Stephen Harper’s government was warned eight months ago that a “perfect storm” of factors could result in a rush of Sri Lankan Tamils being smuggled into Canada, newly released records show.
The documents have come to light as Mr. Harper’s government readies measures to deter boatloads of illegal migrants – like the 490 Tamils who rode the MV Sun Sea to Canada in August.
Immigration experts say it’s surprising, given this revelation, that the Conservatives began talking publicly about a crackdown on human smuggling only when the Sun Sea neared Canada last month.
Sources say options for discouraging vessels of refugee claimants will be brought before the Harper cabinet during the week of Sept. 19. Measures under consideration are believed to include intercepting ships at sea, enacting harsher penalties for those behind the smuggling operations – and striking deals with allies to stop boats before they head to Canada.
The first of the Sun Sea arrivals in B.C. was ordered released from detention on Monday by the Immigration and Refugee Board. The refugee claimant, a pregnant woman with three children, could be freed after she provides an address where she will be staying.
Newly disclosed government records show that red flags were being raised about a mass influx of “irregular migration” by Tamils months before the Sun Sea appeared on Ottawa’s radar.
The documents were obtained under the access to information law by Vancouver immigration lawyer Richard Kurland.
A Jan. 12, 2010, report for the Canadian government said that the end of the 30-year Sri-Lankan civil war and the release of more than 100,000 displaced Tamils from containment camps are creating a “significant challenge for Canada” on the immigration front.
“The economic and social issues caused by the civil war coupled with a relatively wealthy international Tamil Diaspora results in a large push/pull factor for human smuggling and trafficking,” the report by Canadian officials said.
“Some have called this a perfect storm as overseas friends, family and relatives appear willing to fund irregular migration operations. As Canada has over 250,000 former Sri Lankan nationals living in the country, Canada will be a target destination.”
The Harper government on Monday declined to elaborate on how it responded to the January alert, citing “operational security.”
A spokesman for Public Safety Minister Vic Toews would say only that the report was correct and that “the government has been receiving intelligence and working on this file for many months.”
Christopher McCluskey declined to speak about Ottawa’s plans but said the Tories will “toughen our laws to ensure that we are able to protect our borders and defeat human smuggling.”
Speaking about the Colombo report, Mr. Kurland says he rarely sees such stark language in embassy dispatches.
“You don’t see clarity like that.”
The message, he said, was clear: “Gird your loins and prepare for migration challenges.”
That should have filtered to the top in Ottawa and raised alarm within the all-powerful Privy Council Office, Mr. Kurland said, prompting a strong response from Canadian authorities.
But “it may be that bureaucratic inertia won the battle,” he said.
One senior federal official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the government began working seriously on measures to deter ship-borne migrants in August after Mr. Harper demanded action.
Prior to that, the official said, “people thought [the threat of migrant boats] was a communication challenge to be managed rather than a chronic policy dilemma to be confronted.
With a report from Marten Yousseff
