Abstract

Refugee laws, as well as national security policies, have recently been an area of focus for both international communities, and governments of nation-states. With an increase in terrorist threats covering a wider geographical territory than previously thought, shifts in national policies have focused on an increase in defence and security parameters, while tighter controls are put in place for refugee admissibility. The 1951 International Refugee Convention definition, put in place to aid refugee flows, has been increasingly taken out of context and manipulated severely enough to allow nation-states high degrees of independence in matters of refugee controls. This has been demonstrated by a gradual decrease in human rights standards in the past 50 years. The goals of this thesis are, firstly, to understand how refugee protection was first put in place internationally, and secondly, how Canadian policies have evolved in terms of refugee protection, with particular attention given to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. By plotting an evolutionary perspective on policies dealing with refugees, one is better able to understand the historical influences of certain political decisions. Compiling some of the past influences and trends surrounding refugee laws will shed some light on how best to formulate policies for the near future, with hopes of conserving human rights standards in matters of refugee protection, as well as maintaining the objectives of tighter security measures. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)