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Coalition of 300 Groups Urges Withdrawal of Canada’s Strong Borders Act

An unprecedented coalition argues that cancelling permits without appeal will jeopardize migrants’ rights by deepening a backlog exceeding 760,000 cases

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Bill C-2 could allow border forces, Canada's spy agency and foreign governments to access passport and visa information, critics say.

Overview

  • Bill C-2, the Strong Borders Act introduced June 3 by Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government, seeks to tighten border security, combat fentanyl trafficking and money laundering, and expand Canadian Coast Guard powers.
  • A coalition of over 300 organizations, including Oxfam Canada and the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers, has called for the bill’s withdrawal, warning it blocks asylum claims for those in Canada more than a year.
  • Under the bill, authorities could cancel, suspend or alter immigration documents en masse without individual appeal under broad public health or national security justifications.
  • The legislation would halt processing of asylum applications from individuals who entered Canada undocumented or who file claims more than 14 days after crossing the U.S. land border.
  • Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is contending with a backlog of 760,200 applications, and privacy advocates caution that new data-sharing provisions could erode digital privacy for all Canadians.