these agencies improved their data management and reporting systems since the UNHCR made
recommendations in 2012 with respect to
V.
Refugee determination of stateless persons;
Humanitarian and compassionate cases;
Detention under the IRPA of stateless persons, and
Removals of stateless persons?
Methodology
The approach used in this study consists of two steps. Firstly, we conducted a literature review, followed
by the submission of several Access to Information (ATI) requests to the four Canadian government
agencies. Secondly, in order to follow up on the data we received and clarify findings, we conducted
interviews with key government agency informants via telephone and email.
In order to discover whether recommendations made in 2012 have been implemented, CCS filed Access
to Information requests with Statistics Canada, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, and Canada Border
Services Agency on June 22, 2015. We conducted a telephone interview with representatives from the
Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada on July 16, 2015. Access to Information requests were filed
electronically to the aforementioned agencies, and responses were provided by individual agency
officers who acted as points of contact once responses were delivered. Follow up phone calls and emails
were made in the fall and winter of 2015 and spring of 2016 in order to clarify any concerns in initial
responses.
VI.
Findings
Statistics Canada
Defining Stateless
Statistics Canada defines ‘stateless’ in the National Household Survey on the basis of the responses
received for Question # 10 ‘Of what country is this person a citizen?’ ‘Stateless’ is a separate citizenship
category in the National Household Survey distinct from countries of origin. Other examples of
responses coded to ‘stateless’ include: ‘not a citizen of any country’, ‘no citizenship’, and ‘no country’.
In the 2011 National Household Survey, the Citizenship question was the only one capturing the
stateless status. On the questionnaire, two check-boxes allow the type of Canadian citizenship (by birth
or by naturalization) to be reported and a write-in line is provided for other citizenships. Respondents
are instructed to provide more than one citizenship if applicable. No further instruction nor definition is
provided with regard to stateless as a status.
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