Faith groups urge head tax be dropped

Canada's faith leaders have joined forces with CPJ to call for elimination of the federal "head tax" that imposes a crippling financial burden on immigrants and refugees. Representatives of Canada's Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Sikh and Hindu communities argued at a Jan.25 media conference that the budget surplus means there is no justification to the head tax, officially known as the "Right of Landing" fee.

They presented Liberal MP Gurbax Malhi with petitions, statements and letters asking for removal of the $975 per-person tax. The event was sponsored by the Inter-Church Committee for Refugees.

CPJ's Refugee Issues Coordinator Ahmed Hashi — himself a Somali refugee — has played a leading role in mobilizing faith groups and concerned Canadians against the head tax. Mr. Hashi was interviewed by radio stations across Canada after the media conference. As CPJ's representative in the Getting Landed project, Ahmed has also urged the government to drop the tax.

"The head tax discriminates against the most vulnerable, the ones we are called to look after — most of whom are women and children," said Archbishop Barry Curtis of Calgary, president of the Canadian Council of Churches. "It's contrary to the best traditions of this country." Added Robert Filart, director of Catholic Cross Cultural Services, "A family of four faces a $4,000-5,000 debt right off the bat."

A poignant testimony of the tax's harsh impact was given by refugee Gadi Faez. He came to Canada seeking a better life for his family from war-torn Afghanistan. After borrowing money from the federal government to pay for his family's airfare, he then had to more money to cover the immigrant fee. "Now I want to pay my loan," said Faez. ""But I don't have the capacity." He only works part-time, but still saves $186 per month to pay back a loan of more than $6,000.

Derek Hodgson, a spokesman for Immigration Minister Elinor Caplan, said the government is aware of the concerns of church and refugee groups. But Hodgson said the government has no plans to eliminate the tax.