Paule Fontep, a member of the Immigrant Workers Centre of the Outaouais, participated in a press conference organized by two NDP Members of Parliament, Leah Gazan and Jenny Kwan, in collaboration with the Fédération des femmes du Québec, Action Réfugiés Montréal, Amnesty International Canada, and the Canadian Council for Refugees. The event, which took place in Ottawa on December 9, aimed to challenge Bill C-12, titled An Act respecting certain measures related to the security of the Canadian border and the integrity of the Canadian immigration system and other related security measures. Although this law claims to protect Canada’s security, it in fact proposes the militarization of the border and will put the safety of migrant people at risk.
More specifically, Article 28 proposes granting Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) the power to collect personal information from other federal and provincial institutions. People with precarious or lost immigration status are already reluctant to claim their rights because they fear negative consequences for their immigration process. The adoption of Bill C-12 will trap them in silence, exposing them to all forms of violence.
Article 72 of the bill grants the government excessive power by allowing it to refuse, suspend, or cancel applications for temporary or permanent immigration documents, as well as to cancel these documents or modify the conditions attached to them. This measure will heighten the uncertainty of the immigration process and destabilize the status already obtained.
Furthermore, Article 73 adds new grounds for the inadmissibility of asylum claims. One year after their first arrival in Canada, migrant people will no longer be allowed to file a claim. The one-year period begins at their first arrival in their lifetime, even if they are entering Canada for a second or third time. People who enter Canada through the Canada–United States border at a location other than an authorized port of entry will also be excluded from the asylum process, and the “after 14 days” exception will no longer apply. Although conditions in their country of origin can change at any moment, and although the United States can no longer be considered a safe and secure country, Canada will be prepared to abandon its international obligation to protect people in danger.
In the name of national security and the public interest, Canada is prepared to put countless migrant lives at risk.
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