NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is urging a reassessment of a long-standing treaty that limits illegal immigrants in the United States from seeking refugee status in Canada.
Blacklock's Reporter says his comments follow new U.S. enforcement measures targeting nearly 11 million undocumented immigrants, which he described as “really scary.”
“I think it’s really sad for the folks in the States right now who have heard the President say they don’t exist or that their reality or identity is no longer recognized,” Singh said yesterday.
“It’s really scary for a lot of folks. I just want to acknowledge how scary that must be for people who have heard that and now feel really alone, who feel really afraid.”
Singh highlighted Canada’s historical role as a refuge for people in need.
“What Canada has always done is shown as a country that we are there for people when they are in a time of need. It’s something that has been a point of pride for Canada,” he said.
When asked whether Canada should amend the Safe Third Country Agreement, Singh confirmed the party is considering changes. “Looking at that agreement and how we can amend it is something we have been considering for a while. It is something we will look at,” he said.
The Safe Third Country Agreement, implemented in 2004, allows Canada and the U.S. to deny asylum claims from individuals crossing the border legally, requiring them to seek refuge in the first “safe” country they enter. The Supreme Court of Canada upheld the treaty’s legality in 2023.
Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner previously defended the treaty, describing it as a measure to prevent “asylum claim shopping.” In a 2017 Commons immigration committee hearing, she argued, “Does this still apply in today’s global context? I would argue yes.”
The renewed discussion comes as U.S. President Donald Trump implements strict immigration enforcement. On Monday, Trump signed a directive titled Guaranteeing The States Protection Against Invasion, declaring a national border emergency and instructing authorities to “repel, repatriate or remove any alien.”
A 2024 report from the U.S. Office of Homeland Security Statistics estimated that 11 million illegal immigrants reside in the country, with approximately 750,000 in border states, including 410,000 in New York and 340,000 in Washington State.
In Canada, Immigration Minister Marc Miller emphasized the importance of border controls, stating on January 15, “They need to make sure that any migration that may occur in an unplanned way to Canada doesn’t occur. Those folks are not welcome to Canada if they are doing so in an irregular fashion.”