At regular intervals throughout the year, Canadian Red Cross visits detention centres where people who are detained under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act are being held. During these visits the Canadian Red Cross takes a system-wide approach to assessment, based on Canadian and international standards, which focuses on:
- the treatment of detainees (by staff or other detainees);
- conditions of detention;
- ability for detainees to contact and maintain contact with family members; and
- legal safeguards and protection mechanisms.
The Canadian Red Cross monitors compliance with national and international standards. These include:
- Immigration and Refugee Protection Act
- Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom
- Convention on the Rights of the Child
- UN Refugee Convention
- International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
- UNHCR Detention Guidelines
- The Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners
- National Standards & Monitoring Plan for the Regulation & Operation of CBSA Detention Centres
- UN Convention Against Torture
Monitoring activities carried out by the Red Cross do not preclude or replace those of a public ombudsman with legal jurisdiction over facilities used for immigration detention in Canada.