Thousands on Canada's deportation list,but some 'uncooperative' countries won't take their citizens back.

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Meeshika Sharma
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More than 15,000 foreign nationals are on Canada's deportation list, but some can't be removed because their home country won't take them back.

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) confirms some countries either delay or refuse to repatriate their citizens who are here illegally, but will not divulge which ones as it might "impact diplomatic negotiations."

The removal list includes rejected refugee claimants and those deemed inadmissible because of criminal background, potential threat to public health or safety, or risk to national security.

Spokesman Barre Campbell said,  "If a country won't take back their foreign nationals, CBSA does not give up; it continues to work with other government partners to put pressure on the country to accept their citizens back.The CBSA also works with domestic and international partners to share best practices and develop engagement strategies to address uncooperative countries that fail to repatriate their citizens in a timely matter."

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In Canada, the number of deportations has declined dramatically in the last five years, from 18,992 in 2012 to 7,364 in 2016. The CBSA did not provide an explanation for the decrease, other than to say there are fluctuations from year to year.

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Conservative public safety critic Pierre Paul-Hus said after an enforcement push under the previous Conservative government, removal efforts have eased off due to stretched resources. He is calling on the government to assign more officers to deportation to protect public safety.

The list of 15,237 foreign nationals currently under orders to leave Canada is topped by Chinese (2,066), Indian (1,029) and American (977) citizens. It includes nationals from 180 countries, as well as 209 stateless persons and 28 whose citizenship is not captured in the CBSA system.

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