CANADA: ASYLUM SEEKERS AND MIGRANTS AT RISK

Dear Prime Minister Carney,

I am writing to urge you to immediately withdraw Bills C-2 and C-12. These bills represent a serious and unacceptable threat to the internationally recognized human right to seek asylum.

If passed, Bills C-2 and C-12 would make it even more difficult for people entering Canada from the United States to have their refugee claims fairly assessed. The Bills would also bar Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) from reviewing refugee claims of people who file for asylum more than a year after they first entered Canada—regardless of whether they face persecution or torture if returned to their country of origin. A Pre-Removal Risk Assessment is not an adequate alternative to having a refugee claim heard by the IRB, as it denies people the right to a hearing, an assessment by an independent decision maker, and the right of appeal.

These bills also give sweeping new powers to cabinet—allowing officials to conduct blanket cancelations of immigration visas and permits without due process or individualized assessments. This leaves too many lives at the mercy of political discretion.

Canada must not undermine its international human rights obligations or sacrifice fairness and compassion. I urge you to withdraw Bills C-2 and C-12 and instead uphold our long-standing commitments to dignity, protection, and justice.

Yours sincerely,

[YOUR NAME]