Latest news with #Champlain
CTV News
4 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Here's what the proposed Bill C-2 means for immigrants and asylum seekers in Canada
RCMP officers help asylum seekers as they cross the border to Quebec at Roxham Road from Champlain, N.Y., on March 24, 2023. (Ryan Remiorz / The Canadian Press) Canada has announced new measures under the proposed Bill C-2 in response to what it called growing migration pressures. In a press release Tuesday, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) said the government is 'committed to rebuilding Canadians' trust in the immigration system by prioritizing balance.' According to a background document, the proposed rules contained in Bill C-2, or the Strong Borders Act, would ensure law enforcement has the tools to secure borders, as well as fight transnational organized crime, illegal fentanyl and money laundering. 'We're improving security at the Canada-U.S. border and making our immigration and asylum systems stronger, more flexible, and responsive to new and developing pressures,' Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab said in a statement Tuesday. The IRCC added in its press release that it would improve the 'integrity and fairness of our immigration system while protecting Canadians' privacy and Charter rights.' Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree, who introduced the bill in Ottawa on Tuesday, said in a statement that Canadian officials are aiming to work with American border and law enforcement agencies to strengthen the border and combat organized crime. Here's what you need to know about how the new Bill C-2 measures could affect immigrants and asylum seekers: Sharing client information The bill would allow IRCC to share client information, such as identity, status and immigration documents, with federal, provincial and territorial partners, according to the background document. It would also make it easier for IRCC to share the information between the department's different programs. For instance, permanent residence application data could be used to process citizenship applications. Moreover, it would allow for the creation of regulations to facilitate the sharing of client information across federal departments. Immigration documents The federal government says the bill would strengthen authorities' ability to have control over immigration documents in matters of public interest, such as issues related to public health or national security. Under the new rules, authorities could cancel, suspend or change immigration documents immediately; pause accepting new applications; and pause or cancel processing of applications already in the system. Asylum claims The background document says the bill would 'improve and modernize' the asylum system by making it more efficient and easier for claimants to navigate. Changes would include: Simplifying the online application process, including making the process the same for those claiming asylum at a port of entry or in-land IRCC office Refer complete claims to the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB) to speed up decisions. The IRB would only make decisions on claims while the claimant is physically in Canada Remove inactive cases Make removal orders effective the same day a claim is withdrawn in order to speed up voluntary departures Assign representatives to support 'vulnerable claimants,' such as minors and those who don't understand the process, during IRCC and Canada Border Services Agency proceedings. New ineligibility rules Two ineligibility rules would aim to protect the asylum system against a sudden surge in claims. These measures would apply to the following cases: People who make asylum claims more than one year after first arriving in Canada after June 24, 2020, would not be referred to the IRB. This rule would apply to anyone, including students and temporary residents, whether they left the country or returned. Asylum claimants who enter Canada from the United States along the land border and make a claim after 14 days would not be referred to the IRB. Those who are affected by the ineligibility rules could still apply for a pre-removal risk assessment to avoid being sent back to a country where they could face harm.
Ottawa Citizen
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Ottawa Citizen
Nussbaum: Kìwekì Point, now reborn, connects us to the land and to one another
Article content Last week, the NCC opened Kìwekì Point, a site with views on places and buildings that has been at the centre of history, exploration, conflict, political development and now movement towards reconciliation of our three founding nations. Article content Article content Kìwekì Point also stands close to the confluence of the Ottawa, Gatineau, and Rideau Rivers – a landscape both beautiful and deeply symbolic – that have long brought people together. They were ancient trade routes, sites of diplomacy, and gathering places for the Algonquin Anishinabeg and neighbouring nations. Article content Article content On these shores, early encounters between Indigenous peoples and newcomers took place – encounters that forever changed the history of this land and the later founding of Canada. Article content One such moment occurred in 1613, when Samuel de Champlain, founder of New France, journeyed up the Ottawa River. Then, the Algonquin population in this expansive territory was estimated at between 2,000 and 3,000 people. Champlain's journals recorded not only his travels but also his meetings with Indigenous leaders, including the formidable Chief Tessouat of the Kitchisipirini, (meaning 'People of the Great River'), who Champlain had met in 1603 in Tadoussac but had not seen in the intervening 10 years. Article content Tessouat commanded significant influence in the region. His community, based near present-day Pembroke on Morrison's Island, controlled a vital stretch of the Ottawa River. Trade and travel moved through his territory and tolls were enforced as a demonstration of sovereignty. Article content Article content But Tessouat was not only a political leader. He defended culture and identity against growing outside pressure. Tessouat stood firm against Jesuit missionaries, warning that widespread conversion could erode Algonquin tradition, land and way of life. His resistance was not simply about religion. He safeguarded a worldview rooted in relationship with this land. We reimagine Kìwekì Point with that same spirit of protection, presence, and pride. It's not just a geographic marker. It attests to the resilience of the Algonquin Nation and pays tribute to the enduring connection between people and place reflected in the relationship between Champlain and Tessouat, which had its moment of tension but ended with respect and friendship. Article content But correcting this site's symbolism has taken over 100 years. In 1915, a statue, build by Hamilton MacCarthy, was unveiled to commemorate the 300th anniversary of Champlain's expedition past this point on the Ottawa River. Originally, the monument was to include a figure of an Anishinabe guide in a canoe, acknowledging the indispensable role Indigenous peoples played in Champlain's travels. Unfortunately, that component was delayed and, when added in 1918, the scout appeared kneeling, without the canoe and positioned beneath, not alongside, Champlain.
