Question Period Note: CLIMATE MIGRATION AND DISPLACEMENT

The UN Human Rights Committee has expressed the view that removal of a person to a country severely impacted by climate change may be, under certain circumstances, a violation of their right to life. Some media articles have claimed that this opens the door to climate change-related asylum claims. In November 2021, the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) drew more attention to the issues of environmental migration and displacement.

• The fight against climate change is the global challenge of our generation. Among the impacts from a changing climate is the potential for displacement and migration.
• My colleague, the Minister of International Development, is leading efforts on humanitarian assistance and helping countries, including in the Caribbean, build resilience to climate change and natural disasters so that people can stay in their communities.
• Moreover, in the event of sudden-onset climate events or natural disasters, my Department has special measures that it can put in place, such as expedited application processing for cases already in our system, and the extension of temporary residence visas for individuals already in Canada.

Climate Change and Migration
• The Government of Canada recognizes that climate change has broad implications on health, agriculture, economy, trade, infrastructure, displacement and migration. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) consistently monitors the implications of climate change on migration and displacement patterns and flows, including work by international bodies related to these issues.

• The use of the terms “climate refugee” and “environmental refugee” can cause confusion: a refugee is a person who has fled their country because of a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion.

• In accordance with the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, Canada’s refugee program is about saving lives and offering protection to the forcibly displaced and persecuted. Canada remains steadfast in offering protection to Convention refugees, who are found to have a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons or race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion. Canada continues to be a top resettlement country and plans to continue in this tradition to respond to displacement and humanitarian crises worldwide, as well as working with other states to encourage them to address global resettlement needs.

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• In cases of sudden-onset environmental events, IRCC has also expedited applications already in the system and extended temporary resident visas for those already in Canada. For example, in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Canada expedited immigration applications from Haitians with family in Canada, and allowed Haitians who were in the country temporarily to extend their stay.

• In addition, CBSA can implement temporary measures when immediate action is needed to temporarily defer removals in situations of humanitarian crisis: Temporary Suspensions of Removals and Administrative Deferral of Removals.

• Developing countries, particularly the least developed, are the hardest hit by climate change. Migration is but one of many adaptation strategies to climate change. Canada is committed to addressing climate change and its effects, including by providing help to people displaced by climate-related disasters through humanitarian assistance. Canada’s international climate financing also continues to support developing countries in their efforts to build resiliency, mitigate and adapt, and to help address the adverse effects of climate change, so that people can stay in their communities, rather than leave due to increasingly inhospitable environments.

• Global Affairs Canada (GAC) provides international climate finance to help developing countries build climate resilience. GAC also leads Canada's responses to both sudden- and slow-onset natural disasters through humanitarian assistance.

UN Human Rights Committee’s Views

• On January 7, 2020, the UN Human Rights Committee issued its views on a complaint by a Kiribati national who alleged that New Zealand had failed to uphold his right to life by deporting him back to Kiribati after he sought asylum based on the impacts of climate change in his country.

• The Committee’s views were that New Zealand would not violate this individual’s right to life by removing him to Kiribati, but added that an individual’s right to life may in some cases be threatened by the impacts of environmental degradation, climate change and unsustainable development.

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• As in previous years, COP26 brought visibility to the climate-migration nexus and helped advance discussions on the topic. The relevance of the climate-migration nexus is confirmed by contemporary climate science (e.g., the reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). It is widely recognized that environmental migration is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon that can amplify existing vulnerabilities, but also allow people to build resilience. There is now increasing awareness that migration policy options should also be considered to tackle this issue.

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