Canadian Politicians Denounce Trump’s Protest Response, Call For Canada To Accept U.S. Asylum Seekers

TOPLINE

Left-wing party leaders in Canada have condemned President Trump’s response to protests over the death of George Floyd, with one proposing that Canada accept asylum seekers attempting to enter the country from the U.S.

KEY FACTS

Key Background

Under the terms of a 2004 treaty, Canada deemed the U.S. a “safe” asylum for refugees and agreed not to take in refugees who land in the U.S. first. That treaty has long drawn scrutiny from the left and from refugee-advocates, including the Green Party, who consider the U.S. insufficiently committed to human rights. In 2017, Canada reviewed the agreement after Trump banned immigration from several Muslim-majority countries. Trudeau also faced fierce calls to suspend the treaty in 2018 when the Trump administration began separating families at the U.S.-Mexico Border. In March, Trudeau closed the border entirely, banning non-essential U.S. visitors in Canada and announcing that Canada would send back asylum seekers who attempt to cross the U.S.-Canada border to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. 

News Peg

Trump’s presidency has coincided with a deterioration of the United States’ standing in the world community. A Pew Research poll in 2018 found that most other countries’ favorability of the US dropped precipitously between the end of Obama’s presidency and the beginning of Trump’s. In Canada, America’s favorability dropped by 26 points, from 65% to just 39%. Canada’s views of Trump specifically are even worse, with just 28% of Canadians saying they have confidence in him to “do the right thing regarding world affairs” in a Pew poll in January.

KEY QUOTE

“This is a very dangerous situation. And I do think those of us in other countries should speak out,” May said of Trump’s protest response.