What on earth is happening at Roxham Road? The “irregular border crossing” in Quebec first hit the headlines in 2017, when 18,836 people crossed there into Canada from the United States and claimed refugee status. After dropping to three to four thousand people a year during the pandemic, the number of border crossers surged...
READ MOREWill the 2019 vote be the election of hate?
While carbon taxes and pipelines are predicted to top the political agenda, an ugly undercurrent threatens to drag the debate to dangerous places....
READ MOREHave the Liberals decided refugees make for bad politics?
A lot of factors have emerged since 2015. Trump is only one of them. Is the Liberal government backing away from its commitment to refugees? After campaigning on compassion, Ottawa is now facing a perfect storm of surging asylum claims, an overburdened system and political pressure. All three factors, refugee advocates say, have led...
READ MOREIt’s probably too late for a crackdown on border-hoppers
Ottawa won’t act now for fear of offending the Trump administration It’s not a flood — yet — but the river of refugees coming to Canada continues to rise. Since January 1, the RCMP has intercepted 1,860 migrants crossing illegally into Canada from the United States: 315 in January, 658 in February and 887...
READ MOREOne law for border-hoppers, another for everyone else?
This isn’t a question of compassion alone. It’s also a matter of fairness. What should Canada do about our Safe Third Country Agreement with the United States? Part of the U.S.-Canada Smart Border Action Plan, the agreement states that refugee claimants must request protection in the first ‘safe’ country in which they arrive, unless...
READ MOREBy ignoring border-hopping, Trudeau is asking for trouble
We don’t have a political crisis over immigration yet. Let’s keep it that way. For most of its history, America has been a beacon to the world’s huddled masses, yearning to breathe free. It was the destination of choice for those seeking to escape strife and tyranny, to enjoy equality of opportunity and to...
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