(Ottawa) The federal immigration minister says Ottawa still considers the United States a “safe third country” for transgender refugees under President Donald Trump, but refugee organizations are very concerned.
Posted at 2:13 p.m.
Updated at 8:47 p.m.
David Baxter
The Canadian Press
On the very first day of his new mandate, Mr. Trump signed executive orders on Monday to affirm in particular that the American government now recognizes only two genders: male and female, based on biological characteristics at birth.
The president also ordered the suspension of the American refugee program.
In an interview on the show Power Play from CTV, federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller maintained that, despite the rhetoric of this new Trump administration, he still considers the United States a safe place for the purposes of the Canada-U.S. Third Party Agreement safe countries.
This agreement stipulates that an asylum seeker who arrives in Canada or the United States must present their request in the first country approached.
In an emailed statement to The Canadian Press on Wednesday, the minister said the government understands there are concerns about Donald Trump’s executive orders and what they mean for Canada.
“We continue to carefully monitor developments under the new administration and expect the United States to behave in accordance with the terms of the agreement that manages our border. Our government remains focused on the work we do to ensure the safe and orderly flow of goods and people entering and leaving Canada,” he said.
“We will not speculate on future policy decisions or actions, particularly those of any foreign government, including the implementation of any executive order signed by the President of the United States,” he added.
Concerned advocacy groups
However, the Canadian Council for Refugees (CCR) and Amnesty International Canada both assert that this “safe third country” claim no longer makes sense in light of the attacks on the rights of transgender people in the United States and Mr. Trump’s policies on refugees and migrants.
-The two organizations are involved in a legal challenge to the Safe Third Country Agreement, which is due to be heard in Federal Court later this year.
Julia Sande, lawyer at Amnesty International Canada, does not understand Marc Miller’s logic.
“It is difficult to understand how he can think this way in the face of these horrible, cruel, anti-refugee and anti-migrant policies. It is very difficult to understand how Canada has been able to maintain this position,” she said.
Me Sande recalled that Amnesty International has maintained for several years that the Safe Third Country Agreement violates the Bill of Rights.
Canada’s position is that the Agreement was “carefully designed” with safeguards to protect both the border and people fleeing persecution. The agreement includes certain exceptions, notably for asylum seekers who have family in Canada.
Gauri Sreenivasan, co-director of the CCR, believes the executive orders will harm transgender people who want to apply for asylum in the United States.
Under Mr. Trump’s policies, for example, a transgender woman could be placed in a detention center with male inmates.
“It is clear that transgender people seeking asylum in the United States are much less safe. We do not yet know what this will mean for the asylum determination, but it is clear that they are not safe if detained,” said Ms.me Sreenivasan.
She calls on the government to keep its commitment to protect people fleeing war and persecution.
“It will be extremely important for the Canadian government to very clearly defend Canada’s belief in the international rights of refugees, in the fundamental right to asylum and to demonstrate that we have a different way of proceeding in Canada,” he said. -she affirmed.
