URGENT ACTION

PEOPLE SEEKING ASYLUM & SAFETY AT RISK 
In June 2025, the Canadian Government introduced Bill C-2 before Parliament which threatens the right to seek asylum and would put people seeking safety in danger. This bill would prevent people who have been in Canada for more than one year from making a claim for refugee protection that would be fairly assessed, give politicians the power to cancel permanent residence, work permits and study permits without a fair process, and expand police and intelligence surveillance powers over anyone, regardless of immigration status. If passed, it risks violating people’s rights under international law. Call on the Canadian government to immediately withdraw Bill C-2. 

TAKE ACTION: WRITE AN APPEAL IN YOUR OWN WORDS OR USE THIS MODEL LETTER

Prime Minister Mark Carney 
Office of the Prime Minister
80 Wellington St.
Ottawa, ON, K1A 0A2
Canada
pm@pm.gc.ca 

Dear Prime Minister Carney,
 
I am writing to urge you to immediately withdraw Bill C-2. This bill represents a serious and unacceptable threat to the internationally recognized human right to seek asylum.  
 
Seeking asylum is not a crime, it’s a human right. Bill C-2 will fundamentally erode that right and introduce dangerous discretionary powers. Most troubling, it would signal Canada’s endorsement of policies in the United States and elsewhere that criminalize, stigmatize and punish people seeking safety.
 
It is alarming to learn that, if passed, Bill C-2 would make it even more difficult for people entering Canada from the United States to have their refugee claims fairly reviewed. It would also bar Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Board from reviewing refugee claims of people who claim asylum more than a year after they entered Canada, regardless of whether they face persecution or torture if returned to their country of origin. 
 
The bill also gives sweeping new powers to the government, allowing ministers to cancel people’s immigration status documents in the vague name of “public interest” with no due process . This leaves too many lives at the mercy of political discretion.

Canada must not undermine its international human rights obligations or sacrifice fairness and compassion under the pretext of border control. 

I urge you to withdraw Bill C-2 and instead uphold Canada’s commitments to dignity, protection, and justice. 
 
Yours sincerely,

Additional information
In June 2025, the Canadian government introduced Bill C-2, misleadingly called the “Strong Borders Act” in Parliament. The bill proposes sweeping changes to existing rules around border security, immigration, asylum, customs and law enforcement. 

If passed, Bill C-2 would: 
•	Create a one-year deadline to claim refugee protection in Canada. The bill would prevent people who have been in Canada for more than one year from making a claim for refugee protection that will be heard by the Immigration and Refugee Board, even if their place of origin becomes dangerous after arrival. They could be at risk of deportation to places where their lives and safety are at risk. 
•	Make it even harder for people who cross into Canada from the United States to have their refugee claim heard by the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. Bill C-2 would remove the exception that previously permitted individuals who entered Canada between official ports of entry to apply for refugee status after 14 days.  
•	Give sweeping powers to federal government ministers to cancel valid immigration documents, including permanent residency, work permits, and study permits, based only on vague claims of “public interest” and without due process or individual assessments. 
•	Expand police and intelligence agencies’ access to people’s private information, regardless of immigration status. 
The Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) between Canada and the United Sates already bars most people crossing into Canada via the United States from seeking refugee protection in Canada, and vice versa. The agreement has forced individuals to attempt dangerous border crossings and has pushed people underground in order to seek safety. Amnesty International and other organizations have consistently called on the Canadian government to withdraw from the STCA, which is now more urgent than ever given the dire situation facing people seeking safety in the United States. Bill C-2 would further restrict the ability of individuals crossing from the US into Canada to seek asylum, and would also severely impact the rights of asylum seekers, refugees and migrants in Canada.     
All individuals have the universal human right to seek asylum from persecution and other serious human rights violations. All individuals also have the right not to be returned to places where their life or freedom may be endangered or where they would be at risk of torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, regardless of their migration status. This principle, known as non-refoulement, is a protection under customary international, human rights, refugee, and humanitarian law, and requires states to refrain from returning, removing or transferring anyone in any manner whatsoever to their countries of origin or any other location where they would be at real risk of serious human rights violations or abuses.
The changes proposed in Bill C-2 risk violating people’s rights under international law. At a time when countries around the world are increasingly adopting asylum and migration policies which criminalize, stigmatize and punish people seeking safety in violation of their international human rights obligations, the Canadian government must not turn its back on those seeking international protection. The Canadian government must protect the rights of people seeking safety and withdraw Bill C-2 immediately.  

PREFERRED LANGUAGE TO ADDRESS TARGET: English or French 
You can also write in your own language.

PLEASE TAKE ACTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE UNTIL: 1 October 2025 
Please check with the Amnesty office in your country if you wish to send appeals after the deadline.

NAME AND PRONOUN: People seeking safety (all pronouns)

LINK TO PREVIOUS UA: N/A

Additional TARGETS

His Excellency Mr Ralph Edward Goodale
High Commissioner (since 25 April 2021)
High Commission of Canada
Canada House Trafalgar Square SW1Y 5BJ
0207 004 6000 
ldn@international.gc.ca
www.canada.ca/canada-and-united-kingdom
Salutation: Your Excellency