The Canada-U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement What’s at Stake?

Join Ploughshares as they mark Refugee Rights Day

An interdisciplinary panel of experts and practitioners from the United States and Canada will discuss the Canada-U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) and its impact. This 2004 bilateral agreement prevents (with some exceptions) refugee claimants who land first in the United States from making a claim in Canada, and those that land first in Canada from making a claim in the United States.

In light of the current U.S. immigration policies and political climate, the designation of the United States as a ‘safe third country’ as part of the STCA is being challenged in the federal court. Parties to the legal challenge believe that the designation violates refugee rights under international law and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Join Ploughshares as they learn about and discuss threats to refugee rights at the Canadian border, the risks of irregular border crossings, the denial of gender-related rights, U.S. legal perspectives on refugee rights in the age of Trump and the STCA federal legal challenge.

Refreshments will be served at 5pm. Reception to follow, 7:30-8:30pm.

Speakers include

• Peter Noteboom, Acting General Secretary, The Canadian Council of Churches
• Alex Vernon, Assistant Professor of Law, Director of the Immigration Law Clinic, University of Detroit Mercy
• Eunice Valenzuela, member of the Canadian Council of Refugees Executive and Refugee Specialist at the K-W Multicultural Centre
• Sonal Marwah, Program Officer, Project Ploughshares (Moderator)
• Andrew Brouwer, Senior Counsel in Refugee Law at Legal Aid Ontario, and lead counsel for the STCA federal challenge
• Erin Simpson, lawyer and counsel for the STCA federal challenge

Register to attend with smarwah@ploughshares.ca