Canada puts refugee claimants at risk
Toronto, Canada / June 5, 2025 - Colour of Poverty – Colour of Change and a coalition of civil society groups are alarmed that Bill C-2, The Strong Borders Act erodes the rights of refugee claimants to due process and access to justice. The proposed changes can put them at grave risk.
The federal government introduced Bill C-2 on Tuesday, June 3 as a measure to strengthen border security, combat organized crime, stop the flow of drugs and tackle money laundering. But the omnibus Bill introduces numerous changes to Canada’s immigration and refugee law that have nothing to do with improving our security and keeping the illegal drug trade away. It has everything to do with racism and xenophobia and blaming those most vulnerable. The Bill tramples on rights of refugee claimants and migrants and ignores Canada’s obligations to uphold international Conventions.
The Bill will no longer allow those who entered Canada irregularly from the US to submit a refugee claim within 14 days. It will essentially shut the door for all irregular arrivals from the US unless they fit an exemption from the existing Safe Third Country Agreement in a clear violation of our international obligations. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says, “Formal time limits for submitting an asylum application may result in refoulement and are therefore inconsistent with international refugee law.”
Canada has a well-established, proven and respected independent refugee claims determination process. Bill C-2 proposes to prevent claims from even reaching the Immigration and Refugee Board where they should be rightfully heard. While there are areas for improvement in this system, now many refugee claimants will not even have access to a hearing and will be denied due process.
The Bill gives the Immigration Minister new broad powers to pause, cap or cancel intake in any immigration stream if there is a high volume of applications. This will only create more uncertainty as economic-class and family-class applicants could face sudden suspensions. A previous Canadian government did exactly that in 2012 when it stopped the sponsorship of parents and grandparents, causing chaos, fear and tremendous hardship for Canadians. There is no appeal for these proposed measures.
The Bill singles out international students for additional punishment, by threatening them with the denial of a post-graduate work permit if they make a claim for refugee protection, and faster deportation from Canada.
The Bill also proposes to share personal information, including immigration status, with other levels of government without consent, and gives the government more powers to deport people in addition to those it already has.
The Bill would further expand restrictions related to the Safe Third Country Agreement between Canada and the US, making it almost impossible for those seeking safety in Canada to access the refugee claim process here. These changes are proposed at a time when refugees and migrants in the US face a significant and active risk of detention and deportation. The US is not a safe country for refugee claimants.
Some people think too many refugee claimants are coming to Canada. In 2024, 122.6 million people were forcibly displaced worldwide due to persecution, conflict, violence, and human rights violations according to UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. In the same year Canada received 171,845 refugee claims. The majority of forcibly displaced people are in their own countries, while a fewer number flee to neighbouring countries for safety. Very few are able to flee to safety to countries such as Canada.
Bill C-2 represents an attack on the rights of refugee claimants and migrants. Canada’s immigration and refugee system presents systemic barriers that make it difficult to gain legal resident status. A majority of those affected are both low-income and racialized (people of colour). They include people without immigration status in Canada. We are especially concerned about the harmful consequences for women and girls, and 2SLGBTQIA+ people who already face higher risk of physical and sexual assault, discrimination and little or no access to resources.
The previous Liberal government promised to introduce an immigration status regularization program for undocumented workers. This promise was not fulfilled. Instead the government introduced small-scale, highly limited pilot programs – programs that had so many restrictions that only a few applicants were successful. Many of those at risk of being targeted by the proposed Bill C-2 measures are those who have been waiting and calling for years for an immigration status regularization program.
Bill C-2 also proposes to eliminate ‘Designated countries of origin’ from immigration law. We have long advocated for the removal of this provision, which acted as a systemic barrier to exclude certain people from seeking protection in Canada. This is the only encouraging refugee-related proposal in the Bill.
We urge the government to withdraw Bill C-2, and withdraw from the Safe Third Country Agreement.
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Colour of Poverty – Colour of Change (COP-COC)
Chinese Canadian National Council – Social Justice (CCNC-SJ)
Chinese and Southeast Asian Legal Clinic (CSALC)
Council of Agencies Serving South Asians (CASSA)
OCASI – Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants
South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario (SALCO)