Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab is defending controversial new measures in the Strong Border Act, such as giving her office the power to remove large-scale immigration documents and place time limits for asylum seekers to file their applications.
“There are a lot of applications in the system. We need to act fairly and treat people who do need to ask for asylum properly and do need to be protected to stay in Canada,” Diab told CBC News.
“We need to do this more effectively. At the same time, Canadians are asking us to have a system that is suitable for everyone.”
The Strong Border Act was proposed in the House of Commons on Tuesday to protect Canada’s sovereignty, strengthen the borders and ensure Canadians’ safety, according to the federal government.
The bill will make dozens of amendments to existing laws. It proposed changes to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act would force asylum seekers, including students and temporary residents, to file claims within one year.
The new law also requires irregular border crossings, i.e. people entering Canada between official ports of entry, to file asylum claims within 14 days of arriving in Canada.
This will speed up voluntary exits by withdrawing the order for removal on the same day as a shelter.
Groups such as the Canadian Refugee Lawyer Association are attracting attention to these measures.
“There are several types of people who may end up filing claims in Canada for more than one year’s results,” said Adam Sadinsky, co-chair of advocacy.
He cited an example of a change in government in a country where someone originated, a conflict outbreak or a human rights advocacy in Canada, targeting the goal.
“Now, they may be in danger, returning home in a way that they did not have when they first arrived,” he said.
Federal government data shows that about 39,445 asylum claimants are dealt with by Canadian immigration, refugee and citizenship and the Canadian Border Service Between January and April.
If the government’s motivation is to clear the backlog, this could create another problem, Sadski said.
Asylum seekers who find their application rejected by the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Commission can appeal to the Refugee Appeal Division. But closing them off the asylum route a year later may lead them to turn to Canadian federal court recourse, Once an open body Regarding his own court, he faces serious delays in immigration cases.
“It still has a lot of work for the court, and when people start evacuating from Canada, they have to apply for lawsuits to the court to remove them,” Sardinski said.
Sadinsky suggested that the government could reduce the approval of backlogs by acknowledging to Canada the dangers of dangerous countries that sent them back, such as Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.
Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said the Strong Border Act would “ensure our borders safely, fight transnational organized crime, stop the flow of illegal fentanyl and combat money laundering, and “enhance the integrity and equity of our immigration system.”
Attorney General Sean Fraser told reporters Wednesday that the government must take action, although he acknowledged the courts faced efficiency issues.
“We need to do two things at a time,” he said.
The Chief Justice Office of the Federal Court said in a comment that it “just hopes that there will be any potential impact on the workload of the court” and amended the previous amendment to the immigration law until the 2010 Conservative Party, which included four new court positions.
Massive power cancellation
Advocate Immigration Rights Network said the government has allowed itself to cancel previously issued immigration documents, which is shocking.
“This is building a mass expulsion machine,” said its spokesman Syed Hussan. “Just go out and say we’re leaving the Geneva Conference.”
Diabetes said the entire cabinet, not only her office, would not easily make any large-scale cancellation decisions.
“When you talk about mass cancellations or suspensions, these are in special circumstances,” she said.
“For example, when Covid happens, we actually have applications coming in and the system does not have the authority to suspend or cancel those applications… we can have health risks again. We may have security risks.”
Bill C-2 is now in parliament. The legislation is usually studied by a parliamentary committee, although neither the Public Safety Minister Diabetes nor Gary Ananda Sagary can say either committee can be accepted.
The committee has not been named for this work, and it is unclear whether they will end the parliament in the summer of late June.
The Canadian Refugee Lawyer Association said it intends to write a letter outlining its concerns and hopes to be presented on the committee when it arrives.
