End the Third Safe Country Agreement

How you can take action and advocate for refugee claimants to Canada.

In light of the latest policies from the Trump administration, many are asking how to respond.

One action that all Canadians can take is to call upon our federal government to modify its current immigration policies especially with respect to the Safe Third Country Agreement.

Below are links providing further background information and a sample letter you can send your Member of Parliament and the Minister of Immigration today!

• Background Information from the Canadian Council for Refugees (CCR)
• Statement by Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers (CARL)
• Press Statement by the CCR:

Sample letter to your Member of Parliament

The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship
House of Commons Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6

Dear Minister Hussen:

I am deeply troubled by American President Donald Trump’s recent executive order banning the entry of refugees and visitors from certain predominantly Muslim countries.

In light of Mr. Trump’s actions, I believe that Canada has a moral duty to protect refugees in need regardless of their ethnicity or religious beliefs. The recent edict by Mr. Trump creates an environment which is unsafe for all asylum seekers in the USA. I am therefore calling upon the government of Canada to repeal of the “Safe Third Country” agreement. Under this agreement, barring a few exceptions, refugee claimants are denied the opportunity to seek asylum at our borders from the USA. I also call upon the government to expand our target numbers for government and privately sponsored refugees this year to include provisions to add “rejected” refugees originally destined (and vetted) for the USA, to our numbers, if no other alternate measures can be found for these refugees in need of protection. Thank you for your prompt action.

Yours Sincerely,

NAME
ADDRESS IN CANADA

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To find out more on Matthew House and how we’re helping refugee claimants in downtown Toronto and across the country click here.