June 20, 2023
The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, P.C., M.P.
Prime Minister of Canada
RE: Open letter from over 130 organisations on World Refugee Day regarding the Safe Third Country Agreement
Dear Prime Minister and leaders of the opposition parties,
We are writing to demand that Canada withdraw from the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) with the United States to ensure that individuals seeking refuge can do so without risking their lives. We call on you to demonstrate leadership and withdraw our country from the STCA, to allow individuals to make a refugee claim by presenting themselves in a regular way at a Port of Entry.
The STCA and its recent expansion has effectively closed Canada's borders to refugees, forcing them to take dangerous and difficult journeys to reach safety. This puts them at extreme risk of abuse, exploitation, and even violence by smugglers.
We must recognize the human rights of all individuals seeking safety and the dignity they deserve. We must also acknowledge the racism inherent in policies that restrict access to safety by specifically targeting people fleeing from the Global South.
In light of the recent Supreme Court of Canada decision, which acknowledges that refugees sent back to the US face real risks of rights violations, and which has directed the Federal court to determine whether the Agreement breaches gender equality rights under the Charter as a matter of profound seriousness, we call on our political leaders to suspend Canada’s participation in the STCA without delay, in line with the fundamental principles of dignity, fairness, and inclusivity that define our nation.
Our country takes great pride in a tradition of providing refuge to those fleeing persecution and violence. By dismantling the barriers imposed by the STCA and allowing individuals to make refugee claims at regular ports of entry, you can uphold our identity as a compassionate and welcoming nation that recognizes the inherent worth and potential of all individuals.
Sincerely,
Canadian Council for Refugees, alongside:
National
- Amnesty International Canada
- Canadian Council of Churches
- 350.org
- Canadian Arab Federation
- Canadian Association of University Teachers
- Canadian Civil Liberties Association
- Canadian Labour Congress
- Canadian Refugee Health Network
- Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) / Syndicat canadien de la fonction publique (SCFP)
- Citizens for Public Justice
- Collaborative Network to End Exploitation
- Hispanic Development Council
- International Association for Refugees Canada
- International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group
- KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives
- Le Centre Oblat: A Voice for Justice
- Ligue des droits et libertés
- National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE)
- Oxfam Canada
- Service jésuite des réfugiés Canada
- The United Church of Canada
- Unifor
Provincial/Territorial
- Access Alliance Multicultural Health and Community Services
- Alliance des communautés culturelles pour l’égalité dans la santé et les services sociaux (ACCÉSSS)
- Association canadienne-française de l'Ontario, conseil régional des Mille-Îles (ACFOMI)
- Action Réfugiés Montréal
- Adam House
- Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Service Agencies of BC (AMSSA)
- Afghan Women's Organization Refugee and Immigrant Services
- AGIR: Action LGBTQ+ avec les immigrantEs et les réfugiéEs
- Agora Boreale association interculturelle
- Alliance pour l'accueil & l'intégration des immigrants (ALAC)
- AMIGRAR Immigration Consulting Inc.
- Amnistie internationale Canada francophone
- Angela Rose and Oak House
- Association Latino-américaine pour les Immigrants du Canada
- Association pour les droits des travailleuses.rs de maison et de ferme (DTMFRHFW)
- AURA - Anglican United Refugee Alliance
- Bureau coordonateur Ahuntsic
- Calgary Catholic Immigration Society
- Calgary Refugee Services
- Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture
- Capital Rainbow Refuge
- Catholic Center for Immigrants Ottawa
- Centre communautaire LGBTQ+ de Montréal
- Centre d'aide aux familles latino américaines (CAFLA)
- Centre des femmes d'ici et d'ailleurs
- Centre for Refugee Children
- Centre social d'aide aux immigrants
- Christie Refugee Welcome Centre
- Clinique pour la justice migrante
- Colour of Poverty - Colour of Change
- Comité logement de la Petite Patrie
- COMPASS Refugee Centre
- Créons des Ponts/Bridges not Borders
- Department of Psychiatry, Division of Cultural and Social Psychiatry, McGill University
- Diocese of Hamilton
- Dixie Bloor Neighbourhood Centre (DBNC)
- Dushahi Sribavan Law Professional Corporation
- Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers (EMCN)
- Emergency Support Committee for Refugees
- Family Service Toronto
- FCJ Refugee Centre
- Femmes du monde à Côte-des-Neiges
- Femmes-Relais Saint-Michel
- Foyer du Monde
- Francophonie Canadienne Plurielle Société
- Healthy Muslim Families
- Immigrant & Refugee Community Organization of Manitoba (IRCOM)
- Immigration Law Clinic, Detroit Mercy School of Law
- Inasmuch Community Society
- Iraqi Federation of Refugees
- Kinbrace Community Society
- Kitchener-Waterloo Multicultural Centre
- Kurdish Initiative for Refugees Inc.
