Advocacy groups have raised concerns over the federal government’s border security bill, alleging it could infringe on migrants’ rights and should be abandoned. Representatives from the Migrant Rights Network and the Canadian Council for Refugees, among others, gathered at a news conference on Parliament Hill to voice their opposition to Bill C-12. Karen Cocq, spokesperson for the Migrant Rights Network, criticized the limited study time given to the 70-page bill, highlighting the absence of migrant testimonies that could be affected by the proposed legislation.
Originally introduced as part of the government’s border security bill C-2 in June, certain provisions from the bill were reintroduced in Bill C-12 last month. The new bill encompasses a range of immigration and asylum measures, including one that would prevent individuals from seeking refugee status with the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada if they have been in the country for over a year.
Gauri Sreenivasan, co-executive director at the Canadian Council for Refugees, expressed concerns about the one-year restriction, emphasizing its potential impact on individuals fleeing changing circumstances in their home countries. She also highlighted challenges for victims of domestic violence in meeting the timeframe requirements for asylum claims.
The government has defended the bill, stating that individuals ineligible for traditional refugee hearings can still undergo pre-removal risk assessments. Additionally, Bill C-12 would grant authorities the power to halt new immigration applications or revoke existing ones in the “public interest,” a term purposely left vague to address various future scenarios.
The bill is currently under review by House of Commons immigration and national security committees, with amendments proposed by Conservative immigration critic Michelle Rempel Garner, including one restricting refugee applications from individuals arriving from European or G7 nations. However, critics like Karen Cocq argue that such amendments could undermine principles of fairness and equality in the refugee system.