NDP to Trudeau: Reject travel ban, increase Canada’s refugee commitments

The following is a statement from Jenny Kwan, NDP Critic for Immigration and Refugees:

On behalf of the New Democratic Party, I wish to express my profound disappointment with the reinstatement of President Donald Trump’s travel ban. This ban ...

On behalf of the New Democratic Party, I wish to express my profound disappointment with the reinstatement of President Donald Trump’s travel ban. This ban unfairly targets all refugees and individuals from six predominately Muslim countries. Claims that it will benefit US national security are not supported by a shred of evidence.

Canadians wholly reject any travel ban based on race or religion. We expect our leaders to be brave enough to stand up for human rights and against policies that put lives at risk, while perpetuating hate and fear. Unfortunately Canada’s Prime Minister has refused to directly criticize this ban.

When President Trump’s original travel ban was announced, Prime Minister Trudeau tweeted out a message to refugees welcoming them to Canada even as his government shut down the private sponsorship program set up to assist Syrian refugees. Since then he has failed to take any measures that would enhance Canada’s refugee program in the wake of such a ban.

Not only has Prime Minister Trudeau refused to condemn this ban, he’s refused to increase the number of refugees Canada takes in and placed a hard cap on a category of privately sponsored refugees. Additionally, and despite opposition from across the country, Trudeau has refused to suspend the so-called ‘Safe Third Country Agreement’ which prevents asylum seekers from crossing the border at formal points of entry. Instead, hundreds of asylum seekers have been forced to make dangerous crossings over the Canadian border, some losing appendages to frost bite and one woman losing her life.

Canada has a duty and a responsibility to work with the international community to address the growing refugee crisis, a crisis which will only be made worse by the US travel ban. The government of Canada should condemn this ban, suspend the Safe Third Country Agreement and increase our commitments to support refugees.”

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Canadian Press: Activists call on feds to put pressure on Israel over treatment of Gaza aid flotilla

Canadian activists detained by Israel last month while taking part in an aid flotilla trying to reach Gaza say Canada isn’t doing enough to call out treatment by Israeli officials that Ottawa has called appalling.

While Israel has rejected claims of abuse, flotilla participant Ehab Lotayef said Wednesday Israeli officials beat him on the chest and ribs, put him in uncomfortable positions for long periods and slashed his hand when he tried to help a fellow detainee.

“We felt that we were let down by Canada before anybody else, to be honest, because the Canadian government knew all that was happening,” Lotayef told a news conference on Parliament Hill.

“When we needed them was when we were being tortured — and the whole world knew that that was happening.”

Activist flotillas have tried repeatedly to reach the Gaza Strip to draw attention to tight restrictions on humanitarian supplies for Palestinians. Israel has intercepted these boats, often in international waters.

Lotayef was one of 12 Canadians among 420 flotilla activists detained by Israeli authorities last month. Their detention gained international notoriety when Israel’s Public Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir posted a video of himself taunting the detained activists.

*Click image or link to read the news story - https://cheknews.ca/activists-call-on-feds-to-put-pressure-on-israel-over-treatment-of-gaza-aid-flotilla-1328346/

CPAC: NDP MPs Hold a News Conference with Gaza Flotilla Activists

On Parliament Hill, NDP MP Jenny Kwan holds a news conference with Canadians who took part in the Global Sumud Flotilla to deliver aid to Gaza. She is joined by NDP MP Heather McPherson and former diplomat Richard Kohler.

*Click image or link to watch the press conference video - https://www.cpac.ca/headline-politics/episode/ndp-mps-hold-a-news-conference-with-gaza-flotilla-activists--june-3-2026?id=3bf3339c-a503-4cc2-828e-b0290ad9a424

Yahoo News: Bill C-22: NDP MP Jenny Kwan slams Lawful Access Act as 'most invasive piece of legislation'

Critics warn the controversial bill would give sweeping powers to Canadian security intelligence and law enforcement, jeopardizing the privacy and civil liberties of citizens.

This week, Bill C-22, formally called the Lawful Access Act, is moving through Parliament. The bill, which is currently being reviewed, was introduced by Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal government this past March, and is aiming to update criminal and national security laws for the digital age. The legislation would grant law enforcement and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) new powers as well as access to digital data and meta data.

Jenny Kwan, NDP MP for Vancouver-East, says we shouldn’t be fooled by the bill’s promises on the surface. She agrees that in this modern age, because of changes in technology, we need to modernize our lawful access approaches so that the policies in intelligence agencies can do their work.

“But effective policing and intelligence work can and should operate within a robust legal framework that preserves judicial oversight and limits data collection to what is strictly necessary,” she tells me from her constituency office. “This bill fails: It lowers the threshold for access to personal information. It expands executive authority over digital infrastructure. It mandates and enables large-scale data retention, and increases systematic exposure of private communications.”

*Click image or link to read the news story - https://ca.news.yahoo.com/bill-c-22-ndp-mp-jenny-kwan-slams-lawful-access-act-as-most-invasive-piece-of-legislation-132532250.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAK_uGIKQSU7dt0CpvhZ2cYzqc4_8YtxtaJ5JD5W3hEmlh2fQ2qcdKT9UH9_KuDrEkbM-79IZAg4jMWFobdgNmJCdbnv3p8-Tf-d5oyf9yK9E32nRnnbTyAzsVx1YRB07XbLh_crhXtu3G0Ng3OlVt3BnZDu16TejlOl_KCskwBZ9