June 5, 2025
Dangerous new border legislation erodes refugee rights and will make many in Canada less safe
The CCR is deeply alarmed by the multiple dangerous precedents that will be set if Bill C-2 becomes law. Under the guise of a bill that claims to make Canada safer, the government is introducing sweeping legislative changes that will seriously weaken refugee rights and are inconsistent with our obligations under the Canadian Charter and international law. Simply put, the government proposes we deal with possible future increases in refugee claims not by improving and better resourcing our world class system for hearing these claims—but by removing protections altogether.
The bill reflects a wholesale shift in how we respond to refugees seeking protection in Canada, appallingly treating them as if they were in the same category as fentanyl or illegal weapons. It introduces US-style militarization and border enforcement under which migrants are seen as a security threat instead of provided the kind of fair immigration process that Canadians expect. Recent EKOS polling commissioned by CCR showed that 85% of those who voted for this government believe that everyone who comes to our border seeking safety deserves a fair hearing–a right that this bill makes much harder to access, for some eliminating it fully.
The bill is accompanied by a dangerous, fear mongering rhetoric recently seen in the US and the UK that reads deeply out of place in Canada. It is a shocking turn from a government that had set out to distinguish itself from the US administration’s defiance of the rule of law, disrespect for international commitments and xenophobic anti-refugee discourse and actions.
The bill picks up elements of US policy that CCR has widely condemned – and makes them worse. The US rule is that a refugee claim must be made within one year of a person’s most recent entry into the US. In Canada, the one-year countdown would start from the very first time a person entered the country, retroactively applying this new rule to all arrivals after June 2020. This means, for example, that a baby visiting Canada with her parents in 2020 would be ineligible if she sought refuge in Canada 20 years later, after facing persecution for her work as a human rights defender in her home country.
The one-year filing deadline also fails to acknowledge the reality that situations change. A person might not have fears of persecution when they arrive, but suddenly be at risk, for example, because of a change of government or in their personal circumstances, such as related to sexual orientation or gender identity.
Barring claims from people who crossed irregularly from the US and wait 14 days before asking for protection will also risk the lives of people seeking safety in Canada, offering only the Pre-Removal Risk Assessment (PRRA) as an avenue to avoid being sent back to persecution.
The PRRA process is NOT equivalent to the robust and independent refugee claim process managed by the Immigration and Refugee Board. This last resort, which would be the only option available to those made newly ineligible under this bill, lacks procedural protections, such as the right to an oral hearing, the right to an appeal and the right to a decision made by an independent and highly trained decision maker.
We also note with concern that, in a disturbing disregard for due process, Bill C-2 gives major new authorities for mass cancellations of immigration documents to deal with future, unidentified ‘pressures’ on our immigration system.
None of us will be safer if we remove protections from those who need them most. This rhetoric and these policies have no place in a country that prides itself on opening its doors to people seeking refuge.
We urge the government to reverse course and rescind this misguided bill.