Children are being separated from their families while our government continues to consider the United States a safe country for migrants.
Migrants cannot wait while the Canadian government stands by.
The government measures public interest and outrage through letters (not emails). We must show this government that the Canadian public will not stand by during this time of war.
Write a letter now.
Step 1) Write a letter to your Member of Parliament. Find out who your MP is here. You can find some general letter-writing tips for MP letters here. Please note that it is free to write to your MP; a stamp is not needed. You can use Dear Mr./Ms. [last name] or Dear Sir or Madam. Ask for a response; when you hear back, consider replying to thank them for their response, adding reminders of your requests and commitments they have made.
Step 2) Write a letter to Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Citizenship, Refugees and Immigration. You can use any of the following salutations: Dear Minister, Dear Sir, Dear Mr. Hussen. His address is:
The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, P.C., M.P.
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6
Step 3) Donate to organizations fighting for migrant rights. Here are some ideas.
Step 4) Encourage all the Canadians (and everyone else) you know to take action. Challenge all your Facebook friends and talk to your family, friends, and neighbours. Tweet about it. Phone your grandma. Host a letter writing party. Spread the word!
What to write
A one-page letter is ideal. Include your return address so your MP can reply. I'm told by a government employee friend that ministers don't pay much attention to form letters, so take some time to make the letter your own. Check out some sample letters here (and please email me yours to add).
You can get some great ideas and talking points to help you write your letters from the editorials in our News section. Some points to consider while you're writing your letter:
Migrants cannot wait while the Canadian government stands by.
The government measures public interest and outrage through letters (not emails). We must show this government that the Canadian public will not stand by during this time of war.
Write a letter now.
Step 1) Write a letter to your Member of Parliament. Find out who your MP is here. You can find some general letter-writing tips for MP letters here. Please note that it is free to write to your MP; a stamp is not needed. You can use Dear Mr./Ms. [last name] or Dear Sir or Madam. Ask for a response; when you hear back, consider replying to thank them for their response, adding reminders of your requests and commitments they have made.
Step 2) Write a letter to Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Citizenship, Refugees and Immigration. You can use any of the following salutations: Dear Minister, Dear Sir, Dear Mr. Hussen. His address is:
The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, P.C., M.P.
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6
Step 3) Donate to organizations fighting for migrant rights. Here are some ideas.
Step 4) Encourage all the Canadians (and everyone else) you know to take action. Challenge all your Facebook friends and talk to your family, friends, and neighbours. Tweet about it. Phone your grandma. Host a letter writing party. Spread the word!
What to write
A one-page letter is ideal. Include your return address so your MP can reply. I'm told by a government employee friend that ministers don't pay much attention to form letters, so take some time to make the letter your own. Check out some sample letters here (and please email me yours to add).
You can get some great ideas and talking points to help you write your letters from the editorials in our News section. Some points to consider while you're writing your letter:
- The Safe Third Country Agreement between Canada and the U.S. states that the United States meets a high standard for the protection of human rights because it is an open democracy with independent courts, a system of separation of powers, and constitutional guarantees for human rights. Under the Trump administration, the U.S. government is now choosing to ignore these democratic ideals and human rights protections.
- Donald Trump's rushed executive order intended to end family separations does nothing for the 2,300 children already taken from parents who are awaiting prosecution.
- Over 2,000 children entering the United States with their families as asylum seekers in April and May of 2018 have been separated from their families and children and babies, some under one year old, are being held in "tender age shelters." This is a deplorable and illegal ploy to use children as pawns in the political arena and will have long-term traumatic consequences for children and families. Media reports have documented children held in cages, teenagers being required to care for the younger children, and children left to cry with no human contact. This human rights abuse cannot be allowed.
- 1,949 asylum seekers were turned back at official border points in 2017-- were refused entry to Canada under the STCA. That's a huge increase from previous years; in 2016, 731 were refused; in 2015, 418 were turned away and in 2014 just 456 were denied entry. These are people who are being returned to a country that can no longer be considered "safe" for them and the numbers seem likely to increase further under the Trump administration.
- The Trump administration has continuously dehumanized immigrants; the Canadian government must acknowledge that the United States is not a safe third country and end the Safe Third Country Agreement immediately.
- Ending the Safe Third Country Agreement would keep migrants coming to Canada safer as well by removing the need to cross at remote border points in cold weather conditions.
- U.S Attorney General Jeff Sessions recently announced that women fleeing domestic violence will not be eligible for refugee status, leaving these women in danger of being returned to violent situations if they are sent to the United States.
- The U.S. is the only country in the world not to ratify the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of the Child.
- The Trudeau government must ensure that national policies conform to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. If an asylum seeker enters Canada after entering the United States first and is sent back under the Safe Third Country agreement, the claimant's Charter rights (specifically Section 7's guarantee to security of the person) may be violated.
- Will the Trudeau government be complicit in the United States' dehumanizing immigration policies or will we as a country stand up for the rights of some of the world's most vulnerable people?