For an organization with a budget of nearly $350-million and 2,500 employees, the IRB is something of a mystery.
Structurally, it is an outlier, at “arm’s length” from government. Most organizations of that size and scope do not have the authority to develop public policy without the involvement of ministers, deputy ministers and possibly cabinet. But the IRB possesses policy authorities into which the rest of government has limited lines of sight.
This may help explain how the IRB was able to adopt a policy that dispensed with core adjudicative safeguards, and accepted refugee claims solely on the basis of the written application, without in-person hearings. This has significant implications for the integrity of Canada’s refugee system.
This is the report the article mentions – Accepting Asylum Claims Without a Hearing: A Critique of IRB’s “File Review” Policy
Accepting Asylum Claims Without a Hearing – A Critique of IRB’s File Review Policy
I would put reform of the IRB on every pols must do list as it has done huge harm to Canada as constituted.
