henfield:

PLEASE call/write/email your mp and tell them you want the SAFE THIRD COUNTRY AGREEMENT (alt. info) suspended immediately!!!

here’s a cbc article talking about calls for suspension

if you don’t know what the safe third country agreement is:

the safe third country agreement is a bilateral treaty between the united states and canada asserting that refugees must claim status in the first safe country they arrive in (and in canada, the united states is the only country considered a safe third country) — which means, essentially, if a refugee travels to the united states, they must apply for refugee status there, and cannot pursue claims of refugee status in canada

this is relevant right now, in light of the current political climate of the united states, because:

the united states is considered a “safe third country”, so (predominantly latinx) refugees and undocumented migrants are deemed safe in the united states and cannot pursue refugee claims in canada if they’ve already been to the united states.

clearly, the united states is not any kind of sanctuary for refugees. families are being separated, children are being traumatized, people are being treated like animals, due process is being denied, human rights are being systemically violated, targeting a specific marginalized minority population.

to allow an escape from the atrocities the united states government is committing, refugees must be able to flee the united states and seek asylum in canada. under the safe third country agreement, they cannot.

it’s also important to remember that we had a policy like this in place before in canada — the continuous journey regulation, passed in 1908 as canada’s first attempt to restrict immigration. this order-in-council targeted asian — specifically indian — immigrants, stating that immigrants must make continuous passage to canada from their country of origin/birth. this targeted asians and indians in particular, as the transportation technology at the time meant that most indian immigrant ships needed to stop in japan or hawaii.

the continuous journey regulation resulted in the komagata maru incident, a massive xenophobic and racist tragedy that’s considered one of the greatest stains on canada’s history.

PLEASE contact your members of parliament. we cannot repeat history like this; the consequences are far too great.

contact information:

• find your member of parliament
• you can enter in your postal code and it’ll tell you your mp’s name, with all of their contact info (incl. phone number, mailing address, email address, constituency office address and website)
• you can mail ANY member of parliament postage-free very easily — here’s a link for more info
• if you have a social media presence or feel more comfortable doing it online, most members of parliament have their social media accounts linked to their official websites! tweet them! call them out publicly! if you’re writing an email or letter, attach that to your tweet!
• this is the current minister of immigration under the liberal government
• call, email, write, even visit his constituency office! tell him that we absolutely no longer can consider the united states a safe third country
• marc garneau, minister of transportation, also stated that we can continue to consider the united states a safe third country, despite the current political client. consider calling, emailing or tweeting him to tell him we value the lives of refugees more highly than we value the feelings of our southern neighbours

if you don’t know what to say:

writing a letter in your own voice to your own mp is the most effective way to go about this, but if you don’t know how or don’t feel comfortable, i’ve prepared a template that you can send. it’s linked right here

if you’re not canadian, please reblog this anyways. as the united states’ neighbours, we’re best positioned to offer refuge and asylum to the victims of america’s inhumane policies. please get out and act — contact your representatives and make your voice heard.