Mr. Speaker, I wonder who is actually catering to conservatives. The Parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship just used the word “illegal” to describe asylum seekers coming from the United States. They are not illegal; they are irregular. Instead of adopting anti-refugee rhetoric by calling asylum seekers illegal or, as the Prime Minister suggested, economic migrants jumping the queue, the government needs to act with courage and recognize the situation.
Lawyers, human rights advocates, NGOs, and the community have been calling for the government to suspend the safe third country agreement. In fact, there is a court case right now against the government on this issue. The government is turning a blind eye to this reality, causing people to cross over, risking life and limb. Using words like “illegal crossers” to cater to a conservative point of view is absolutely shameful.