Letter to Minister Hussen: The Canada-US Safe Third Country Agreement

The Honourable Minister Hussen,

There are millions of refugees around the world today. Each displaced person has a story of pain, hardship and sadness; and multiplying this suffering by millions is a tragedy and a crisis.

Recently, Canada has seen an increase in the number of refugees entering Canada from the United States via irregular and life-threatening border crossings in order to have their claim heard. We are concerned that, due to the Canada – US Safe Third Country Agreement, refugees are being prevented from applying for and receiving asylum in Canada.

The Canadian Council of Churches, our member denominations, and their members have a long history and a robust living tradition of welcoming refugees to Canada and advocating for the rights of refugees in Canada. In recent years churches in Canada have privately sponsored thousands of families, and many stand ready and are prepared to welcome more. A decade ago The Canadian Council of Churches with the Canadian Council of Refugees and Amnesty International Canada successfully challenged in Federal Court the Safe Third Country Agreement but regretted the decision of the Supreme Court of Canada not to grant leave in the case challenging the Canada – U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement in 2009.