Canada bill targeting refugees feared to signal new era of US-style border policies

"Canada's Liberal government is pushing through sweeping new legislation targeting refugees that observers fear will usher in a new era of US-style border policies, fueling xenophobia and the scapegoating of immigrants."

"Atak said the legislation marks an unprecedented expansion of executive power, in terms of information-sharing about refugees between government agencies and the ability to control, cancel or change immigration documents or processes."

"One of those changes is that asylum claims made by more than one year after the claimant arrived in Canada would not be referred to the immigration and refugee board of Canada, but instead sent to an immigration officer for a pre removal risk assessment."

"Audrey Macklin, an immigration and refugee law professor at the University of Toronto, said there are a variety of reasons why an individual might not claim asylum immediately, for example a student who is a member of a persecuted sexual minority might feel unable to return to their home country"

Bill C-12, Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders Act, was fast-tracked through the House of Commons and would become law if the Senate approves it in February. The bill introduces strengthened border-security measures and new ineligibility rules for refugee claimants, and expands executive powers for information-sharing among government agencies and control over immigration documents and processes. Asylum claims filed more than one year after arrival would bypass the Immigration and Refugee Board and be subject to single-officer pre-removal risk assessments with high rejection rates. Critics warn the changes could revive exclusionary, racially targeted practices and fuel xenophobia.

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