A Canadian federal court is hearing arguments that could overturn the Safe Third Country agreement between Canada and the United States:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/safe-third-country-1.5346557
Short version: there are agreements between many developed countries - including Canada and the US - that effectively imply that refugee claimants can't "shop around" their claim. Once they arrive in one of the countries that's party to the agreement, that's where they have to make their claim for asylum. If an asylum seeker arrives in the US via Canada, the US returns them to Canada to have their refugee claim heard... and vice versa.
The case being heard this week deals with a Ugandan refugee claimant who is arguing that American treatment of refugee claimants is so bad that returning her to the US would constitute a breach of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
This case has the potential to nullify the Safe Third Country agreement between Canada and the US. The 40,000 refugee claimants a year Canada receives from the US would then be entitled to stay in Canada (provided their claim is upheld), and the US would no longer be able to return refugee claimants who arrived via Canada back to Canada.
It would also be, effectively, a condemnation of the American system of concentration camps by the Canadian courts.
Shamefully, the Canadian government is trying to get the matter dismissed.
The hearing is scheduled to hear arguments and witnesses until Friday, and a judgement should come down some time after that.
Thoughts?
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/safe-third-country-1.5346557
Short version: there are agreements between many developed countries - including Canada and the US - that effectively imply that refugee claimants can't "shop around" their claim. Once they arrive in one of the countries that's party to the agreement, that's where they have to make their claim for asylum. If an asylum seeker arrives in the US via Canada, the US returns them to Canada to have their refugee claim heard... and vice versa.
The case being heard this week deals with a Ugandan refugee claimant who is arguing that American treatment of refugee claimants is so bad that returning her to the US would constitute a breach of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
This case has the potential to nullify the Safe Third Country agreement between Canada and the US. The 40,000 refugee claimants a year Canada receives from the US would then be entitled to stay in Canada (provided their claim is upheld), and the US would no longer be able to return refugee claimants who arrived via Canada back to Canada.
It would also be, effectively, a condemnation of the American system of concentration camps by the Canadian courts.
Shamefully, the Canadian government is trying to get the matter dismissed.
The hearing is scheduled to hear arguments and witnesses until Friday, and a judgement should come down some time after that.
Thoughts?