TORONTO, January 22, 1998 -- After the release of the report reviewing federal immigration and refugee policy, and anticipating further public interest as public hearings approach, York University offers the following experts to analyze the report and provide a context for discussing the issues:

Sharryn Aiken is a refugee lawyer and the course director for a York University summer course on refugee issues. Aiken, who is Past President of the Canadian Council for Refugees, can speak about any aspect of refugee law and policy. She can be reached at (416) 736-2100, ext. 20560, or by email at sharryn@yorku.ca.

James Hathaway is a professor at York's Osgoode Hall Law School, and the co-director of the law school's intensive program in immigration and refugee law. He has written two major books in this area: The Law of Refugee Status (1991), and Reconceiving International Refugee Law (1997). Prof. Hathaway can be reached at (416) 736-5049.

Valerie Preston is a geography professor and Associate Director of the jointYork/UofT/Ryerson Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Settlement. She is available to discuss the implications of the legislative review for immigrant women, and can be reached at (416) 736-2100, ext. 66190.

Howard Adelman is a professor of philosophy and the former Director of York's Centre for Refugee Studies. His work looks into the concept of membership rights for refugees, and how governments and non-governmental agencies apply principles of justice in dealing with refugee issues. He can be reached at his office, (416) 736-2100, ext. 77595.

Roberto Perin, a professor of history at York, can discuss the history of immigration to Canada. He is also an expert on the history of Quebec immigration and the Italian immigrant community in Canada. He can be reached at (416) 736-2100, ext. 22476.

Sociology professor Michael Lanphier can speak about Canadian public opinion about immigration and refugees, refugee resettlement, and the refugee movement as a social movement. He can be reached at (416) 736-2100, ext. 77011, or at the Centre for Refugee Studies at ext. 20563.

Vijay Agnew is a social science professor whose work focuses on immigrant women. Her research on the experiences of Asian, African, and Caribbean immigrant women in Canada examines issues of racism, employment and training, and evaluates the policies and programs in place to deal with these issues. Agnew is also interested in immigrant women's organizations and violence against immigrant women. She can be reached at York at (416) 736-2100, ext. 66906, or at home at (416) 924-7847.

Lawrence Lam is a sociology professor whose research focuses primarily on Indo-Chinese refugee resettlement in Canada, and the Chinese-Canadian immigrant community. He can be reached at (416) 736-2100, ext. 77989, or at the Centre for Refugee Studies at ext. 20562.

For more information, please call:

Sine MacKinnon
Senior Advisor for Media Relations
(416) 736-2100, ext. 22087
email: sinem@yorku.ca

Alison Masemann
Media Relations Officer
(416) 736-2100, ext. 22086
email: masemann@yorku.ca
YU/006/98