ALEXANDER ORLOVSKY 95 EDINBOROUGH CR. TORONTO, ONTARIO M6N 2E9 October 1, 1997 To Mr. Preston Manning , Leader of Opposition, Head of the Reform Party HOUSE OF COMMONS CENTRAL BLOCK, ROOM 409-S OTTAWA, ONTARIO K1A 0A6

Copy:

"OFFICE OF THE LEADER OF OPPOSITION" Assistabt to the Leader Mr.. Salpie Stepanian RESEACH AND COMMUNICATIONS ROOM 145, WELLINGTON BUILDING OTTAWA, ONTARIO K1A 0A6

FROM: Alexander Orlovsky

PH.D. in computer science, system analyst. Winner of a gold medal for computer system "BRIG" in CAD-CAM spheres at the National Exibition of the USSR in Moscow in 1988. Human rights activist with huge influence in 1991-1992 in Israel. Author of the "Program of Development of Israel", which had received high rate from the group of prominent economists in Israel (with the leadership of professor Reihman - University of Tel-Aviv,- the author of the project of the Constitution of Israel).

Subject: Violation of the United Nation Refugee Convention signed by Canada towards refugee claimants from Israel:

As a refugee claimant from Israel who lived in Canada five years, I posess much information and numerous proofs that IRB-s in Toronto and Montreal use a hidden discriminatory policy toward ex-Soviet Jews and their families who have arrived in Canada via Israel. We would also like to draw your attention to permanent discrimination of these people, which takes place in Israel. That discrimination forced masses of them - talented, highly educated and highly skilled, who could not get rooted in Israel - to seek a refuge in Canada, the country, which guarantees human rights and had signed the International Human Rights Convention and UN Refugee Convention.

During the last few years, these people have constantly encountered an unexplainable bias and prejudism not only in the Immigration and Refugee Boards (IRBs), but at every level of the Ministry of Immigration. I consider that it is my duty to draw your attention to the fact that the minister of Immigration Mrs. Lucienne Robillard, who has been elected at West Mount district in Montreal (Grand Montreal area), openly carries out a lobbying policy under the influence of the Canadian Jewish Congress fulfilling their wishes: the ex-Soviet Jews from Israel are "PERSONA NON GRATA"s in Canada. Mrs. Lucienn Robillard is a convert to Judaism; she had repeatedly visited Israel during six years to work in the Israeli Kibbutz. She has demonstrated her sincere love to the state of Israel and to Zionism. How could occur that it was not clear that as the Minister of Immigration such a person could not be impartial in her policy, which influencing the fate of thousands of refugees from Israel? The IRBs and her Ministry are totally, and systematically ignoring the following facts:
1. Tortures and abuse of power by police in Israel. (Appendix # 1)
2. Brutal persecution of the dissidents, even members of knesset and government. (Appendix # 2)
3. Brutal persecutions of people whose religions is not Judaism, and ethnic minorities. (Appendix # 3)
4. Persecution of missionary activists. (Appendix # 4)
5. Severe abuse of children and women, especially non-Jews. (Appendix # 5) 6. Extreme political power of the ultra orthodox Jews and the tyrrany of the religious courts in Israel. (Appendix # 6)
7. Lack of the Constitution. (Appendix # 7)
8. Lack of parliamentary elections and accountability of the MPs like in the western countries. (Appendix # 8)
9. Lack of an independent judicial system and powerless of the human rights group etc. (Appendix # 9)

