Humanitarian, Refugees and Foreign Affairs

We live in an interconnected world, and events transpiring worldwide ultimately affects Canadians, whether we are speaking about economic trade, global prices of goods and commodities, knowledge and skills exchange, effects of climate change, disease transmission and control, natural disaster management, and others. Fulfilling our international obligations protects and serves the interests of Canadians.

People fleeing war, persecution or natural disasters face tremendous barriers to obtaining necessary travel documents. For this reason, I have been advocating for visa-free travel for urgent, life-and-death situations such as the war in Ukraine. I have also been advocating for the government to rescind the safe third country agreement because often, refugees cannot get to safety without first going to a third country. It is paramount that Canada has an adequately resourced immigration system that can act with flexibility and expediency in times of crisis without compromising national security standards.

As your Member of Parliament, I will fight to ensure Canada fulfills its humanitarian and environmental obligations as a member of the international community.

BBC: Canada proposes sweeping immigration and security bill

Jenny Kwan, a member of parliament from the left-leaning New Democratic Party, said the bill "should be alarming to many Canadians".
A big chunk of the new legislation deals with curbing the flow of fentanyl and illegal weapons across the US-Canada border - an issue that US President Donald Trump has used as justification for his tariffs on Canada.

Canadian Press: Federal bill includes new security powers to tighten border, immigration system

NDP public safety and immigration critic Jenny Kwan disagreed with the minister, saying the bill "should be alarming to many Canadians" because it would allow the government to breach civil liberties.

Kwan said she was particularly concerned about the planned powers to share immigration-related information and cancel applications already in the system.

She said a prospective newcomer to Canada could follow the required steps and "out of the blue, after this bill passes, the government can then just decide, 'I'm sorry, I'm just going to withdraw your application. I'm going to suspend your application. I'm just going to deny your application.'

"Is that striking a fair balance of civil liberties? I think not."

CPAC VIDEO: Scrum on Government's Bill C-2 Strong Borders Act

Click the image to watch the CPAC video

HANSARD: Reply to the Throne Speech

Householder Spring 2025: Liberals Gutting Immigration Services and IRCC Staff Puts Lives at Risk

Cutting 3,300 immigration staff will only create further chaos and delays in processing at IRCC. Many of the immigration streams are already faced with severe processing delays. We have seen little to no improvements on the processing times of the vast majority of the streams. For some it’s worse.

Householder Spring 2025: Debunking Trump’s Fake News

RCMP Commissioner has indicated that there is “no data” to support any claims that mass quantity of fentanyl is moving south. In fact, Federal statistics show U.S. border authorities seized 21,889 pounds of fentanyl in the 2024 fiscal year. Of that amount, about 0.2% (43 pounds) were seized at the Canadian border, compared

VIDEO: Message to Mark Carney on renewed vision for immigration and economic security

Message to Mark Carney and other party leaders, calling on a renewed vision for immigration and in the face of deepening public concern for Canada's economic security. Now is a critical time to highlight the reciprocal relationship between immigration and a strong economy, and trends in anti-immigrant sentiment, driven by disinformation, must be addressed.

OPEN LETTER to UNHCR: Urgent appeal regarding the safety of asylum seekers in the United States

I am writing to you with deep concern regarding the recent shifts in US asylum policy and their immediate and profound impact on the safety and well-being of asylum seekers. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) plays a vital role in upholding international refugee protection standards, and I urge your office to re-assess whether the US is still adequately observing equitable access to asylum and the principles of non-refoulement since President Donald Trump took office.

The policy measures introduced by President Donald Trump's executive actions on his first day back in office made one thing abundantly clear: that the US immigration system is being weaponized.

President Trump effectively shut down the US refugee protection system, leaving hundreds of thousands of people stranded with no clear pathway to asylum. He escalated the use of criminal prosecutions against those crossing irregularly into the United States and declared a national emergency to justify military deployment for immigration enforcement. His administration's 'mass deportation' strategy is designed to not just deter but punish those seeking safety. The measures taken by this administration not only create significant barriers to due process but also increase the likelihood that vulnerable individuals will be returned to situations where they face serious harm.

OPEN LETTER to Immigration Minister: Canada’s continued enforcement of the Safe Third Country Agreement

I am writing you to express my grave concerns regarding Canada’s continued enforcement of the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) with the United States and urge the Canadian government to immediately withdraw from the STCA.

President Donald Trump’s executive actions on his first day back in office made one thing abundantly clear: the US immigration system is being weaponized and arbitrary detention, prolonged incarceration, and systemic violations of human rights are not the exception but the rule.