Immigration Minister Unfamiliar with Landmark Singh Ruling Amid Controversial Refugee Bill

During a Radio-Canada documentary podcast, Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab could not immediately acknowledge the 1985 Singh v. Minister of Employment and Immigration Supreme Court ruling that guarantees Charter-protected fundamental justice for asylum seekers and required the creation of the Immigration and Refugee Board. Critics, including Gauri Sreenivasan of the Canadian Council for Refugees, called the lapse concerning, especially as the Carney government’s Bill C-12 redirects asylum claims filed after one year to a pre-removal risk assessment instead of an oral hearing, a change now being challenged in court.

When asked directly, Diab asked for the case name to be repeated and said she would verify with her staff, citing the French interview and her non-native language as factors. A department lawyer later asserted the reforms respect Singh, but legal scholars such as François Crépeau and Louis-Philippe Jannard dispute that interpretation. The Prime Minister’s Office reiterated Diab’s essential role in immigration policy, while opposition parties have called for her removal.