240 Canadian law professors call for suspension of Safe Third Country Agreement
On the 31st of January, 2017, a letter signed by over 240 law professors in Canada was sent to the Federal Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship requesting the suspension of the safe third country agreement. The letter was read in Parliament that night during an emergency debate called to deal with the fallout from President Donald Trump’s executive order to ban Syrian refugees and bar entry of nationals of seven mostly Muslim countries.
Suspending the safe third country agreement between Canada and the U.S. would open the door for refugees in the United States to seek asylum in Canada. The letter, which you can read here, was organized by Sean Rehaag, a professor at Osgoode Hall law school, with contributions from Donald Galloway (UVic Law), Efrat Arbel (UBC Law), Audrey Macklin (UToronto Law), and Sharry Aiken (Queens).
The response to the letter has been nothing short of remarkable, with a large percentage of Canada’s law professors signing it. This sends a clear message that the Canadian law community sees the law as a means to help the most vulnerable in our society, and around the world.
This story has been picked up by national media: