US and Canadian officials recently signed a treaty on dealing with asylum claims that calls for major changes in the way Canada deals with such claims. This has critics saying that it will increase the number of people who attempt to enter Canada without permission.
The agreement, which was negotiated as part of the “smart border’” agreement drafted after the September 11th attacks, is meant to deal with complaints from the US that Canada’s asylum laws are too liberal and present a threat to US security, and complaints from Canada that most of those that seek asylum there have come through the US. Under the new treaty, asylum applicants will be required to apply for asylum only in the country they first enter.
In effect, someone who enters the US will not be allowed to apply for asylum in Canada, meaning they will have to apply in the US, where asylum laws are much stricter. This, critics of the plan argue, will encourage more people to enter Canada illegally, rather that at the US border, where there are currently procedures for allowing them to present asylum applications. Others are also concerned that the treaty will lead to an increase in smuggling on the northern border, will create undue burdens on immigration courts, and will essentially create a new subclass of refugees living on the northern border.
Details on how the agreement will be implemented are still being worked out, and the new plan is expected to be in effect within a few months. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees says it will monitor the program as it is implemented.
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