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Dear Right Honourable Prime Minister Trudeau,
On Friday January 27, 2017, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order banning nationals of seven Muslim-majority countries from the United States for at least the next 90 days. The countries included in this ban are: Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. Also included in the President’s anti-immigration Executive Orders are an indefinite ban on Syrian refugees, and a four-month ban on the admission of any refugee or refugee claimant.
The following day, you tweeted, and we quote, “To those fleeing persecution, terror & war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith. Diversity is our strength #WelcomeToCanada”. To many Canadians who read this message, the perception is that Canada would not sit idly by while our closest neighbour and ally implemented these discriminatory policies. That, as a diverse and welcoming country, Canada should and would stand up and act.
On Tuesday January 31, 2017, the Honourable Speaker granted the NDP’s request for an emergency debate in the House of Commons on this very subject. Sadly, both you and the Minister for Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship rejected all proposals for Canada to condemn these policies and help those affected by it. For the thousands of Canadians who implored the Government to act, and for the hundreds of thousands who were led to believe that the Government would take action, it was a truly disappointing moment.
Your government made assurances that Canadians and those with permanent resident status would not be negatively impacted by these discriminatory travel bans. Since that claim, and despite the fact that the American judicial system has suspended these travel bans, it has been abundantly clear Canadians are being impacted.
On Thursday February 9, 2017, the NDP questioned the Liberal government on the case of Fadwa Alaoui, a Muslim Canadian born in Morocco. After being interrogated at the border for four hours on how often she attends her mosque and what her views are about President Trump, she was forced to drive home, denied entry to the United States even though she held valid Canadian travel documents.
On Friday, February 10, it was reported that another Canadian was barred from entering the United States. This time, a young man who was born in Canada. As reported by the CBC, Yassine Aber is a 19-year old university student at the University of Sherbrooke, and member of their track and field team. Born to first generation Moroccan Canadians, Mr. Aber was travelling on his Canadian passport, with his track and field team and coaching staff. At the border crossing located in Stanstead, Quebec, their van was stopped, and Mr. Aber was targeted for questioning by American border officials. He was asked intrusive questions not only about himself but about his parents, who were not even on the trip. He was forced to hand over his phone, and provide his password. He was fingerprinted. He was interrogated for a total of five hours before ultimately being denied entry to the United States. When asked why he was being denied entry, he was told that he didn’t have proper documentation, a valid passport or an immigration visa. Mr. Aber, or any other Canadian, does not need an immigration visa to enter the U.S. and Mr. Aber’s valid Canadian passport expires in 2026.
Mr. Prime Minister, in the wake of the President’s Executive Order, there have been at least 5 publicly known recent accounts of valid Canadian travellers being denied entry to the United States. The treatment some Canadians are receiving at the border based on their heritage or religion is humiliating, completely unacceptable and harmful to Canada-US relations.
Canadians need a guarantee that they will not face discrimination at our borders. On Monday, when you will be meet with President Donald Trump, we implore you to draw attention to these issues.
As Prime Minister of Canada you represent the views and interests of Canadians on the world-stage. Canadians are resoundingly opposed to Mr. Trump’s travel ban and you are therefore duty-bound to express Canada’s opposition to these policies.
We would also ask you to draw specific attention to the cases of the Canadian families and individuals prevented from entering the United States in order to gain assurances from President Trump that this will not happen again.
It is always the job of the Prime Minister of Canada to stand up for human rights on the world stage and this responsibility still applies when speaking to allies.
Respectfully,
Thomas Mulcair Jenny Kwan
Leader of the NDP NDP Critic for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
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