Mr. Chair, I move that Bill C-12, in clause 73, be amended by adding after line 2 on page 32 the following:
(b.3) the claimant is a national of Japan, of the United Kingdom, of the United States or of a country that is a member of the European Union, or is a national of another country but came directly or indirectly to Canada from one of those countries, unless the Minister determines that the claimant faces a well-founded risk of persecution based on individual circumstances;
Again, colleagues, the bill's purported intent is to, allegedly, according to the minister's speech from time to time—although that is not consistent either—fix the asylum system. Frankly, we did hear testimony at committee that it makes no sense for Canada to admit asylum claimants from what we would consider to be safe third countries, such as the EU or G7 countries, which are what I have listed in the amendment here. This overburdens our already strained....
Essentially, what we're saying is that when individuals have transited through a safe third country, that's where they should be making their refugee claims. This is consistent with refugee conventions. These individuals are not at risk, particularly if they're nationals of a safe third country, such as the EU or G7 countries.
Without this amendment, we'll still see an overburdened asylum system. I'm trying to come up with ways to lower that burden. I want to be very clear that I'm not talking about somebody who is.... Even if somebody is transiting through, let's say, the U.K., that's where they should be making their asylum claim. That's the principle we'd like to enshrine here today. I'm hoping that will take the burden off the asylum system, colleagues. I feel that it is in alignment with this bill, if the bill's stated attention is, in fact, to fix the asylum system.