There is a reason why advocates and activists focused on refugee and migrant rights, gender justice, civil liberties, and data privacy have unanimously called for Bill C-2 (and its new companion, Bill C-12) to be withdrawn: the Bills are an attack on all of us.
In June, the government of Canada tabled Bill C-2, the so-called “Strong Borders Act”. It claimed it needed to do this in response to concerns coming from the United States about things like fentanyl and firearms. The problem? It includes all sorts of provisions that have nothing to do with appeasing President Trump in tariff negotiations. Instead, it attacks refugees’ and migrants’ rights, and the privacy rights of everyone in Canada.
In response to widespread condemnation from advocates and activists, the government tabled Bill C-12 in October. However, Bill C-12 solves none of Bill C-2’s problems – it is an exact copy of the provisions attacking refugees and migrants in Bill C-2 and is simply an attempt to fast track those aspects of Bill C-2. Both Bills need to be withdrawn.
For more detail on the Bills, see below.
What can you do?
Join advocates and activists across the country – and the globe – in calling for Bills C-2 and C-12 to be withdrawn.
Step 1: Sign the Amnesty online action, and share it with your friends, family, and community.
Step 2: To help sustain the pressure, sign onto other actions hosted by partner organizations, which can be found here.
Step 3: Contact your MP, express your concerns, and call on them to push to have the Bill withdrawn.
- To find your MP, enter your postal code here.
- When writing to, calling or meeting with your MP, it is important to explain that you live in their riding, and to talk about what the Bill means to you and your neighbours and why you want it withdrawn. See below for further explanation on some of the worst provisions of the Bill. Other resources and FAQs can also be found here.
- Ask for their thoughts about the parts of the Bill that you’re most concerned about.
- Ask if the MP will take action by pushing to have the Bill(s) withdrawn or voting against them.
- Don’t be afraid to follow up.
Key Concerns Regarding Bill C-2 and C-12
Bills C-2 and C-12 stop people from having their claim for refugee protection fairly assessed
Under the current system, refugee claimants go before independent decision makers at the Refugee Protection Division (RPD) of the Immigration and Refugee Board, and have the right to a hearing and appeal. Canada is trying to take some people out of this system by preventing their claims from being heard by the RPD. Instead, people would only be eligible for a Pre-Removal Risk Assessment (PRRA) – this means that their claims would not be heard by independent decision makers but by government employees without the same expertise or training.
Refugee claimants pushed into this lesser system would not have the right to a hearing or an appeal. This would put people at higher risk of being deported to face things like torture and persecution, simply because their claims for protection were not fairly assessed.
If Bill C-2 or C-12 passed, then someone who first entered Canada more than one year ago – even if they came here for one day as a baby in 2020 and then returned 20 years later, or even if their circumstances had changed since they first arrived in Canada – would be pushed into the lesser PRRA system (without the right to a hearing or the same protections). Some asylum seekers who come to Canada via the United States would also be pushed into the lesser PRRA system.
Bills C-2 and C-12 would grant the government the power to cancel immigration documents for groups of people without due process
The government is trying to give itself the ability to issue blanket cancellations of immigration documents, including things like permanent resident visas and work and study permits, simply because they believe it is in the “public interest”.
The government would not need to conduct any individualized assessment, and people would not be entitled to any due process. Instead, with a simple order, the government could pull the rug out from our friends and neighbours who have been building their lives here in Canada.
Bill C-2 and C-12 would allow the government to share personal information with foreign governments
The Bills would enable the government to share private information held by the immigration department with other governments. This is a terrifying prospect for many, including those who have fled persecution from another government.
Bill C-2 is an attack on privacy rights.
Bill C-2 would expand police and spy agencies’ ability to access our data and allow Canada Post to open our mail. It would also enable our government to share our personal information with foreign governments. While the government cut out some of the attacks on privacy rights in Bill C-12, these attacks remain in Bill C-2, which has not been withdrawn.
