants and the academic world in the development of integration and settlement policies. She also encourages the Government to take advantage of the experience of these groups in the development of its immigration policy, taking into account the best ways of preventing discrepancies between legislation and the reality for which it was drafted. 84. The Special Rapporteur recognizes Canada’s effort to involve these groups in migration issues. More specifically, she recognizes the role of the Canadian Government in the Puebla Process and encourages it to continue with and further develop this type of forum. 85. The Special Rapporteur requests the Canadian Government to take the necessary steps to provide psychological care to persons held in detention centres, in order to assist those affected by depression and to ensure that they are not left too long without qualified medical attention. 86. The Special Rapporteur shares the Canadian Government’s concern regarding the risk that unaccompanied minors may fall into the hands of traffickers or unscrupulous individuals. In this respect, she urges the Government to seek solutions with host families as a means of keeping minors out of detention centres. 87. The Special Rapporteur welcomes plans to draw up codes of conduct for security staff in detention centres. She urges the Canadian Government to ensure that persons who are detained and carry no criminal record are dealt with in reception centres by staff able to respond to that type of situation, in order to avoid the sort of situation which occurred at the Prince George centre, for example. 88. The Special Rapporteur encourages the Canadian Government to ratify the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. In this respect, she encourages the Canadian Government to keep up its good practice of respecting and defending human rights by supporting this international instrument, which will provide protection to migrant workers and their families not only in Canada, but also in many other countries where Canada, through its support, is endeavouring to ensure that all human rights are respected and protected for all. 89. The Special Rapporteur wishes to draw the Canadian Government’s attention to the question of xenophobia, racism and racial discrimination, by which unfortunately the whole world is nowadays affected. The Government should be aware of the problem and how it affects migrants. Xenophobic and racist behaviour contributes nothing either to the future or to the democratic development of society, and an immediate effort must be made to prevent it from manifesting itself.

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