Tories to introduce new refugee laws

Stephen Harper said yesterday that the legislation will deter mass arrivals of refugee claimants by boat.

At a citizenship ceremony in Ottawa yesterday, the prime minister said that migrant vessels like the MV Sun Sea are illegitimate means of entering Canada and that the Conservatives will introduce a bill on Thursday aimed at deterring seaborne migrants and restoring Canadians’ confidence in the immigration system. The government has been considering changing Canada’s immigration laws since the Sun Sea brought 492 Tamil refugee claimants to B.C.’s shores in August. As a signatory of the UN Convention on Refugees, Canada has to consider the refugee claims of any claimants who set foot on Canadian soil, but Harper said yesterday that seaborne migrant operations are “designed to jump the queue.”