EDITORIAL: Canada needs to get own refugee house in order
When it comes to Canada’s border woes, the last thing we need
is to sign onto a United Nations deal that will only further complicate
our current mess.
Yet that’s just what Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is planning to do later this month in Morocco when he signs on to something called the UN Global Compact on Migration.
It’s an international agreement that will see countries cooperate to deal with the movement of migrants around the world.
We are, to put it mildly, skeptical of deals like this. The UN Human Rights Council seems to do more to shield human rights abuses than it does solve problems. And all the Paris climate deal has given Canada so far is the unpopular carbon tax.
There are few reasons to believe this new deal on migration will make things better and many reasons to believe it will worsen our border woes.
One big worry is that Canada will be pressured into accepting a volume of refugees or economic migrants that is not based on what’s best for us but based on what the international community demands of us, that it will obscure the line between immigrants and migrants.
Policies that deliver responsible immigration and integration should be determined by sovereign states, not by international bodies.
“Canadians must be in control of their borders and have full sovereignty over their immigration system, and refuse to allow the government to continue to cede this control to authorities beyond our borders,” a Conservative motion calling on the government to reject the compact reads in part. (It was rejected by the Liberals Wednesday afternoon.)
It would be great if this compact resulted in a sharing of best practices that strengthened Canada’s immigration system, but currently, there is no real plan or funding to care for those who have already crossed our borders.
The United States has a mess on their southern border that’s tearing at their social fabric. Europe has no handle on their borders right now.
And while it’s true that Canada has until very recently had an immigration system that’s the envy of the world, we now have little control over the 20,000 people a year crossing illegally over our border.
Before Canada makes further commitments, we need to fix and fund our refugee system here.
Yet that’s just what Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is planning to do later this month in Morocco when he signs on to something called the UN Global Compact on Migration.
It’s an international agreement that will see countries cooperate to deal with the movement of migrants around the world.
We are, to put it mildly, skeptical of deals like this. The UN Human Rights Council seems to do more to shield human rights abuses than it does solve problems. And all the Paris climate deal has given Canada so far is the unpopular carbon tax.
There are few reasons to believe this new deal on migration will make things better and many reasons to believe it will worsen our border woes.
One big worry is that Canada will be pressured into accepting a volume of refugees or economic migrants that is not based on what’s best for us but based on what the international community demands of us, that it will obscure the line between immigrants and migrants.
Policies that deliver responsible immigration and integration should be determined by sovereign states, not by international bodies.
“Canadians must be in control of their borders and have full sovereignty over their immigration system, and refuse to allow the government to continue to cede this control to authorities beyond our borders,” a Conservative motion calling on the government to reject the compact reads in part. (It was rejected by the Liberals Wednesday afternoon.)
It would be great if this compact resulted in a sharing of best practices that strengthened Canada’s immigration system, but currently, there is no real plan or funding to care for those who have already crossed our borders.
The United States has a mess on their southern border that’s tearing at their social fabric. Europe has no handle on their borders right now.
And while it’s true that Canada has until very recently had an immigration system that’s the envy of the world, we now have little control over the 20,000 people a year crossing illegally over our border.
Before Canada makes further commitments, we need to fix and fund our refugee system here.
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