Over 1,000 refugees from Algeria, who have lived for years in Canada, are facing deportation. These interviews describe their campaign of resistance.
Producer: CKLN News Uploaded by:
In April 2002, Canada lifted its moratorium on deportations to Algeria, despite ongoing violence that has left 150,000 dead in the north African country.
1,000 people, almost all of whom live in Quebec, are now facing possible deportation from Canada. Most have lived in Canada for years, but have never been landed as refugees. Many have Canadian-born children.
In October, one family scheduled for deportation took refuge in Montreal's Union United Church. Yakout Seddiki and Mourad Bourouisa remained there with their 2-year old Canadian-born son for 11 days.
In response to their act of resistance, and the outpouring of sympathy that accompanied it, the Canadian government granted a 90-day suspension of deportations and invited all 1,000 of the claimants to apply for landed immigrant status on humanitarian grounds. The 90 day grace period ends on January 25, 2003.
The Action Committee of Non-Status Algerians wants all 1,000 people of their community to be granted status on the basis that it is too dangerous for them to return to Algeria. They came to Toronto in early December to seek support for their campaign, speaking at University of Toronto and meeting with immigrant and refugee organizations and advocates.
For more info, see www.tao.ca/~sans-status.
File 1. Soumya Boussouff and Nacera Kellou on CKLN's RadioActive Feminism, (aired Sun Dec 8 2002).
Files 2,3 and 4: Soumya Boussouff and Mohamed Cherfi interviewed by Norman Otis Richmond on CKLN's Saturday Morning Live (aired Sat Dec 14 2002).
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