I would like to draw your attention also to the fact that the ex-husband of Mrs. Robillard, (Head of the Israeli-Canadian organization) was removed from Israeli refugee cases as a judge in Montreal because of his passionate partiality and violations of the rules. I hope, that you will not consider this letter as an attempt to put pressure on the government. Our goal is to draw your attention to that problem. Actions of the Ministry of Immigration and Refugee Board put under a doubt the Justice of Canada's immigration policy as whole, and make a bad image in the world. I am sure that You, the Parliament and the whole society would not be indifferent towards such an unbearable situation. Therefore, I am asking you and the members of your opposition cabinet, which controls the immigration policy of Canada, to investigate the influence of the pro-Israeli lobby on Canadian immigration policy. I am asking you to investigate the real situation of the ex-soviet Jews and non-Jews in Israel as independent and objective politician. I am certain that the enclosed materials will allow your analysts to make conclusions and to apply to the Canadian Minister of Immigration with the request to explain why Canada has shut the door before the ex-soviet Jews who have applied for a refugee status in Canada. The official statistics hides this fact by showing numbers of Palestinians as refugee claiments from Israel. We enclose the statistics for 1993-1994, which shows the policy differs in Ontario and Quebec and changes according to the influence of the pro-Israeli lobby. Now I do not know any former Soviet-Israeli claiments who had received a refugee status anywhere in Canada. Moreover, I know about cases when refugee claimants had been turned back to Israel straight from the airport without a chance to prove their claim. The famous Jewish writer, a Canadian, member of Russian and Canadian Writers Assiciation Grigori Svirski had written the next in his affidavit and in his open letter to Mr. Chretien: " Mr. Prime-Minister, have you ever seen these refugees from Israel - Jews, Russions, half-Jews, who are appealing to the Canadian justice and who now - after the so widely publicized ruling of the Federal Court - have been practically deprived of last hope? When these people, who are being slowly murdered by the state, come together , it seems that they are all receiving radioactive or chemical treatment for cancer. Grey exhausted faces with dull eyes. They know very well everything about Israeli "freedom" to go where you are being led ("Traitors!" - shouted Shamir to those passing Israel by) as well as about Israeli "democracy" (to elect only those who have been selected by the party elite)… For these people, almost finished off by PAKIDstan ("pakid" is a Hebrew word for bureaucrats) and now also by Canadian bureaucracy as well, our Orwellian judge now publicly announces with a profound feeling of self-respect: "One does not flee from freedom and democracy!" What wilfuness! What cynicism! Mr. Prime-Minister, my dream is that these exhausted battered people should not be returned to where they in desperation fled from. ….. …cheating and brutal violation of the rights of the newcomers, more and more of whom are being escorted "only to Israel", have come deeply rooted every day practice, while the free countries, advocating "human rights", are accepting this as something normal. …. I am really worried by all this. As well as by something else. Will our Canada stay free and democratic after such outraged violation of the rights and human dignity of Russian Jewry, who were unfortunate enough to get entrapped?"

As an example to support our statements let's consider my immigration case: Accoding to the section 2(1) of the Immigration Act ( as enacted by R.S.C. 1985 (4th Supp.), c.28, s.1): "Convention refugee" means any person who (a) By reason of a well - founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion, (i) is outside the country of the person's nationality and is unable or, by reason of the fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country… - Although the panel had not find any lies or contradictions in the testimonies of the three of us; - Although I had been persecuted and threatened for my political opinion; - Although our statements had been supported by much material from Israeli Press; - Although few eyewitnesses had testified on my behalf before the panel; - Although we have physical evidences of attacks on my son and me; - Although there had been a sexual assault of my wife; - Although the police had never protected us (me and my son) and my spouse from physical attacks and sexual assault, but opposite, the police had beaten me several times; - Although my son became an invalid (uncontrolable urine flow at night time) after he has been physical assaulted by his peers because he is not a Jew and obviously not circumcised; - Although we did our best to get rooted in Israel for two years, we had to leave this country after the final threat to pay with my wife's and son's lives if I don't stop my intentions to defend human and civil rights of the new repatriants, the panel had determind us not to be convention refugees! If we are not suitable to this status, so who are? My case is not an exception between the decisions of the Refugee Boards. The refusal to make positive decisions in definition of the status for refugees from Israel became a rule in Toronto even when a person is found credible and persecuted (case of Mrs. Tamara Minakina I.D. No. 2316-6978, T94-07405). Our refugee process had been extremely long and stressful. The hearing had continued over two years ( five full days), then we had to wait for the decision for 19 months ( total almost four years), and for an another year I had waited for the Judicial Review. As a result, we must leave Canada, although we, especially my teenage son, have become much more Canadian then even Russian or Israeli. During these years the situation in Israel had worsened for people like us: hardliners and the ultraorthodox had come to power and had passed laws against christians. They constantly declare that Israel is a state created by Jews for Jews only. Many prominent politicians and human rights activists like me (parliament and government members Shulamit Alony, Yosi Sarid and others) have received death threats. Certainly my family and me would face a great risk to our lives there. We are ready to present numerous documents that prove that our situation in Israel was unbearable and that we indeed qualify to receive refugee status according to the Refugee Convention. Such an attitude towards our cases by Toronto's IRB leads us to a conclusion that there is a bias in this office against any refugee claimant from Israel and that their decisions are not objective. We are ready to discuss this issue at any level in front of any auditorium in order to prove that IRB of Toronto has violated the promises, which Canada gave to the United Nations (to give refuge to the persecuted or discriminated people). I am writing about the case of my family, but there are others who have also encountered the same unjust inhumane and unreasonable threatment from the IRB. I know that Canada has high humanitarian values.

I'm attaching some documents I hope you will be interested to read ( letter from Mrs. Sarmite D. Bulte, Member of Parliament and letters from my lawyer Mr. Gerald W. Postelnik) Sincerely, Alexander Orlovsky & family

Alexander Orlovsky - 41 I.D. No. 2839 - 1984 ; Tribunal's No. T93-12990 Rima Orlovsky - 43 I.D. No. 2839 - 1992 ; Tribunal's No. T93-12991 Alexey Orlovsky - 18 I.D. No. 2839 - 1993 ; Tribunal's No. T93-12992