Settling the Law: An Empirical Assessment of Decision-Making and Judicial Review in Canada\u27s Refugee Resettlement System

In light of rising numbers in the global refugee population, as well as new ideas for reforming the international refugee regime that emphasize refugee containment, there is reason to reaffirm refugee resettlement as a solid mechanism for burden-sharing, and perhaps the only obtainable durable solution for refugees in a protracted refugee situation. Canada has operated a robust refugee resettlement program for decades and is now presenting its private sponsorship of refugees program as a model to the rest of the world. Despite the significance of Canadas resettlement program, both domestically and internationally, few studies have investigated how the program is deployed on the ground and how it is integrated within Canadas legal system. This dissertation explores, through empirical methodologies, how Canadas refugee resettlement framework operates as a legal process, with a focus on visa officer first instance decision-making and judicial review. The dissertation also investigates the role of refugee resettlement within Canadas broader refugee policy and explores the evolving dynamics within the private sponsorship of refugees program. The analysis relies primarily on a dataset of 403 Federal Court judicial review court files submitted by rejected resettlement applicants between 2011 and 2015. The data on visa officer decision-making reveals concerning trends in various areas of decision-making, including documenting decisions, assessing credibility, assessing objective evidence, and dealing with language barriers and gender-based claims. The data also shows problematic interpretations of legislative criteria, including local integration, successful establishment, and inadmissibility. These shortcomings have serious consequences for refugee applicants, who are entitled to a fair and accurate decision, but also for sponsors in Canada, whose commitment for sponsorship may fade in the face of repeated problematic decisions. The analyses of judicial review outcomes show that leave grant rates are much higher in overseas refugee cases than in inland cases. The data also shows that some extra-legal factors, including lawyer experience and city of filing, are correlated to variations in outcomes. The wide variation in grant rates among individual Federal Court judges observed in the inland refugee context is also partly reflected in the dataset. In a more general sense, the data suggests that judicial review plays a limited role in the refugee resettlement program because of various legal and practical factors. Very few resettlement applicants have the financial or informational resources to pursue judicial review. As such, judicial review is an inaccessible avenue for the vast majority of resettlement applicants. Access to judicial review is further limited by the leave requirement, which deprives more than a third of applicants from having their case heard on the merits. In addition, the government settles out of court a surprisingly high proportion of cases. This practice raises concerns around IRCCs potential use of case settlement as a method to insulate objectionable practices from judicial and public scrutiny, and avoid restrictive precedents. Considering the important practical difficulties refugee applicants face in accessing judicial review, this dissertation suggests that the most promising avenue for improving the legal infrastructure of refugee resettlement is to strengthen first instance decision-making through administrative changes. A few recommendations are offered in this regard, including increasing visa officer training, reverting to the automatic internal review of refusals, and instituting audio recording of interviews. I also argue that two regulatory changes are needed in order to bring Canadas resettlement framework more in line with UNHCR guidelines and the principle of refugee protection, namely the elimination the successful establishment and the UNHCR documentation requirements

Settling the Law: An Empirical Assessment of Decision-Making and Judicial Review in Canada's Refugee Resettlement System

In light of rising numbers in the global refugee population, as well as new ideas for reforming the international refugee regime that emphasize refugee containment, there is reason to reaffirm refugee resettlement as a solid mechanism for burden-sharing, and perhaps the only obtainable durable solution for refugees in a protracted refugee situation. Canada has operated a robust refugee resettlement program for decades and is now presenting its private sponsorship of refugees program as a model to the rest of the world. Despite the significance of Canadas resettlement program, both domestically and internationally, few studies have investigated how the program is deployed on the ground and how it is integrated within Canadas legal system. This dissertation explores, through empirical methodologies, how Canadas refugee resettlement framework operates as a legal process, with a focus on visa officer first instance decision-making and judicial review. The dissertation also investigates the role of refugee resettlement within Canadas broader refugee policy and explores the evolving dynamics within the private sponsorship of refugees program. The analysis relies primarily on a dataset of 403 Federal Court judicial review court files submitted by rejected resettlement applicants between 2011 and 2015. The data on visa officer decision-making reveals concerning trends in various areas of decision-making, including documenting decisions, assessing credibility, assessing objective evidence, and dealing with language barriers and gender-based claims. The data also shows problematic interpretations of legislative criteria, including local integration, successful establishment, and inadmissibility. These shortcomings have serious consequences for refugee applicants, who are entitled to a fair and accurate decision, but also for sponsors in Canada, whose commitment for sponsorship may fade in the face of repeated problematic decisions. The analyses of judicial review outcomes show that leave grant rates are much higher in overseas refugee cases than in inland cases. The data also shows that some extra-legal factors, including lawyer experience and city of filing, are correlated to variations in outcomes. The wide variation in grant rates among individual Federal Court judges observed in the inland refugee context is also partly reflected in the dataset. In a more general sense, the data suggests that judicial review plays a limited role in the refugee resettlement program because of various legal and practical factors. Very few resettlement applicants have the financial or informational resources to pursue judicial review. As such, judicial review is an inaccessible avenue for the vast majority of resettlement applicants. Access to judicial review is further limited by the leave requirement, which deprives more than a third of applicants from having their case heard on the merits. In addition, the government settles out of court a surprisingly high proportion of cases. This practice raises concerns around IRCCs potential use of case settlement as a method to insulate objectionable practices from judicial and public scrutiny, and avoid restrictive precedents. Considering the important practical difficulties refugee applicants face in accessing judicial review, this dissertation suggests that the most promising avenue for improving the legal infrastructure of refugee resettlement is to strengthen first instance decision-making through administrative changes. A few recommendations are offered in this regard, including increasing visa officer training, reverting to the automatic internal review of refusals, and instituting audio recording of interviews. I also argue that two regulatory changes are needed in order to bring Canadas resettlement framework more in line with UNHCR guidelines and the principle of refugee protection, namely the elimination the successful establishment and the UNHCR documentation requirements

