Question Period Note: Uyghurs

IRCC’s response to the persecution of Uyghur people in China.

• The Government of Canada is deeply concerned about the serious human rights violations in Xinjiang affecting Uyghurs and other Muslim ethnic minorities, as outlined in the recent UN report.
• Canada condemns human rights violations by China, alongside our allies and the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
• Canada is working with international partners to adopt a comprehensive approach to defend the rights of Uyghurs and other Muslim ethnic minorities. This includes imposing sanctions and taking measures, such as supporting bill S-211, to address forced labour of Uyghurs.
• Canada is proud to be a global leader in refugee resettlement. Our resettlement programs are available to those most in need of protection around the world, including Uyghurs and other Muslim ethnic minorities who have fled persecution in China.
If pressed on protection:
• Canada is committed to providing protection to vulnerable individuals in need of resettlement.
• In keeping with international best practices, Canada relies on referrals from the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to identify the refugees most in need of resettlement and those cases requiring urgent attention are identified for priority processing.
• The Government of Canada continues to monitor the plight of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang.
If pressed on Motion-62
• The safety of Uyghur refugees is a high priority.
• As Motion M-62 notes, this population continues to face intimidation and pressure by the Government of China, and countries hosting them face pressure as well. We are not in a position to comment at this time as it could put this vulnerable population at risk.
General
• Canada is coordinating with international partners to adopt a comprehensive approach to defending Uyghur rights, including adopting measures to address goods made by forced labour in Xinjiang.
• On June 16, 2021, the Government of Canada announced a dedicated refugee stream for human rights defenders at risk, in addition to our existing refugee resettlement program.
• Uyghur human rights defenders who have fled China and sought protection in another country may be referred for resettlement to Canada, including under this new stream.

• Publicly and privately, in multilateral settings as well as in bilateral dialogues, Canada has consistently called on the Chinese government to address and end the repression in Xinjiang.

• The Government of Canada continues to monitor the plight of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang and as announced on January 12, 2021, is coordinating with international partners to adopt a comprehensive approach to defending their rights, including measures to address goods made by forced labour in Xinjiang.

• In February 2021, Canada’s House of Commons unanimously adopted a motion to declare China's treatment of its Uyghur minority population a genocide, although Cabinet Ministers abstained. In March 2021, the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development released a report on the Human Rights Situation of Uyghurs in Xinjiang, which included a recommendation for the Government of Canada to resettle Uyghur refugees in need of protection.

• On June 21, 2022 1 Private Members’ Motion M-62 was introduced by Liberal MP Sameer Zuberi, which calls for the Government to resettle 10,000 Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in need of protection over two years starting in 2024 and table in the House, within 120 sitting days following the adoption of the motion, a refugee resettlement plan. The Private Members’ Motion is expected to be debated on October 26, 2022.

• On October 24, 2022, Conservative Party MP Garnett Genuis moved a concurrence debate motion in the House on CIMM’s 6th Report, Supporting Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims to find safety in Canada, which calls on the Government to extend special immigration measures to Uyghurs, allow displaced Uyghurs in third countries to seek refuge in Canada, and waive the UNHCR refugee determination. During the debate, members called for the need to deal with Uyghur matters urgently, including through special immigration measures – as was done for situations such as Afghanistan and Ukraine - and increased private sponsorship for Uyghurs, and expressed concern for the Government not yet having a position on motion M-62. A deferred recorded division is scheduled to be held October 25.

• On August 31, 2022, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) released a report on the human rights situation in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The report stated that "serious human rights violations have been committed" in Xinjiang in the context of the government's application of "counter-terrorism and counter-'extremism' strategies" and that China‘s detention of Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim ethnic groups in the region may constitute “crimes against humanity,”

• On September 1, 2022 Canada released a statement calling the release of this much-anticipated report “critical” and “an important contribution to the mounting evidence of serious, systemic human rights abuses and violations occurring in Xinjiang”.

• The Government of China has been employing various strategies to persecute Uyghur and other Muslim groups living in Xinjiang, including mass arbitrary detentions, forced labour, torture, pervasive state surveillance, and population control, as validated by the UN report findings.

Access to Existing Refugee Programs
• Under Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and Regulations, individuals fleeing persecution on the basis of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group, or are in need of protection from torture, may qualify for refugee protection.

• Uyghurs identified as refugees, and referred by UNHCR or by a private sponsor to Canada, are eligible for resettlement under current refugee processing streams: Government Assisted, Privately Sponsored or Blended Visa Officer Referred.

• IRCC adheres to non-discrimination and respects the privacy of applicants, and does not systematically track information on refugees’ ethnicity or religion. Statistics on the number of Uyghur people resettled to Canada are therefore unavailable.

• The Government of Canada also launched on June 16, 2021, a dedicated refugee stream to provide safe haven to human rights defenders at risk, for a total of up to 250 persons annually, including family members. This commitment is over and above existing refugee resettlement targets. This new refugee resettlement stream is being created in recognition of the particular risks that human rights defenders face.

• Persons in Canada who have a well-founded fear of persecution under the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees or a danger of torture under the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, or a risk to their life or of cruel and unusual treatment or punishment in other countries can request Canada’s protection by making an asylum claim.

• Asylum claims made in Canada are adjudicated by the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB), an independent administrative tribunal, based on an individual assessment of the merits of each claim.

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