Citizens
for Foreign Aid Reform
P.O. Box 332 Stn. B.
Etobicoke, Ontario
M9W 5L3
INTERNET: nstn3125@fox.nstn.ca
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 29, 1997
Complaint Against Gypsies' Lawyer
Filed With Law Society
Today, Paul Fromm, Research Director of Citizens for Foreign Aid
Reform, filed a complaint with the Law Society of Upper Canada against
lawyer George Kubes. The complaint is made under a rule forbidding lawyers
to make public statements for the purpose of "self-promotion or self-aggrandizement."
Fromm's complaint refers to statements made by Kubes in the Czech
TV Nova documentary Na Vlastni Oci (In Your Own Eyes) which aired on August
6. Kubes represents at least 50 Gypsy families. Fromm's states: "This
documentary portrayed in glowing terms the benefits and freedoms that awaited
would-be Gypsy illegals who might come to Canada and claim 'refugee' status.
Subsequent to this documentary, there has been a flood of Gypsies who have
come to Canada to claim refugee status."
In published reports Kubes has conceded that his appearance on the
program has in effect encouraged a great many people to come to Canada.
"Persons who make a refugee claim on arriving in this country
automatically qualify for legal aid. As an immigration lawyer who already
represents a number of Gypsy refugee claimants, Mr. Kubes' statements to
Czech television have the appearance of publicizing himself and aggrandizing
himself by promoting his services," Fromm charges.
Citizens for Foreign Aid Reform is a non-profit educational organization
founded in 1979. It is dedicated to immigration and foreign aid reform.
It has called for a five-year moratorium on immigration to Canada, consistent
with public polls on the issue. It has further called for a national debate
on immigration followed by a binding referendum to set immigration policy.
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For more information, contact Paul Fromm, Research
Director of C-FAR at 905-897-7221; FAX 905-277-3914
August 28, 1997
Law Society of Upper Canada,
130 Queen Street, West,
Toronto, Ontario,
M5H 2N6
Attention: Complaints Department
Dear Sirs:
I wish to file a formal complaint against Ontario lawyer George Kubes.
I call your attention to the section entitled "Lawyers: Their
Public Appearances and Public Statements" in the Professional Conduct
Handbook of the Law Society of Upper Canada. Specifically, I refer to Rule
21(5):
"Public communication should not be used for the purpose of publicizing
the lawyer and should be free from any suggrestion that the lawyer's purpose
is self-promotion or self-aggrandizement."
According to the Globe and Mail (August 15, 1997), George Kubes was
the only person interviewed about the Canadian immigration process for
the controversial Czech TV Nova documentary Na Vlastni Oci (In Your Own
Eyes), which aired on August 6. This documentary portrayed in glowing terms
the benefits and freedoms that awaited would-be Gypsy illegals who might
come to Canada and claim "refugee" status. Subsequent to this
documentary, there has been a flood of Gypsies who have come to Canada
to claim refugee status.
The Toronto Sun (August 23, 1997) identifies "George Kubes, who
represents 50 Gypsy families -- part of a recent flood of refugees from
the Czech republic."
The Globe and Mail (August 13, 1997) reported an interview with Kubes:
"'I don't really get into recruiting people to come to Canada,' he
said. 'I represent them once they get here.' But he conceded that his appearance
on the program has in effect encouraged a great many people to come to
Canada. 'I would say the program definitely encouraged people to come as
a whole.'"
Persons who make a refugee claim on arriving in this country automatically
qualify for legal aid. As an immigration lawyer who already represents
a number of Gypsy refugee claimants, Mr. Kubes' statements to Czech television
have the appearance of publicizing himself and aggrandizing himself by
promoting his services.