Gonzalez v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration), (2014) 460 F.T.R. 221 (FC)

• Judge: Russell, J.
• Court: Federal Court (Canada)
• Case Date: April 03, 2014
• Jurisdiction: Canada (Federal)
• Citations: (2014), 460 F.T.R. 221 (FC);2014 FC 750

Gonzalez v. Can. (M.C.I.) (2014), 460 F.T.R. 221 (FC)

MLB headnote and full text

[French language version follows English language version]

[La version française vient à la suite de la version anglaise]

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Temp. Cite: [2014] F.T.R. TBEd. AU.020

Rocio Mora Gonzalez (applicant) v. The Minister of Citizenship and Immigration (respondent)

(IMM-6360-13; 2014 FC 750; 2014 CF 750)

Indexed As: Gonzalez v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration)

Federal Court

Russell, J.

July 28, 2014.

Summary:

The applicant, a citizen of Colombia, applied for refugee protection. The Refugee Protection Division of the Immigration and Refugee Board refused the application, finding that the applicant had failed to rebut the presumption of state protection. The applicant applied for judicial review.

The Federal Court allowed the application and referred the matter back for redetermination by a different member of the Board.

Aliens - Topic 1323.2

Admission - Refugee protection, Convention refugees and persons in need of protection - Persecution - Protection of country of nationality or citizenship - Gonzalez, a citizen of Colombia, was a primary school teacher - She also taught adult students - One of her adult students was affiliated with Colombia's armed revolutionary group (FARC) - In 2010, the student became offended and aggressive when she asked for donations to support local causes and Gonzalez offered too little - The FARC began to demand money and make threatening calls to Gonzalez and her family - Gonzalez was afraid that the FARC had infiltrated the local authorities - She came to Canada and claimed refugee protection - The Refugee Protection Division of the Immigration and Refugee Board refused the claim, finding that adequate state protection would have been available to Gonzalez if she had taken steps to involve the authorities before leaving Colombia - The Federal Court allowed Gonzalez's application for judicial review - The Board never addressed the fundamental question, which was whether the state could provide adequate protection to Gonzalez and those like her who had been specifically targeted by the FARC - The Board's own documentation package expressed the view that government protection programs were not effective, yet it failed to address this and other evidence that directly contradicted its own conclusions - The Board cited no evidence that supported its conclusion.

Cases Noticed:

Canada (Attorney General) v. Ward, [1993] 2 S.C.R. 689; 153 N.R. 321, refd to. [para. 12].

New Brunswick (Board of Management) v. Dunsmuir (2008), 372 N.R. 1; 329 N.B.R.(2d) 1; 844 A.P.R. 1; 2008 SCC 9, refd to. [para. 24].

Agraira v. Canada (Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness) et al. (2013), 446 N.R. 65; 2013 SCC 36, refd to. [para. 24].

Ruszo v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration) (2013), 440 F.T.R. 106; 2013 FC 1004, refd to. [para. 25].

Khosa v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration) (2009), 385 N.R. 206; 2009 SCC 12, refd to. [para. 28].

Majoros v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration), [2013] F.T.R. Uned. 189; 2013 FC 421, refd to. [para. 32].

Navarrete Andrade et al. v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration), [2013] F.T.R. Uned. 196; 2013 FC 436, refd to. [para. 33].

Varela v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration), [2011] F.T.R. Uned. 843; 2011 FC 1364, refd to. [para. 34].

Bors v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration) (2010), 377 F.T.R. 132; 2010 FC 1004, refd to. [para. 34].

Gomez v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration), [2010] F.T.R. Uned. 712; 2010 FC 1041, refd to. [para. 34].

Jaroslav v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration) - see Spacil et al. v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration).

Spacil et al. v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration) (2011), 390 F.T.R. 248; 2011 FC 634, refd to. [para. 34].

Toriz Gilvaja v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration), [2009] F.T.R. Uned. 391; 2009 FC 598, refd to. [para. 34].

Lopez v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration), [2010] F.T.R. Uned. 862; 2010 FC 1176, refd to. [para. 34].

Henguva v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration), [2013] F.T.R. Uned. 442; 2013 FC 912, refd to. [para. 34].

Dominguez Hernandez et al. v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration), [2007] F.T.R. Uned. 939; 2007 FC 1211, refd to. [para. 35].

Avila v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration) (2006), 295 F.T.R. 35; 2006 FC 359, refd to. [para. 35].

Mora et al. v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration), [2010] F.T.R. Uned. 160; 2010 FC 235, refd to. [para. 37].

Villa et al. v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration), [2008] F.T.R. Uned. 896; 2008 FC 1229, refd to. [para. 38].

