social

Banner that reads Status For All Scrap Bill C-2

From Trump’s Playbook: Bill C-2 and Bill C-12

This post is longer than usual. As part of our response to Bill C-2 and Bill C-12 and rising anti-immigrant rhetoric in Canada, we are sharing some resources. If you want to see a list of actions you can take, scroll down to the bottom.

A few months ago, I wrote a blog about the rise of anti-migrant rhetoric in Canada. I wanted to share an update on how that sentiment has ramped up in the last few months — and what you can do to help.

Migrants like me, regardless of current immigration status, have been made to feel unwelcome and treated as political pawns. Our communities have become a target for discrimination, blame, and division. We have become scapegoats — blamed for a housing crisis we didn’t cause, an affordability crisis we are experiencing and a system rigged in favour of the rich and powerful.

During the federal election this spring, both the Liberals and the Conservatives doubled down on their anti-immigration policy proposals. They blamed migrants — not billionaires, developers or corporations — for the housing and affordability crises.

And surely, preventing a Conservative government was a sigh of relief. But the harsh reality is that the new Liberal government immediately made moves threatening the rights of many — including attacks on migrant rights and cuts to public services, while giving more power to corporations.

The smoking gun? Bill C-2 and Bill C-12: The Trump-esque Mass Deportation Bills.

What’s in the Trumpian Mass Deportation Bills?

If passed, these Trump-esque Mass Deportation Bills would mark one of the most dangerous rollbacks of refugee rights in recent history, abandoning Canada’s commitments to international law, due process, and the fair treatment of those seeking protection.

These bills would strip asylum seekers of their rights to a hearing, allowing the government to deport anyone who has been in Canada for more than one year without ever having their claim heard. This is even more extreme than the current U.S. policy, and a direct violation of international refugee law. The standard set by the United Nations is that there should be no time limit for asylum seeker claims.

The bills would also make it much harder for people who enter Canada from the U.S. to have their asylum claim heard, by making them ineligible to seek protection if they make a claim more than 14 days after arriving between ports of entry. That’s just two weeks — to navigate a new country, often in crisis, and figure out a complex legal process.

These restrictions will put countless people at risk. The majority of refugees and asylum seekers coming to Canada are fleeing war and violence, forced displacement, oppression, economic and climate instability, and persecution. Denying them the right to due process is not only morally indefensible but a blatant violation of international law.

Attacks on migrant workers and students

When we hear the words “mass deportations,” most of us think of Trump’s ICE raids on communities across the U.S. But Carney’s Mass Deportation Bills would open the door for similar crackdowns in Canada — even for those who already hold permits.

I wish I were being hyperbolic — but it’s written right in the legislation. This bill would allow the government to arbitrarily cancel, suspend, or change immigration applications or existing documents. Officials would be able to pause the acceptance of new applications and cancel those already in process — including permanent or temporary resident visas, and work or study permits — allowing for the mass deportations of workers and students.

Migrant workers already face exploitation, low wages, poor working conditions, and barriers that prevent them from getting permanent residency status and access to public services. The unchecked powers in these bills are shockingly broad and lack the safeguards that would protect migrants from further discrimination and unfair treatment.

Attacks on everyone’s privacy, including Canadian citizens

On top of the dangerous anti-migrant and anti-refugee policy changes, Bill C-2 includes sweeping surveillance powers that threaten the privacy and rights of all of us.

If passed, it would give police and intelligence agencies sweeping powers to access the private information without a warrant of every person in Canada — including the power for Canada Post and the police to open and inspect your mail.

Bill C-2 would allow overly broad sharing of personal information — not just of migrants and refugees but of permanent residents and citizens — with national agencies and foreign entities, even without evidence of any wrongdoing. This could include sharing private data with U.S. authorities, including the NSA, FBI, and ICE. Civil liberties experts have been clear: Bill C-2 is a violation of Canada’s constitutional and human rights obligations — which are not compatible with U.S. laws.
Make no mistake: this is an attack on privacy at a national scale. And as always, the most vulnerable, like migrants, refugees, women fleeing violence, and LGBTQ+ communities, will be the first to feel the impact.

