Jul 09

Amnesty International Canada Urges Immediate Action to Uphold the Rights of People Seeking Safety

Seeking asylum is not a crime—it is a fundamental, internationally recognized human right. Yet, as Canada reviews its border and immigration frameworks, Amnesty International Canada is sounding the alarm: proposed changes under Bill?C?2 and entrenched policies like the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) risk stripping away the protections afforded to those fleeing persecution

Introduced in June?2025 and misleadingly titled the “Strong Borders Act,” Bill?C?2 includes provisions that could:

  • Set a one?year deadline to claim refugee protection. Applications made more than 12 months after arrival would be permanently barred from review by the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB)?

  • Remove exceptions allowing people crossing irregularly from the U.S. to have claims heard—tightening Canada’s already restrictive land-border approach?.

  • Grant ministers broad discretionary powers to cancel valid immigration documents (e.g. PR, work permits, student permits) in the nebulous name of “public interest,” with minimal due process or individual safeguards.

Amnesty International warns these changes could effectively “criminalize, stigmatize and punish people seeking safety,” and erode Canada’s international human rights commitments?.

Safe Third Country Agreement: A Deterrent to Asylum

The Canada–U.S. STCA, in effect since December?2004, requires refugee claimants to apply in the first safe country they enter. A 2023 expansion further closed escape routes—such as walking across irregular points like Roxham Road—outlawing claims made within 14 days.

These measures have driven many into hidden journeys, increasing dangers and leaving them without access to fair, transparent processes?. Amnesty International calls for Canada to withdraw from the STCA entirely and restore trustee asylum pathways?

Immigration Detention: A Systemic Problem

Canada detains thousands of immigration detainees annually—some for months or even years. These individuals, not accused of crimes, are often held in provincial jails under maximum-security conditions, frequently subjected to handcuffs, shackling, solitary confinement and racial disparities?.People with mental health conditions, disabilities, or from racialized communities, particularly Black immigrants, face even harsher conditions and prolonged detention? Amnesty and Human Rights Watch are urging governments nationwide to end contracts that place immigration detainees in provincial jails and to end indefinite detention?.

Amnesty’s Urgent-Action Demands

Amnesty International Canada is calling for:

  1. Withdrawal of Bill C?2 — To prevent dismantling of the right to seek asylum, end exclusionary deadlines, and stop politicized immigration cancellations?.

  2. Rescission of the STCA — To restore safe and legal asylum pathways and eliminate forced refoulement to U.S. authorities?.

  3. Reform of immigration detention — Stop using jails for administrative detention, end indefinite confinement, and ensure oversight and humane conditions?.

  4. Amnesty is mobilizing its Urgent Action Network and urging Canadians to contact the Minister of Immigration and local MPs. These actions include petitions, letters, and social media outreach calling for the reversal of harmful policies and the restoration of fairness to Canada’s asylum system?

Why This Matters

These accelerated changes threaten Canada’s reputation as a global leader in refugee protection. By imposing arbitrary bars, surrendering due-process rights, and reinforcing system-wide detention, we risk abandoning principles enshrined in the Canadian Charter and international law.

Amnesty’s messaging is clear: urgent action is essential. Without intervention, Canada may revive policies reminiscent of darker eras—where borders, not justice or compassion, dictated who could stay or be expelled.

 How You Can Take Action

  • Send a message to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (e.g. Lena Diab), urging withdrawal of Bill?C?2 and rescinding of the STCA.

  • Call or email your MP to demand reforms to detention policies and improved due process for asylum seekers.

  • Join Amnesty’s Urgent Action Network to receive alerts and directly support campaigns defending the rights of newcomers.

Together, we can ensure Canada remains a sanctuary—not just in name, but in practice.

Related Posts

Building Community Power Against Deportations

On Sunday, August 2, the Comité d’action de Parc-Extension (CAPE) and the Immigrant Workers Centre (IWC-CTI) organized a workshop on the rights of migrants facing deportation. The workshop formed part of the IWC-CTI’s ongoing campaign to resist deportations and defend migrant communities. The event was particularly urgent because Parc-Extension has become an epicenter of the deportation crisis. More than 200 people are deported from Quebec every week, with people from... Read more →

International Students Win the Right to Resume Their Studies—But the Crisis Is Not Over

Nearly 900 international students were thrown into uncertainty after the Quebec government refused to renew the operating permits of Collège supérieur de Montréal and Collège supérieur de Sherbrooke. Many students had left their families, paid tens of thousands of dollars in tuition, and worked in low-wage jobs to support themselves. Some were only weeks away from graduating when their studies were abruptly suspended, threatening their academic progress, employment, and immigration... Read more →

A Call for Housing Justice

The Immigrant Workers Centre (IWC-CTI) joined community organizations in calling for urgent government action following the release of the Quebec coroner's report into the death of Manjeet Singh, an unhoused migrant who died in Parc-Extension earlier this year. Speaking after the report's release, Gaurav Sharma, an organizer with the Immigrant Workers Centre, said Singh's death was not an isolated tragedy but the result of systemic failures that continue to leave... Read more →