Securing Borders: Detention and Deportation in Canada

J.L. Granatstein, Distinguished Research Professor of History Emeritus,
York University, served as Director of the Canadian War Museum from 1998
to 2000. His latest works are Who Killed Canadian History?, Who Killed
the Canadian Military, and Hell’s Cor

Immigration and refugees are hot topics in Canada at any time, but they
are especially contentious today, with security a major priority. This
volume, by a criminologist at York University, looks at governmental
policies on detention and deportation, and essentially slams the federal
govern ment’s actions and policies as unjust and unfair.
Unfortunately, the author writes in the worst social science jargon, her
work full of “discursive formations,” and this completely blunts her
message; nonetheless, her statistics are frightening. Between 1995 and
2002, for example, 26,700 people were removed from Canada—and this
scarcely included those caught up in the post–9/11 crackdowns. Almost
7,000 were criminals, but 14,000 were failed refugee claimants. There is
a wealth of human misery in that last statistic. Professor Pratt
scarcely admits that the state has any right to act to protect itself
and its citizens, but whether her approach is either helpful or
realistic is much in doubt.