Hormonal regulation of apolipoproteins synthesis and secretion in human hepatocytes.

Faulty regulation of various apolipoproteins by the human liver may be an important contributor in the development of coronary heart disease. The factors that regulate hepatic apolipoprotein production are largely unknown. In cell culture, insulin appeared to reduce the secretion of apolipoprotein B, whereas thyroid hormone stimulated apolipoprotein B secretion. Both of these effects were found to be dose-dependent. In order to understand the mechanisms underlying the regulation of hepatic apolipoprotein B secretion, a cell-free translation system derived from a human hepatoma cell-line, HepG2, was developed to investigate the rate of apolipoprotein B synthesis. Extracts of HepG2 cells were found to have high in vitro protein synthesizing activity, and were shown to efficiently synthesize in vitro a number of liver specific proteins, including the unusually large apolipoprotein B molecule. This in vitro system along with whole-cell pulse labeling experiments were used to study the effects of insulin and thyroid hormone on apolipoproteins B, E and A-I synthesis and secretion in HepG2 cells. Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 56-01, Section: B, page: 0226. Adviser: Khosrow Adeli. Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 1994

Effects of statins on the secretion of human serum albumin in cultured HepG2 cells

Statins reduce cholesterol biosynthesis by inhibiting HMG-CoA reductase and thereby lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels in serum, which in turn lower the incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Statins are also known to modulate various cellular functions such as gene expression, cell proliferation, and programmed cell death through inhibition of downstream intermediates in cholesterol synthesis. In this study, we have investigated the possible effects of statins on the secretion of serum albumin from cultured HepG2 cells since high levels of serum albumin are associated with reduced risks for CVD and statins are effective in lowering the risk of CVD through other effects in addition to their effects on serum total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels, known as pleiotropic effects. Our results showed that simvastatin increased HSA secretion up to 32.3% compared to the control group. Among 3 statin analogs we tested, simvastatin exhibited the highest stimulatory effects on HSA secretion compared to the control group. Our study also showed that the increased HSA secretions from HepG2 cells by simvastatin treatments were due to the increased rate of HSA synthesis, not due to the reduced posttranslational degradation rate of HSA. Our finding suggests another added benefit of statins' treatments in preventing CVD through stimulation of HSA biosynthesis

“Not Just an Apartment Building”: Residents’ Quality of Life in a Social Housing Co-operative

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to examine the impact that two social housing complexes have had on their residents' quality of life. These two complexes, known as Tannery Court Co-operative Ltd., target a specific segment of the affordable housing market: non-elderly singles. A mixed-methods approach was used to assess the quality of life of residents. The data collection strategy used semi-structured interviews conducted with the help of a questionnaire. A total of 43 interviews were completed at the two building sites. Analysis of interview and questionnaire data identified six areas of improvement in residents' quality of life. These are life in general (an overarching dimension), housing (the focus of the Tannery Court intervention), neighbourhood (including safety and appearance), food, self-confidence (an enabling dimension for future development of projects and goals among the residents), and financial situation (a key dimension because of its multiple impacts on other aspects of life).   RÉSUMÉ L'objectif de cette recherche était d'évaluer l'impact des deux complexes de logements coopératifs Tannery Court sur la qualité de vie des résidants. Ces complexes ciblent un segment particulier du marché du logement social, les célibataires d'âge actif et vivant en deçà du seuil de la pauvreté. Cette étude utilise une méthodologie mixte pour évaluer la situation et la qualité de vie des résidants. La stratégie de cueillette de données s'appuie sur des entrevues semi-dirigées effectuées à l'aide d'un questionnaire. Au total, nous avons complété 43 entrevues. Six aspects de la qualité de vie se sont améliorés de façon significative. Il s'agit de la vie en général (une dimension globale), le logement (l'objectif premier visé par l'équipe de Tannery Court), le quartier de résidence (dimensions importantes de la localisation d'un complexe comme la sécurité et l'apparence) la confiance en soi (une dimension clé pour le développement futur de projets et d'objectifs pour les résidants), la nourriture (en raison de l'accès à des électroménagers) et la situation financière (une dimension majeure étant donné son impact sur les autres composantes de la vie)

