Lots of Talk, No Action in Commons Debate on Trump Refugee Ban

Outside, Canadians lined up in sub-zero weather hoping to get into the House of Commons and watch an emergency debate on Donald Trump’s refugee ban Tuesday night.

Inside, MPs had a hard time staying on topic.

Trump announced a 120-day ban on all refugees Friday. He also imposed a 90-day ban on all immigration from seven countries, including Iraq, Iran, Syria, Libya, Sudan, Somalia and Yemen.

NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan had pushed for the emergency debate to help determine what Canada will do in the face of the U.S. refugee ban.

“It is my utmost sincere hope that we will have a productive and non-partisan discussion about what action Canada needs to take in light of the Trump administration’s immigration and travel ban,” Kwan said in her opening remarks.

She called for the government to modify its immigration policies in the wake of the Trump ban.

Failing to act would reduce Canada simply to a nation of bystanders, Kwan said.

Kwan proposed a number of actions this week, including suspending Canada’s “Safe Third Country” agreement with the U.S. The agreement says Canada is not required to accept refugee claimants who travelled through the U.S., because they had the opportunity to seek asylum there. The proposal has been supported by a number of groups, including the BC Civil Liberties Association.

The NDP also proposed lifting the cap on refugees sponsored by organizations like churches and community groups. The sponsorships are currently limited to 1,000 refugees, and the quota for this fiscal year, which ends March 31, has already been filled.

Liberal Kevin Lamoureux was the first to respond to Kwan. He praised Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for his tolerance and understanding and Trudeau’s tweet welcoming refugees to Canada counted as action on the issue.

“Would the member not agree that the response from the prime minister, from actions taken to date by the Government of Canada, is in fact advancing the values that Canadians hold so close to their hearts?” he said after reading Trudeau’s tweet out loud in the house.

Kwan said she did not agree.

Liberal Peter Fragiskatos asked Kwan how she would go about suspending the Safe Third Country agreement.

The Vancouver East MP explained that the terms of the agreement allow it to be suspended for three months with written notice.

NDP leader Tom Mulcair was blunter in responding to the claim Trudeau’s tweet counted as action.

“All we got from his prime minister was a tweet,” Mulcair said. “I would like to remind my dear colleague that the root word of “Twitter” is “twit.” I can assure him that Canadians expect better.”

Liberals demanded Mulcair retract the remark. He did.

From there, much of the more than four-hour debate turned into statements about how welcoming Canada is and partisan talking points on issues like the need to bring in Yazidi refugees.

New Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen talked at length about how welcome immigrants are in Canada. He stressed that the ban will not affect permanent residents and citizens of Canada travelling to the U.S.

“We will continue to engage with our U.S. government counterparts during this ongoing implementation of their executive order to ensure that Canadians and permanent residents are provided with updated information as it becomes available,” Hussen said.

Well into the debate, Green Party leader Elizabeth May asked the Speaker to make arrangements to allow members of the public, waiting outside on Parliament Hill, in to watch the proceedings.

Meanwhile, Kwan attempted repeatedly to steer the debate back to the subject of what Canada can do to help refugees and immigrants affected by Trump’s ban.

“Will the government lift Canada’s caps on refugees, work with our global partners to help resettle those abandoned by the U.S., and immediately suspend the Safe Third Country agreement, or will Canadians just be left with empty words?” she asked near the end of the night.

Kwan said Wednesday the debate was disappointing.

“The PM’s tweet over the weekend reflected the views of many Canadians,” she said. “To give meaning to those words, we need a real plan and real actions.” Kwan said she had proposed five measures that the government could adopt immediately in response to Trump’s bans.

“I was deeply disappointed with the government’s unwillingness to turn the PM’s words into action,” she said, “leaving us with no new proposal, no new action, and no new plan.”