Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to both of you for being with us today.
As you were mentioning earlier, it's not a race to the bottom. Canada has always been a world leader on human rights, and I think we should continue to be a leading front.
What many of our witnesses have acknowledged, and I think what you were saying also, is that this bill punishes the refugees, rather than actually addressing the problem of human smuggling. We see that the bill would concentrate more arbitrary power in the hands of the minister of the time, and allows the minister to treat refugees, or refugee claimants, or asylum seekers, differently, depending on how they come to Canada.
We know that article 31 of the UN refugee convention prohibits states from imposing penalties on refugees for illegal entry or presence in the country. How could the designation of irregular arrivals be reviewed in light of article 31?