As the flow of migrants crossing the US-Canada border is gaining steam, the Canadian government has proposed a provision to the Budget Implementation Act (Bill C-97) to stem the tide of newcomers. Speaking to Sputnik, scholars explained Ottawa’s move and suggested how the migrant issue may affect the balance of power during the upcoming elections.
The Liberal government has proposed a legal change aimed at preventing people who previously made an asylum claim in the US, UK, Australia, or New Zealand from gaining a full refugee status hearing in Canada; however, the latest government initiative is unlikely to fix the situation ahead the October federal elections, according to Rémi Tremblay, the editor of Le Harfang, the magazine of the right-wing group Federation des Quebecois de Souche (Federation of native Quebecers).
According to the journalist, “the Canadian border has become the longest undefended border of the world”.
Tremblay also sounded the alarm on the jihadi threat: “The government has proven that its priority is not the safety and security of Canadians, but the respect of the jihadis’ ‘rights'”, he said.Meanwhile the immigration issue is likely to take on a new significance ahead of the country’s federal elections scheduled for 21 October 2019.
“Of course, immigration will help the Conservatives and can probably be credited for the many gains in provincial elections. The great majority of Canadians have been outraged by the way the government has handled the illegal immigration crisis at the border. The fact that thousands of illegal immigrants were welcomed in Canada where they could receive all the benefits usually reserved to law-abiding citizens made many people react”, he said.
According to Montenegrino, if the Conservatives win, they will do what “the Conservative Party of the past did, and that is to have a robust immigration system”.