Does something that happened a long time ago count?
The rulings, spread over the past year, deal with people accepted as refugees a decade or more ago, in many cases precisely because of their connection to a terrorist or violent group. When they try to become permanent residents, several layers of bureaucracy kick in to decide if their past trumps their future in Canada. “They don’t apply (the law) to everybody,” said Janet Dench, executive director of the Canadian Council for Refugees. “If they did, it would simply not function. Under the law, Nelson Mandela is inadmissable to Canada, or any of the other members of the ANC. But they are allowed in. “One of the speculations is that the government is wilfully doing this, hoping that the person will die or go away. In the 1990s, the predominant mood was that nobody would make any decisions at all. They didn’t want something appearing in the National Post about someone with dubious connections that would embarrass them, so they let people moulder.” A 55-page government document spells out
