Canadian bill seeks to deny hearings to some asylum-seekers
TORONTO (Reuters) -A Canadian border-security bill introduced by the Liberal government earlier this week may deny some asylum-seekers a refugee hearing and make it easier for the government to revoke migrants' status.
The bill comes as the government seeks to address U.S. concerns about its border security and reduce the number of migrants in the country. In addition to denying some refugee hearings and allowing the suspension, cancellation or variance of immigration documents, the bill facilitates sharing people's information and makes it easier to read people's mail, among other measures.
President Donald Trump has said Canada had failed to do enough to stem the flow of illicit fentanyl into the U.S., using that as justification for some of his tariffs. This week Trump doubled the tariffs in place on steel and aluminum, prompting calls for Canada to boost retaliatory measures of its own. Late last year Canada pledged C$1.3 billion to beef up its border.
As Canada reduces the number of new permanent and temporary residents, its refugee system faces a historic backlog of more than 280,000 cases.
This week's bill follows through on some of those border promises as well as on suggestions from some top ministers that Canada would fast-track refusals for some refugee claims.
If the bill passes, asylum-seekers who have been in Canada more than one year would not be eligible for refugee hearings.
Instead, they would have access to a pre-removal risk assessment, meant to determine whether they would be in danger in their country of origin. According to data published by Canada's Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Department, 30% of pre-removal risk assessments in 2019 for people deemed ineligible for refugee hearings were approved; by contrast, according to Immigration and Refugee Board data, that year 60% of finalized refugee hearings were approved.
Asylum-seekers who wait two weeks to file claims after crossing from the U.S. to avoid being turned back under a bilateral agreement would also not get hearings.
The bill, which needs to go through multiple readings before the House of Commons votes on it and sends it to the Senate, would also allow the government to "cancel, suspend or vary" immigration documents if deemed in the public interest.
Migrant and refugee advocates worry the changes could leave vulnerable people deported to dangerous situations in their home countries without adequate due process.
A spokesperson for Canada's Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab said on Wednesday that the government recognizes the conditions in people's home countries may change, but the pre-removal risk assessment will prevent them from being returned to persecution or torture.
"The asylum ineligibilities introduced yesterday seek to maintain protection for those fleeing danger while discouraging misuse that bypasses the asylum system's function – which is to protect the vulnerable," the spokesperson wrote in an email.
"Canada is reneging on its basic human rights obligations to do individual arbitration," said Migrant Rights Network spokesperson Syed Hussan.
"This is teeing up a deportation machine."
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Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
European Leaders to Join Zelenskiy for Meeting With Trump
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Trump said after his talks with Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday that he'll urge Zelenskiy to make a quick deal, and sounded receptive to the Russian president's demands that Ukraine give up large areas of land in the east of the country. European leaders are skeptical that a peace agreement can be rapidly reached, or that Putin even wants one. Monday's talks will include, among other things, security guarantees, territorial issues, and continued support for Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression, according to a German statement. It'll be Zelenskiy's first visit in the White House since February, when his Oval Office encounter with Trump turned into a public shouting match and led to US briefly pausing military aid to Ukraine. While the two leaders patched up their relationship since then, the Ukrainian president needs all the support he can muster as the US president presses for a fast peace deal, and Putin sticks to his maximalist demands. Zelenskiy and von der Leyen welcomed president Trump's willingness to contribute to security guarantees with Europe. Trump and Putin agreed at their summit in Alaska that the US would be able to offer Ukraine security guarantees, Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy, said on Sunday. The Kremlin hasn't commented on the potential arrangement. The specifics of a US contribution to any security guarantees for Ukraine are unclear. The discussions have touched upon the possibility of granting Kyiv assurances from some allies — similar to those of NATO's Article 5 collective defense clause — which commits members to defend each other if attacked, said the people. The people spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations, and cautioned that a NATO-like mechanism would be difficult. An alternative would be bolstering, through US commitments, earlier plans coordinated by the UK and France, which included reassurance forces, monitoring and air-cover, the people said. 'It is important that America agrees to work with Europe to provide security guarantees for Ukraine.' Zelenskiy said. 'But there are no details how it'll work and what America's role will be, what Europe's role will be, what the EU can do.' 'We need security to work in practice like Article 5 of NATO. And we consider EU accession to be part of security guarantees,' he said. Trump also indicated he could be looking to organize a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders as early as within a week, the people said. Zelenskiy has said repeatedly that he's willing to meet Putin. The Kremlin has yet to provide a similar commitment, and many European officials doubt he wants to end Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which is halfway through its fourth year. Ahead of the meeting with Putin, Trump told allies that reaching a ceasefire would be his key demand. He also threatened to walk out and impose tough new punitive measures on Moscow and countries buying its oil if it wasn't met. 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New York Post
26 minutes ago
- New York Post
DC Dems safety delusions: Letters to the Editor — Aug. 18, 2025
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Newsweek
27 minutes ago
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Ukraine Responds to Putin's Reported Demands to Trump
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