Canada’s Liberal government pushed through Bill C-12, called the Strengthening Canada’s Immigration System and Borders Act. The bill passed the House of Commons on December 11 before the holiday break. If Senate approves it in February, the new law will tighten refugee claim rules and boost border security. The bill stops refugee claims made more than one year after arrival from going to the Immigration and Refugee Board. Instead, these claims will be reviewed by one immigration officer through a pre-removal risk assessment. Experts say this process often rejects refugees quickly without a fair hearing. Idil Atak, refugee law professor at Toronto Metropolitan University, warned the bill is “very regressive in terms of refugee protection.” She said it gives the government broad new powers to share refugee information and control immigration documents. Audrey Macklin, University of Toronto professor, said many refugees delay claims due to fear. She noted the bill borrows ideas from US policies that make asylum harder. Refugees seeking asylum at the Canada-US border after 14 days will also be blocked from a fair hearing. This enforces the ‘safe third country’ agreement, which critics argue is unfair since the US is not safe for many asylum seekers. Syed Hussan of Migrant Workers Alliance for Change said politicians blame migrants for Canada’s economic issues. He said, “We’re all being tricked into blaming migrants.” Critics fear Bill C-12 damages Canada’s reputation as a welcoming nation and breaks its moral promises to refugees. Atak described the law as “an erosion of our obligations to protect refugees.”