Safe Third Country agreement

The number of asylum claims being filed in Canada continues to rise slightly despite ongoing global travel restrictions.

New statistics released on Monday, September 16, 2019, show a slight dip in the number of people intercepted at the Canada-U.S. border last month trying to cross unofficially to claim asylum.

A growing number of newcomers to Canada are ending up in shelters or are finding themselves homeless, newly released government figures show.

Amnesty International is calling on the Canadian government to suspend the Safe Third Country Agreement with the United States in light of a controversial refugee policy implemented this week by the Trump administration.

The Canada Border Services Agency has removed fewer than 900 "irregular" asylum-seekers who have applied for refugee protection in Canada through a loophole in asylum laws, according to new federal figures.

If elected prime minister, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer says he would put an end to "illegal" border crossings in Canada.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is defending controversial changes to asylum laws included in an omnibus budget bill tabled this week, saying his government wants to ensure Canada's refugee system is fair for everyone.

Lawyers and advocates who work directly with refugees say they are dismayed by proposed changes to asylum laws included in the Liberals' new budget bill, calling them a devastating attack on refugee rights in Canada.

The Liberal government is taking steps to stem the tide of asylum seekers who've been crossing into Canada from the U.S. at unofficial border crossings.

Border Security Minister Bill Blair says he is talking to lawmakers in the United States about closing a loophole in Canada's border agreement with the U.S. — one seen as giving asylum-seekers reason to cross into Canada through fields and forests.

Canadians are generally supportive of current immigration levels, a survey of public perceptions commissioned by the federal government suggests — but they are also worried and confused when it comes to the issue of asylum seekers.

Lisa MacLeod, Ontario's minister responsible for immigration, says the province is asking the federal government for $200 million to cover the cost of asylum seekers from the United States.

The Liberal government has made it clear that simply entering Canada is not a "free ticket" for newcomers to stay in the country, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale told MPs studying the ongoing influx of asylum seekers from the United States.

A Salvadoran woman and her two daughters who fled their home country after allegedly suffering extortion and rape at the hands of members of the notorious MS-13 gang have launched a legal challenge of the Canada-U.S. Safe Third Country agreement.

"Trudeau and other politicians must realize the real-life consequences of their words when it comes to immigration. It is not compassionate nor prudent to give these individuals false hope when we know that the majority of the asylum claims before the Immigration and Refugee Board will eventually be rejected." — Conservative MP Michelle Rempel. CP tests this and a reply for accuracy.