Controlling the Borders: C-31 and Interdiction

Abstract

This paper examines elements in the Bill C-31 package that relate to interdiction, setting them in the context of the failure of the international human rights to effectively protect the right to seek asylum. The Bill C-31 proposals are shown to be a continuation of longstanding Canadian policies and practices, as well as a reflection of international (particularly Western) preoccupations with migrant smuggling and trafficking in persons, especially as evidenced in the recently negotiated protocols to the un Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.