Refugee Policy after September 11: Not Much New

Conventional wisdom holds that the terrorist attacks of September 11 have “changed everything.” In the case of refugee policy, it would appear the salience of security and enforcement aspects has increased at the expense of human rights and humanitarian concerns. In the light of actual practices in the immigration and refugee security field in recent years, there is actually more continuity than discontinuity resulting from the current crisis. Existing standards and procedures are confirmed, rather than altered, by new legislation and practices. Refugee policies have increasingly been understood within a national security discourse, well before September 11.La sagesse traditionnelle prétend que les attentats terroristes du 11 septembre ont « tout changé ». Pour ce qui est de la politique ayant trait aux réfugiés, il semblerait que les considérations de sécurité et d’application de la loi ont pris le pas sur les droits de la personne et les préoccupations humanitaires. En fait, si l’on considère la pratique sur le terrain en ce qu’il s’agit des mesures de sécurité liées à l’immigration et aux réfugiés, on retrouve bien plus de continuité que de discontinuité à la suite de la crise actuelle. La nouvelle législation, ainsi que les nouvelles procédures, confirment les normes existantes plutôt que de les changer. Les politiques concernant les réfugiés sont de plus en plus comprises à l’intérieur d’un discours de sécurité nationale et cela était le cas bien avant le 11 septembre

Keeping Up with the Neighbours: Canadian Responses to 9/11 in Historical and Comparative Context

The impact of 9/11 on Canada is assessed in historical context, in relation to the coming of the Cold War in the 1940s and the October 1970 Le Front de Liberation du Quebec terrorist crisis in Quebec. Canadian policy responses to 9/11 are then considered in the comparative context of responses from Canada\u27s closest neighbours, the United States and the United Kingdom. Although to some degree, Canada can be seen to be trying to \u27keep up with the neighbours\u27, Canadian responses are more determined by specifically Canadian requirements, especially the need to protect Canadian sovereignty and economic security from the unintended consequences of American actions

Keeping Up with the Neighbours: Canadian Responses to 9/11 in Historical and Comparative Context

The impact of 9/11 on Canada is assessed in historical context, in relation to the coming of the Cold War in the 1940s and the October 1970 Le Front de Liberation du Quebec terrorist crisis in Quebec. Canadian policy responses to 9/11 are then considered in the comparative context of responses from Canada\u27s closest neighbours, the United States and the United Kingdom. Although to some degree, Canada can be seen to be trying to \u27keep up with the neighbours\u27, Canadian responses are more determined by specifically Canadian requirements, especially the need to protect Canadian sovereignty and economic security from the unintended consequences of American actions