It’s time for Canada to
truly welcome people seeking safety or a better life
Did you know?
Even though Canada holds itself out as a refugee-welcome and multicultural country, every year the federal government incarcerates thousands of people seeking safety or a better life.
1. Federal Government of Canada
Email the Prime Minister of Canada to give people the #WelcomeToCanada they deserve.
2. Tweet
In a major win for migrant & refugee rights, BC, Nova Scotia, Alberta & Manitoba have become the first Canadian provinces to end immigration detention in their jails! Join the call to PM @JustinTrudeau to follow suit across Canada. #WelcomeToCanada 📢 welcometo-canada.org
TWEETOur Vision
We believe Canada should uphold its welcoming reputation by treating all people with the dignity and respect they deserve.
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have documented human rights violations in immigration detention in Canada. Between April 2017 and March 2020, more than a fifth of immigration detainees – about 5,400 – were held in 78 provincial jails across Canada, many of which are maximum security facilities. People held in immigration detention are restricted to small spaces and under constant surveillance. In provincial jails, many are confined in dangerous environments where they may be subjected to violence.
People who are from communities of colour, particularly those who are Black, appear to be incarcerated in immigration detention for longer periods and often in provincial jails rather than immigration holding centres.
People with mental health conditions face discrimination throughout the detention process. Immigration detention also has long-term consequences that ripple beyond immigration detainees and affect their children, other loved ones, and communities.
There are viable alternatives to immigration detention! Instead of returning to business-as-usual after the Covid-19 pandemic, Canada has a real opportunity to overhaul its immigration and refugee protection system in a way that prioritizes human rights and mental health.
We are asking all Canadians to call on their leaders in government to cancel the immigration detention contracts between the provincial and federal governments and stop using provincial jails to lock up people seeking safety or a better life in Canada.
Read the full report.
Facilities Used for Immigration Detention Across Canada