The complainant was a supervisor for the Hearings Officers that appear before the Refugee Protection Division. The complainant was concerned with the member’s inability to alter the behavior of legal counsel during four separate hearings. More specifically, it was alleged that:
- The member was unable to put an end to the disrespectful behaviour of the refugee claimant’s lawyer. The member told the lawyer several times during the hearing that his tone of voice and the words used towards the minister’s representative would no longer be tolerated and that he had to stop this inappropriate behaviour. However, there were no consequences and the hearings proceeded
In conversation with the complainant, the Office of the Ombudsperson determined that the complainant’s concerns were primarily with the behavior of legal counsel. The complainant was informed about work underway at the Immigration and Refugee Board to address these types of issues regarding legal counsel in IRB proceedings. The complainant was satisfied that this process would capture and address their concerns in the future.
This complaint was considered informally resolved and the file was closed.