CANADA: PEOPLE SEEKING ASYLUM AND SAFETY AT RISK 

Dear Prime Minister Carney,

I am writing to urge you to immediately withdraw Bill C-2, which represents a serious and unacceptable threat to the internationally recognized human right to seek asylum.

Bill C-2 will fundamentally erode the right to seek asylum and introduce dangerous discretionary powers. Most troubling, it would signal Canada’s endorsement of policies in the United States and elsewhere that criminalize, stigmatize, and punish people seeking safety.

It is alarming to learn that, if passed, Bill C-2 would make it even more difficult for people entering Canada from the United States to have their refugee claims fairly reviewed. It would also bar Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Board from reviewing refugee claims of people who claim asylum more than a year after they entered Canada, regardless of whether they face persecution or torture if returned to their country of origin.

The bill also gives sweeping new powers to the government, allowing ministers to cancel people’s immigration status documents in the vague name of “public interest” with no due process. 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 under the pretext of border control.  I urge you to withdraw Bill C-2 and instead uphold Canada’s commitments to dignity, protection, and justice.

Yours sincerely,

[YOUR NAME]