Australia Is Not the Model for Canada on Asylum Policy

In the latest Canada-Asia Agenda published by the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, author Heather Johnson argues that Australia’s pursuit of offshore processing and interception undermines the international refugee regime and may not be the right model for Canada’s asylum seeker determination system. The arrival of MV Sun Sea carrying 490 Tamil asylum seekers re-opened the Canadian debate on the effectiveness and appropriateness of the country’s asylum policy. At present, the debate is coalescing around Bill C-49: Preventing Human Smugglers from Abusing Canada’s Immigration System Act, currently under second reading at the House of Commons. The full report can be viewed here.