OTTAWA – New Democrats today reacted to the news that a Tamil migrant ship was approaching Canada off the coast of British Columbia.

“Each person arriving to Canada must be treated equally under the law, according to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act,” said New Democrat Immigration and Citizenship critic Olivia Chow.

“If the Tamils arriving are genuine refugees, allow them to stay and process them quickly and fairly. If they are not refugees, send them home” said Chow. “The key is to examine each individual’s situation and not to jump to conclusions without all the facts.”

Chow cautioned that not allowing the ship to dock could have serious consequences. Some passengers may be in ill health, there may also be negative repercussions for their return to war torn Sri Lanka.

In 1939, Canada turned away the SS St Louis. More than 900 Jewish refugees were forced back to Nazi Germany. Similarly, 26 Sikhs were shot dead when their ship Komagata Maru was forced to return to South Asia by the Canadian immigration officials of the time.

New Democrat MP Peter Julian (Burnaby – New Westminster) noted that the government must be conscious of any potential human rights abuses that the migrants may be fleeing.

“We have a responsibility as a country to honour our international obligations and to grant asylum to legitimate refugees,” said Julian. “These people have subjected themselves to what are likely horrifying conditions on a long boat journey. The UNHCR reported last month that there are ongoing allegations of serious human rights abuses in Northern Sri Lanka. The question must be asked: What are these individuals escaping?”