Corporate greed is to blame, not migrants

These Trump-esque Mass Deportation Bills are part of the bigger picture. Right now, more and more of us are struggling to keep a roof over our heads and put food on the table. Corporations continue to rake in record profits, even as wages stay stagnant and essential services remain underfunded. Politicians are in the pocket of corporate CEOs and lobbyists who will do anything to block the very policies that would rein in corporate greed and bring relief to everyday people.

It is clearer than ever that our governments are failing us in the face of the cost-of-living crisis. But instead of addressing it head-on, politicians of all stripes, emboldened by Trump-style politics and supported by mainstream media, have embraced right-wing narratives: blaming the wrong people, sowing division and pushing austerity.

Let’s be clear — the scapegoating of migrant communities is a distraction. We need to be honest and name the real culprits: corporate greed, political cowardice and failed economic policies that prioritize profits over people.

Dangerous trends

It’s hard to keep up with the flood of headlines and new policy proposals and that’s by design. The confusion is the point. When people are overwhelmed, it’s harder to organize and fight back.

Bill C-2 and Bill C-12 are such sweeping and deeply concerning pieces of legislation. It’s so extreme that we have heard directly from Liberal caucus members that some MPs are on the fence. While that might seem like good news, internal pushback against Carney’s agenda is still unpopular out of fear of rocking the boat. And that’s exactly why now is not the time for us to sit on the sidelines and get complacent.

Right now, the rise of anti-migrant and anti-refugee sentiment is escalating to new levels. From BC Premier David Eby scapegoating migrants and echoing Poilievre’s demands to end the foreign workers program, to Carney’s introduction of Trump-esque Deportation Bills, politicians are legitimizing far-right narratives. Far-right groups are listening — and they are emboldened.

In May, a neo-nazi network staged a demonstration of 33 masked individuals holding large banners with slogans like “mass deportations now,” “remigration saves our nation,” and “D.E.I. is how nations die.” Less than a month ago, on September 13th, another mass protest calling for mass deportations was organized at Christie Pitts Park in Toronto. While a larger counter-protest of allies chased them out, the core of the issue is staring us in the face: racist anti-migrant sentiment is getting louder and unapologetic.

As a migrant, it is impossible not to feel the weight of this moment — to feel unwelcome, targeted, and under attack. This is not just about policy — it’s about everyone’s right to exist with safety and dignity in this country. And this is why pushing against dangerous legislation like Bill C-2 and C-12 is more critical than ever.

People are pushing back

The fight back is mounting. In a massive show of unity, over 300 organizations — from labour unions and grassroots groups that work in the service of migrant justice, refugee law, gender justice, civil liberties, and data protection — came together to demand the full withdrawal of Bill C-2 this summer. Then in October, a broad coalition from civil society immediately responded to Bill C-12, demanding it too be withdrawn.

And on September 20th, tens of thousands of people mobilized across Canada to Draw the Line and send Carney a unified message: We refuse to stand by as our government and Canada’s richest corporations hoard wealth, gut our public services, fuel climate collapse, attack migrants, exploit Indigenous lands, and prop up a genocide in Palestine. One of the key demands of that mobilization was to withdraw Bill C-2, stop blaming migrants for crises created by corporate greed, and grant status for all.

Now, with Bill C-12 on the table and the attempt to fast-track a fundamental shift to the immigration system that violates both human rights and international obligations is clear. So we must also be crystal clear in our demands: no version of this bill — or any replacement — will be acceptable if it opens the doors for mass deportations, threatens the rights of refugees, asylum seekers, migrant workers, or expands surveillance and policing.

After elections, it is easy to take a pause. But Carney’s first months are critical. Newly elected governments can take advantage of public support to introduce an overwhelming number of sweeping plans like Carney’s Trump-esque Mass Deportation Bills.

We have our work cut out for us to protect migrant communities and demand real solutions that serve people, not corporations. We must stay organized and stay loud. The threat to the rights of one is a threat to the rights of all.