Mr. Speaker, the government's own definition of the safe third country agreement with the U.S. states:
Only countries that respect human rights and offer a high degree of protection to asylum seekers may be designated as safe third countries.
However, it is clear that many refugees no longer feel that the U.S. is a safe country for them because of Trump's discriminatory edicts, fuelled by his anti-refugee and Islamophobic rhetoric. Trump's first attempt with his discriminatory immigration ban was quickly struck down by the U.S. court system. However, a new order was issued just yesterday, and frankly, the new order is still discriminatory and the impact of that will be felt in Canada.
To date, we have seen the numbers at irregular crossings spike, more than doubled and in some cases tripled, since Trump was elected. Some people suffered frostbite and had their fingers and toes amputated. People crossing have included families with babies and toddlers, and pregnant women. In one of those crossings, a toddler said to his mom that he could not go on anymore. He said that he wanted to die and asked his mother to go on to Canada without him.
Let us be clear. People are doing this because they are desperate. For them the U.S. is no longer a safe country and they no longer feel that they could have a fair hearing about their claim in the U.S. This sentiment was verified by Amnesty International which surveyed 30 asylum seekers from the U.S. and all 30 said that they had no intention of coming to Canada, that is, until Trump.
These crossings are dangerous for asylum claimants and distressing for many Canadians. Suspending the agreement would allow refugee claimants to be processed through official border crossings in an orderly fashion. Honestly, I do not know what it takes for the Liberal government to act. Are we waiting for another tragedy? The death of Alan Kurdi prompted the Liberals to make their campaign promise to resettle Syrian refugees. Are we waiting for a child to die in the snow before we will act?
Groups calling for the suspension of the safe third country agreement include Amnesty International, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers, the Canadian Council for Refugees, and a group of some 200 law professors from universities across Canada. In fact, a report from Harvard Law School's immigration and refugee law clinic concluded that the U.S. “is not a 'safe country of asylum' for those fleeing persecution and violence”.
New Democrats will continue to call on the Liberals to suspend the enforcement of the safe third country agreement. The government needs to evaluate whether the U.S. asylum law, policies, and practices comply with the 1951 Refugee Convention and other international human rights obligations. If we do nothing, we are complicit with Trump's discriminatory ban.
In addition, the Liberals need to stand up for Canadians of visible and religious minorities who are being targeted and discriminated against at the border. A young Moroccan student travelling with his team to compete at a sporting event was singled out and interrogated for five hours before he was denied entry. He was asked about his parents, even though they were not travelling with him, and his phone was searched. A Moroccan woman was questioned for hours intrusively about her religion and about her opinion of Trump before she was turned away. An Afghan Canadian doctor was interrogated for five hours and ultimately refused entry as well.
Just yesterday, it was reported that a young Indo-Canadian woman who was trying to go to the U.S. for a one-day spa trip with her girlfriends was singled out, interrogated, and reduced to tears before she was refused entry. It was reported that the border agent actually said, “I know you may feel like you've been Trumped” before informing her she needed an immigrant visa to travel to the U.S.
To be clear, all those targeted are travelling with valid Canadian—