Powar v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration)

Powar v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration) Court (s) Database Federal Court of Appeal Decisions Date 2001-05-14 Neutral citation 2001 FCA 153 File numbers A-45-00 Notes Digest Decision Content Date: 20010514 Docket: A-45-00 CORAM: DÉCARY J.A. LÉTOURNEAU J.A. NOËL J.A. BETWEEN: GURDEV SINGH POWAR Appellant AND THE MINISTER OF CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION Respondent Hearing held at Montreal, Quebec, Monday, May 14, 2001 Judgment delivered from the bench at Montreal, Quebec, on Monday, May 14, 2001 REASONS FOR JUDGMENT OF THE COURT BY: LÉTOURNEAU J.A. Date: 20010514 Docket: A-45-00 Neutral citation: 2001 FCA 153 CORAM: DÉCARY J.A. LÉTOURNEAU J.A. NOËL J.A. BETWEEN: GURDEV SINGH POWAR Appellant AND THE MINISTER OF CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION Respondent REASONS FOR JUDGMENT OF THE COURT (Delivered from the bench at Montreal, Quebec on Monday, May 14, 2001) LÉTOURNEAU J.A. We are of the view that this appeal against a decision of a motions judge reported at (2000) 180 F.T.R. 271 should be dismissed and the following certified question answered in the negative: Can there be « no alternative... but to declare [a refugee] case abandoned » when section 69.1(6) of the Immigration Act says that the Refugee Division « may... declare the claim to have been abandoned » ? Paragraph 69.1(6)(c) of the Immigration Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. I-2, as subsequently amended, gives a discretion to the Refugee Division to declare a claim to be abandoned when a claimant fails to appear at a hearing and, in our view, that discretion was properly exercised in the present instance: Abandonment of claim 69.1 (6) Where a person who claims to be a Convention refugee Désistement 69.1 (6) La section du statut peut, après avoir donné à l'intéressé la possibilité de se faire entendre, conclure au désistement dans les cas suivants : (a) fails to appear at the time and place set by the Refugee Division for the hearing into the claim, a) l'intéressé ne comparaît pas aux date, heure et lieu fixés pour l'audience; (b) fails to provide the Refugee Division with the information referred to in subsection 46.03(2), or b) l'intéressé omet de lui fournir les renseignements visés au paragraphe 46.03(2); (c) in the opinion of the Division, is otherwise in default in the prosecution of the claim, c) elle estime qu'il y a défaut par ailleurs de sa part dans la poursuite de la revendication. the Refugee Division may, after giving the person a reasonable opportunity to be heard, declare the claim to have been abandoned and, where it does so, the Refugee Division shall send a written notice of its decision to the person and to the Minister. Si elle conclut au désistement, la section du statut en avise par écrit l'intéressé et le ministre. The appellant stretches beyond reasonableness his argument when he submits that the statement of the Board ("that it had no alternative but to declare the case abandoned") suggests that, in using these words, the Board failed to understand that it possessed a discretionary power under paragraph 69.1(6)(c) of the Act. It is obvious to us that, in the present context, the Board found the facts to be overwhelmingly compelling and, therefore, supportive of a conclusion that the appellant had abandoned his claim. The appeal will be dismissed without costs as none were sought by the respondent. "Gilles Létourneau" J.A. Montreal, Quebec May 14, 2001 FEDERAL COURT OF CANADA APPEAL DIVISION Date: 20010514 Docket: A-45-00 BETWEEN: GURDEV SINGH POWAR Appellant AND THE MINISTER OF CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION Respondent REASONS FOR JUDGMENT OF THE COURT FEDERAL COURT OF CANADA APPEAL DIVISION NAMES OF COUNSEL AND SOLICITORS OF RECORD DOCKET: A-45-00 CORAM: DÉCARY J.A. LÉTOURNEAU J.A. NOËL J.A. STYLE OF CAUSE: GURDEV SINGH POWAR Appellant AND THE MINISTER OF CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION Respondent PLACE OF HEARING: Montreal, Quebec DATE OF HEARING: May 14, 2001 REASONS FOR JUDGMENT OF THE COURT BY: LÉTOURNEAU J.A. DATED: May 14, 2001 APPEARANCES: Mr. Jean-François Bertrand FOR THE APPELLANT Ms. Marie Nicole Moreau FOR THE RESPONDENT SOLICITORS OF RECORD: BERTRAND, DESLAURIERS Montreal, Quebec FOR THE APPELLANT Morris Rosenberg Deputy Attorney General of Canada Montreal, Quebec FOR THE RESPONDENT