wustice

T’S hard to disagree with the
lawyers for a group of Koreans
accused of bringing a boatioad of
Chinese migrant: to Canads iliegalty.
/ They have asked the courts to dis-
- . iniss charges against their nine clients
: because of what they say is the unrea-
sonable delay in processing their case.

The Korean fish boat crew mem- -

bers were arrested after 131 Chinese
migrants were. dropped in a remote
- bay in the Queen Chariotte Islands
back in. August. They were’ subse-
quently charged with assorted
Immigration Act violations.
A trial date for the nine was recent-
ly set for May 23, approximately nine
nths from the time of their arrest.
‘Justice: delayed remains justice
ied... But everything. ‘connected
th immigration inthis country
moves at Beological speed.

le ie to Se chp
os: budere eon a Dec!17. News 3

yon a‘'D Ne ry. i:

Pro ‘on the unexpected ‘windfall for local government. -

WIEW POINT:

elayed

Processing the hundreds of
migrants that washed up on B.C.’s
coast this year continues to drag on.
In the meantime, refugee claimants
awaiting hearings continue to disap-
pear into the wilds of North America
never to be heard from by the
Immigration and Refugee Eoard
again. Those who remain in custedy
stage hunger strikes to protest their
incarceration.

Delay in processing refugecs, delay :

in bringing the accused in human
smuggling rings to trial, delay in
making any changes to the country’s
sieve-like refugee and immigration
system to shore up its leaks all add up
to an immigration system: that is the
laughing stock of the civilized worid.

.The trouble és not many on this
side of the border are having. too

many laughs about it.

MY ALLOWANCE
IN U.S. FUNDS

ON CANADIAN YouTH

Has Jean got it right atk

THE Clarity Act, tabled in the
“ Commons last week to set the

‘rules for any faure |
‘bid by Quebec to .
‘secede; will almost :
certainly assure °°
Jean. Chretien his
pedestal in history.

ne way.or another, '
Because of the
nit declining enchu
-'siasm of Quebecers :
themiselves “for any carly”
vereign'
dum, the PM's initiative

Dec: 17 tripk bill of. gam ack has split the'r
do oma Dec..17-* opposed camps: the “ler-slee ins g-dogs
lic® worriers “Tery leader Joe
} fi sock” em-whil
° they’re-do ri

Not that the Clazity Act in itself sets oo

ae k”

d legislation simply a aims’;

the sccéssion ganic:
again,’so that Quebec: vor
perfectly cle about the odds the
separatists face:'And those confor
meticulously to, the. 1998 ruling of the
Siipreme Court of Canada of 1c matter,
essence, the. ccurt. ruled that unilat-
cral secession by Quebec is legal...
Secession. ‘can enly legally happen after.
of its terms with Ottawa and:

ing:y

for edichial purposes: (From'a‘Dec.:

mate territorial

».€orridor through Q

Arlantic provine partitic
‘Quebec itself so_as th rerai a ees
Canada those arcag that'dec

than 50%-plus-one and the latter must
ask Quebecers, simply and bluntly,
whether they want to be an independent *
“nation with no guaran:
“tee of future ties with ©
Canada (the convoluted
1995 referendum ques- »
* :don conned many :
“= Quebee voters into
believing they could
“divorce,” sort-of, from:
Canada while revain
bedroom privileges): .
“> Sounder the new
“Charity Act; if ever.
: Lucien Bouchard :

opening a.
can of Worms for Quebee! *
La Belle Provine would hav

conifer be. expected fon a'disapproving
U.S. administration.

ego many
detailed i items could obviculy drag‘on