Ottawa unlikely to scrap Safe Third Country Agreement with U.S., says immigration expert

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Federal opposition parties are calling on Ottawa to take accountability and devise a long-term strategyfor the steady influx ofasylum seekers coming into Canada.

The NDP's immigration critic Jenny Kwan has made repeated calls for the government to suspend the Canada-U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) which would stop forcing asylum seekers from crossing over the border irregularly.

"This will eliminate the dangers that exists for both border communities as well as for the asylum seekers."

But according to Mireille Paquet, who studies the politics of immigration at Concordia University, it's unlikely the government will scrap this agreement.

"As long as issues regarding NAFTA are still in negotiation, I don't think that Ottawa will make any move in that direction," Paquet told The Current's guest host Duncan McCue.

She added it would send a strong diplomatic message to Washington.

In The Current's discussion on this issue, our guests were:

• Jenny Kwan,federal NDP's immigration critic and Member of Parliament for Vancouver East.
• Adam Vaughan,Liberal MP representing Spadina-Fort York.
• Mireille Paquet, associate professor of political science at Concordia University and author ofThe Federalization of Immigration.

Listen to the full discussion near the top of this page.

This segment was produced by The Current's Idella Sturino and Richard Raycraft.