The Utilization of Video-Conference Shared Medical Appointments in Rural Diabetes Care

Aim To explore whether Video-Shared Medical Appointments (video-SMA), where group education and medication titration were provided remotely through video-conferencing technology would improve diabetes outcomes in remote rural settings. Methods We conducted a pilot where a team of a clinical pharmacist and a nurse practitioner from Honolulu VA hospital remotely delivered video-SMA in diabetes to Guam. Patients with diabetes and HbA1c ≥7% were enrolled into the study during 2013–2014. Six groups of 4–6 subjects attended 4 weekly sessions, followed by 2 bi-monthly booster video-SMA sessions for 5 months. Patients with HbA1c ≥7% that had primary care visits during the study period but not referred/recruited for video-SMA were selected as usual-care comparators. We compared changes from baseline in HbA1c, blood-pressure, and lipid levels using mixed-effect modeling between video-SMA and usual care groups. We also analyzed emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations. Focus groups were conducted to understand patient’s perceptions. Results Thirty-one patients received video-SMA and charts of 69 subjects were abstracted as usual-care. After 5 months, there was a significant decline in HbA1c in video-SMA vs. usual-care (9.1 ± 1.9 to 8.3 ± 1.8 vs. 8.6 ± 1.4 to 8.7 ± 1.6, P = 0.03). No significant change in blood-pressure or lipid levels was found between the groups. Patients in the video-SMA group had significantly lower rates of ED visits (3.2% vs. 17.4%, P = 0.01) than usual-care but similar hospitalization rates. Focus groups suggested patient satisfaction with video-SMA and increase in self-efficacy in diabetes self-care. Conclusion Video-SMA is feasible, well-perceived and has the potential to improve diabetes outcomes in a rural setting. Abbreviations ACE-inhibitor, angiotensin converting enzyme-inhibitor; ARB, angiotensin receptor blocker; CBOC, community-based outpatient clinic; DM, diabetes mellitus; ED, emergency department; PACIC, patient assessment of care in chronic conditions; VAMC, Veterans Affairs Medical Center; VHA, Veterans Health Administration; video-SMA, video-shared medical appointment

Novel Blood Pressure Locus and Gene Discovery Using Genome-Wide Association Study and Expression Data Sets From Blood and the Kidney.

Elevated blood pressure is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and has a substantial genetic contribution. Genetic variation influencing blood pressure has the potential to identify new pharmacological targets for the treatment of hypertension. To discover additional novel blood pressure loci, we used 1000 Genomes Project-based imputation in 150 134 European ancestry individuals and sought significant evidence for independent replication in a further 228 245 individuals. We report 6 new signals of association in or near HSPB7, TNXB, LRP12, LOC283335, SEPT9, and AKT2, and provide new replication evidence for a further 2 signals in EBF2 and NFKBIA Combining large whole-blood gene expression resources totaling 12 607 individuals, we investigated all novel and previously reported signals and identified 48 genes with evidence for involvement in blood pressure regulation that are significant in multiple resources. Three novel kidney-specific signals were also detected. These robustly implicated genes may provide new leads for therapeutic innovation

Multi-ancestry GWAS of the electrocardiographic PR interval identifies 202 loci underlying cardiac conduction

The electrocardiographic PR interval reflects atrioventricular conduction, and is associated with conduction abnormalities, pacemaker implantation, atrial fibrillation (AF), and cardiovascular mortality. Here we report a multi-ancestry (N=293,051) genome-wide association meta-analysis for the PR interval, discovering 202 loci of which 141 have not previously been reported. Variants at identified loci increase the percentage of heritability explained, from 33.5% to 62.6%. We observe enrichment for cardiac muscle developmental/contractile and cytoskeletal genes, highlighting key regulation processes for atrioventricular conduction. Additionally, 8 loci not previously reported harbor genes underlying inherited arrhythmic syndromes and/or cardiomyopathies suggesting a role for these genes in cardiovascular pathology in the general population. We show that polygenic predisposition to PR interval duration is an endophenotype for cardiovascular disease, including distal conduction disease, AF, and atrioventricular pre-excitation. These findings advance our understanding of the polygenic basis of cardiac conduction, and the genetic relationship between PR interval duration and cardiovascular disease. On the electrocardiogram, the PR interval reflects conduction from the atria to ventricles and also serves as risk indicator of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Here, the authors perform genome-wide meta-analyses for PR interval in multiple ancestries and identify 141 previously unreported genetic loci.Peer reviewe