E/CN.4/2001/83/Add.1
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9.
The Special Rapporteur later went to the reception centre run by COSTI, a social services
and education agency, where she had an opportunity to talk to various refugee claimants. COSTI
was founded by the Italian community in Canada in order to coordinate a number of services
available to immigrants during the post-war period. COSTI’s mandate is to provide services to
persons who have recently arrived in Canada and members of their families. The Special
Rapporteur visited the reception centre and met a group of refugees who had recently arrived in
Canada and were attending a self-expression class given by a psychologist. The persons
attending the class held an open dialogue with the Special Rapporteur and expressed their hopes
and concerns. At the Special Rapporteur’s request, the CIC allowed her to visit the “Celebrity
Inn” detention centre for immigrants where, after visiting the premises, she interviewed several
male and female detainees.
10.
Also in Toronto, the Special Rapporteur attended the forum on migration convened by
the Canadian-Asia Working Group (an NGO), which was attended by members of a large
number of NGOs and trade union organizations, including the Canadian Labour Congress, the
Community Caregivers’ Cooperative (NGO comprising female domestic workers), Migrant
Agricultural Workers, United Farm Workers of America, United Food and Commercial
Workers’ International Union and the Migrant Women’s Collective, and a representative of
Frontier College. On the question of undocumented migrants, statements were made by
representatives of the following organizations: Metro Toronto Chinese and South-east Asian
Legal Clinic, Parkdale Community Legal Clinic and Migrant Sex Workers’ Advocacy Group. In
addition, the Special Rapporteur met representatives of the Inter-Church Committee on
Refugees, the Toronto Research Project and the Global Alliance against Trafficking in Women,
the independent expert Hélène Moussa, Ratna Omidvar and Andrew Brouwer of the Maytree
Foundation, Ms. Abigail Bakan of the Department of Political Science of Queen’s University,
Intercede, and Mr. Michael Creol of the Centre for Refugee Studies of the University of York.
In the context of these meetings, the organizers enabled the Special Rapporteur to meet
personally with male and female migrants whose cases were being dealt with by the
non-governmental and trade union organizations represented. She also met female domestic
workers from the Philippines, temporary agricultural workers and two migrant women who
identified themselves as sex workers.
11.
On the afternoon of 23 September the Special Rapporteur travelled to Vancouver, where
she stayed until 26 September. During her visit to this city, she had meetings with
representatives of the government of British Columbia, the CIC regional office, and the
Immigration and Refugee Board. She interviewed, inter alia, Mr. Michael Smith, CIC Regional
Director, and members of his staff, and Mr. Richard Jackson, Assistant Deputy Chairperson of
the IRB’s Convention Refugee Determination Division. She participated in a round table
organized by the government of British Columbia, which was attended by Mr. Bert Phipps,
Deputy Provincial Director of the Adult Custody Department, and Ms. Mary Clare Zak, Director
of the Community Liaison Division within the British Columbia Ministry of Multiculturalism
and Immigration.
12.
The Special Rapporteur had a meeting at Simon Fraser University which was attended by
various faculty members and representatives of the following NGOs: Direct Action against
Refugee Exploitation (DARE), Filipino Canadians’ Organization, Vancouver Association of
Chinese Canadians, Filipino Nurses’ Support Group, Philippine Women’s Centre of