Lopez Villicana et al. v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration) (2009), 357 F.T.R. 139; 2009 FC 1205, refd to. [para. 38].

Cetinkaya v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration) (2012), 403 F.T.R. 46; 2012 FC 8, refd to. [para. 40].

Vargas et al. v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration), [2011] F.T.R. Uned. 317; 2011 FC 543, refd to. [para. 40].

Yepes et al. v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration), [2011] F.T.R. Uned. 837; 2011 FC 1357, refd to. [para. 40].

Adeoye v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration) (2012), 412 F.T.R. 269; 2012 FC 680, refd to. [para. 40].

Dinani et al. v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration) (2012), 418 F.T.R. 126; 2012 FC 1063, refd to. [para. 40].

Rodriguez et al. v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration), [2012] F.T.R. Uned. 646; 2012 FC 1291, refd to. [para. 41].

Vargas Bustos et al. v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration), [2014] F.T.R. Uned. 35; 2014 FC 114, refd to. [para. 41].

Altun v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration) (2012), 417 F.T.R. 157; 2012 FC 1034, refd to. [para. 41].

Kirby et al. v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration), [2012] F.T.R. Uned. 262; 2012 FC 169, refd to. [para. 41].

Minister of Employment and Immigration v. Villafranca (1992), 150 N.R. 232 (F.C.A.), refd to. [para. 42].

Hinzman et al. v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration) (2007), 362 N.R. 1; 2007 FCA 171, refd to. [para. 43].

Camacho et al. v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration), [2007] F.T.R. Uned. 560; 2007 FC 830, refd to. [para. 44].

Del Rio Ramirez v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration), [2008] F.T.R. Uned. 874; 2008 FC 1214, refd to. [para. 44].

Flores Carillo v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration) (2008), 377 N.R. 393; 2008 FCA 94, refd to. [para. 45].

Flores et al. v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration), [2008] F.T.R. Uned. 503; 2008 FC 723, refd to. [para. 45].

Kaleja et al. v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration), [2011] F.T.R. Uned. 931; 2011 FC 668, refd to. [para. 45].

Tjipuravandu v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration), [2013] F.T.R. Uned. 432; 2013 FC 927, refd to. [para. 45].

Larionova et al. v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration), [2013] F.T.R. Uned. 408; 2013 FC 874, refd to. [para. 45].

Beri et al. v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration), [2013] F.T.R. Uned. 403; 2013 FC 854, refd to. [para. 45].

G.M. v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration) (2013), 434 F.T.R. 298; 2013 FC 710, refd to. [para. 45].

Ferko et al. v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration), [2012] F.T.R. Uned. 642; 2012 FC 1284, refd to. [para. 45].

Kis et al. v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration), [2012] F.T.R. Uned. 270; 2012 FC 606, refd to. [para. 45].

Florea v. Canada (Minister of Employment and Immigration), [1993] F.C.J. No. 598 (F.C.A.), refd to. [para. 47].

Woolasten v. Canada (Minister of Manpower and Immigration), [1973] S.C.R. 102, refd to. [para. 47].

Hassan v. Minister of Employment and Immigration (1992), 147 N.R. 317 (F.C.A.), refd to. [para. 47].

Cepeda-Gutierrez et al. v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration) (1998), 157 F.T.R. 35 (T.D.), refd to. [para. 48].

Quinatzin v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration), [2008] F.T.R. Uned. 671; 2008 FC 937, refd to. [para. 48].

Shen et al. v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration), [2007] F.T.R. Uned. 683; 2007 FC 1001, refd to. [para. 48].

Camacho Pena et al. v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration), [2011] F.T.R. Uned. 452; 2011 FC 746, refd to. [para. 48].

Caceres Salazar et al. v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration), [2013] F.T.R. Uned. 220; 2013 FC 466, refd to. [para. 48].

Zupko et al. v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration), [2010] F.T.R. Uned. 868; 2010 FC 1319, refd to. [para. 48].

Corzas Monjaras et al. v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration), [2010] F.T.R. Uned. 484; 2010 FC 771, refd to. [para. 48].

Counsel:

Alla Kikinova, for the applicant;

Judy Michaely, for the respondent.

Solicitors of Record:

Michael Loebach, London, Ontario, for the applicant;

William F. Pentney, Deputy Attorney General of Canada, Toronto, Ontario, for the respondent.

This application for judicial review was heard at Toronto, Ontario, on April 3, 2014, before Russell, J., of the Federal Court, who delivered the following judgment and reasons at Ottawa, Ontario, on July 28, 2014.