This letter is regarding the most recent announcement made on the morning of March 20th 2020 by Prime Minister Trudeau that irregular migrant crossings will not be permitted from the United States border, and will be turned back into U.S custody. It was only days ago that the government provided verbal assurance that asylum seekers crossing into Canada irregularly would not be turned away. Now today these unprecedented restrictions have been announced and I am highly concerned about the possible implications that could result. It is incredibly disappointing that Canada is turning its back on its humanitarian obligations, particularly when we are facing a global pandemic when those who are most vulnerable are in need now more than ever.
The current unprecedented situation with COVID-19 does not mean that the global forced displacement crisis is over, nor does it mean that the conditions for those fleeing persecution had stopped. Choosing to turn our backs on those in desperate need to get to safety will not effectively stop the spread of COVID-19.
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.