- La Ligue des Noirs du Québec
- Law Office of Jason Currie
- Le Pont (CACRM)
- Les Œuvres Marie-Anne Lavallée
- Madhu Verma Migrant Justice Centre
- Maison de la Famille des Maskoutains
- Manitoba Association of Newcomer Serving Organizations (MANSO)
- Martha Justice Ministry, Sisters of St. Martha, Antigonish
- Matthew House Ottawa: Refugee Services and Furniture Bank
- Matthew House Refugee Services Toronto
- Matthew House Refugee Welcome Centre
- Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto
- Mission communautaire de Montréal
- MOSAIC BC
- Mouvement contre le viol et l'inceste
- Mouvement d'éducation populaire et d'action communautaire du Québec
- Multi-Agency Partnership of BC
- Nellie's Shelter
- New Journey Housing
- Niagara Folk Arts Multicultural Centre
- North End Sponsorship Team (NEST)
- OCASI-Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants
- Office for Systemic Justice, Federation of Sisters of St. Joseph of Canada
- Ontario Federation of Labour
- Ontario sanctuary coalition
- Physician Partnership of the Newcomer Health Clinic, Halifax, Nova Scotia
- Physioversal
- Rainbow Refugee Association of Nova Scotia
- Rainbow Refugee Society
- Refugee 613
- Refugee Committee, Toronto Monthly Meeting of The Society of Friends (Quakers)
- Regroupement des organismes communautaires famille de Montréal
- Réseau d'action des femmes en santé et services sociaux - Montréal
- Réseau d'intervention auprès des personnes ayant subi la violence organisée (RIVO)
- Réseau québécois de l'Action Communautaire Autonome
- Romero House
- Rural Refugee Rights Network
- Saskatchewan Association of Immigrant Settlement and Integration Agencies (SAISIA)
- School of physical and occupational therapy, McGill University
- Settlement Assistance and Family Support Services
- Sisters of St Joseph of Toronto Ministry for Social Justice, Peace, and Creation Care
- SJ McLean Law Professional Corporation
- Sojourn House
- Solidarité Ahuntsic
- Somali HelpAge Association
- St. Mary’s International charitable Organization
- Stratégie Carrière
- Table de concertation des organismes au service des personnes réfugiées et immigrantes (TCRI)
- Table des groupes de femmes de Montréal
- Table régionale des organismes volontaires d'éducation populaire (TROVEP) de Montréal
- The Refugee Centre
- TNO - The Neighbourhood Organization
- University of Manitoba
- Vancouver Association for Survivors of Torture (VAST)
- Vancouver Island Counselling Centre for Immigrants and Refugees Association
- Vision Inter-Cultures
- Visitation Province of the Congregation of Notre Dame of Montreal
- Welcome Collective
- Welcome Haven
- Workers' Action Centre
- Youth For Purpose Canada
- YWCA Toronto
Cc. Hon. Pierre Poilievre, Leader of the Opposition Conservative Party of Canada
CC. Yves-François Blanchet, Leader of the Bloc Québécois
Cc. Jagmeet SIngh, Leader of the NDP
Cc. Hon. Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
Cc. Hon. Marco Mendicino, Minister of Public Safety