OTTAWA - Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says Canada has been considering a “game plan” for how it would respond if the United States takes a far-right, authoritarian shift after next year’s presidential elections.
Yeah, it’d be nice if I could do that. Sadly I’m not in a position to at the moment. My understanding of the whole situation is that Canada allows asylum seekers from the US, who have to go through a long, drawn-out legal process that involves having a politician personally vouch for them. Refugees, however, are automatically turned away from Canada if they come from or through the US as the US is still considered “safe harbor” for refugees of all kinds.
What’s the difference between an asylum seeker and a refugee? While asylum seekers and refugees are both fleeing their countries, personally I see asylum seekers as people with options, typically with highly desirable skills or knowledge, allowing them to choose which country to make their new home in. Refugees, on the other hand, show up at the border with the clothes on their backs and whatever they could cram into their backpack or car, because they don’t have anywhere else to go.
Yeah, it’d be nice if I could do that. Sadly I’m not in a position to at the moment. My understanding of the whole situation is that Canada allows asylum seekers from the US, who have to go through a long, drawn-out legal process that involves having a politician personally vouch for them. Refugees, however, are automatically turned away from Canada if they come from or through the US as the US is still considered “safe harbor” for refugees of all kinds.
What’s the difference between an asylum seeker and a refugee? While asylum seekers and refugees are both fleeing their countries, personally I see asylum seekers as people with options, typically with highly desirable skills or knowledge, allowing them to choose which country to make their new home in. Refugees, on the other hand, show up at the border with the clothes on their backs and whatever they could cram into their backpack or car, because they don’t have anywhere else to go.