Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - January 23, 2025, Winnipeg, Manitoba THURSDAY, JANUARY 23, 2025 B4 ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM NEWS I CANADA / WORLD SETH WENIG / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS GOING WITH THE ICE FLOE New Jersey is seen in the distance as ice floats on the Hudson River in New York, Wednesday. Refugee advocates urge exemption for U.S. transgender asylum claims O TTAWA — Refugee advocacy groups are asking the federal immigration minister to make an exemption in the Safe Third Coun- try Agreement for transgender refugee claimants in the United States to seek asylum in Canada. The request comes after President Donald Trump moved within hours of returning to the White House Monday to use an executive order declaring that the U.S. will recognize only two sexes, male and female, based only on bio- logical characteristics. Gauri Sreenivasan, co-executive dir- ector of the Canadian Council for Refu- gees, said the orders will harm trans- gender people who are seeking to make an asylum claim in the United States. Under Trump’s policies for example, a transgender woman could be placed in a detention facility with male detain- ees. “It’s very obvious that trans people seeking asylum in the U.S. have just got enormously less safe. We don’t know yet what that will mean for asylum de- termination, but it’s clear that they’re unsafe if detained,” said Sreenivasan. The agreement states that a refugee claimant landing in either Canada or the U.S. must make their claim in the country in which they first arrive. It is based on the idea that both countries are equally safe for refugees. On Tuesday, Canadian Immigration Minister Marc Miller told CTV in an interview that he sees the U.S. as a safe place for the purposes of the Can- ada-U.S. Safe Third Country Agree- ment when asked about its application to transgender people and potentially stateless individuals. In an emailed statement from Mil- ler’s office to The Canadian Press Wed- nesday, the minister said the govern- ment appreciates there are concerns about Trump’s executive orders and what they mean for Canada. “We continue to carefully monitor the developments of the new administra- tion and it is the continued expectation that the U.S. behave according to the terms of the agreement that manages our border. Our government remains focused on the work we do to ensure the safe and orderly flow of goods and people coming in and out of Canada,” the statement said. “We will not speculate on future policy decisions or measures, particu- larly those of a foreign government, including the implementation of any executive orders signed by the presi- dent of the United States.” Trump signed additional executive orders immediately that raised addi- tional concerns about Canada’s asylum policies. One order paused the refugee pro- gram and another ends birthright cit- izenship. That would mean children born on U.S. soil would no longer get U.S. citizenship automatically if their mothers were in the country tempor- arily or unlawfully, and if their fathers were not permanent residents or U.S. citizens at the time of birth. Julia Sande, a lawyer with Amnesty International Canada, said she can’t fol- low Miller’s logic that the U.S. is safe. “It’s difficult to understand how in the face of these horrific, cruel, an- ti-refugee, anti-migrant policies, they could possibly think that,” she said. Amnesty International Canada and the Canadian Council for Refugees are involved in a constitutional challenge of the Safe Third Country Agreement, set to be heard in Federal Court later this year. Canada’s stance is that the agree- ment has been “carefully designed” with safeguards to protect both the bor- der and those fleeing persecution. The Safe Third Country Agreement does include some exceptions, such as for asylum seekers who have family in Canada. In the CTV interview, Miller said that adding exceptions requires negoti- ations with the U.S. through a judicial process. Sande said Amnesty has argued con- sistently since before Trump’s first ad- ministration that the Safe Third Coun- try Agreement violates the Charter of Rights. The Trump administration’s move to rescind the order preventing Immi- gration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection from conducting raids in “sensitive areas” like churches and schools further dem- onstrates the United States is no longer a safe country for the purposes of the Safe Third Country Agreement, she said. “Is this the kind of partner that Can- ada wants to rely on to carry out its hu- man rights obligations?” Sande asked. “It’s very difficult to understand how (Canada has) maintained that position now in the face of these executive or- ders issued on day one.” Sreenivasan said it’s important for Canada to remember its commitment to protecting people fleeing war and persecution. “It’s going to be extremely important for the Canadian government to stand very clearly behind Canada’s belief in international rights for refugees, in the fundamental right to asylum and in demonstrating that we have a different way in Canada,” Sreenivasan said. — The Canadian Press, with Associated Press files DAVID BAXTER Poilievre says he’s not aware of more than two genders, has other priorities OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said Wednesday he is only aware of two genders — male and female — and that the government should leave questions of gender iden- tity alone. A leading LGBTTQ+ organization, reacting to Poilievre’s comment, said denying the existence of trans and gender-diverse people could contribute to the rise in discrimination and vio- lence targeting them. In an interview with the CP24 news channel, Poilievre was asked about President Donald Trump signing an executive order declaring the U.S. will only recognize two sexes and that they are unchangeable. Poilievre said he is not aware of more than two genders and that if the host had “any other you want me to consid- er, you’re welcome to tell me right now.” When Poilievre was then asked whether he would ask the U.S. to rec- ognize the gender-neutral “X” marker available on Canadian passports, he pivoted to talking about the cost of liv- ing instead. He said other politicians can discuss gender identity while he prioritizes ensuring Canadians are able to afford everyday essentials. “My priority is to give people back control of their lives and bring back Canada’s promise that anyone who works hard gets a powerful paycheque and a pension that buys affordable food, gas and homes in safe neighbourhoods. That’s the promise we need for Can- adians,” Poilievre said. “If Liberals want to talk about differ- ent labels for gender that they want to put on passports in the United States, they can do that. I’m going to talk about the things that will bring home Can- ada’s promise.” Responding to Poilievre’s remarks, the executive director of the LGBTTQ+ advocacy organization Egale Canada said it’s crucial for all political leaders to stand up for trans and gender-di- verse people in a time of rising mis- information and hatred. “Denying the existence of trans and gender-diverse people ignores decades of medical and psychological research, as well as the voices of those directly impacted,” Helen Kennedy said in a media statement Wednesday. “Denying the existence of trans and gender-diverse people contributes to discrimination, hate and violence. Trans and gender-diverse people have always and will always exist.” Some Indigenous nations across North America have understandings of gender that do not fit the male-female binary, and other non-Indigenous ex- pressions of gender can include non-bi- nary individuals. Fae Johnstone, trans activist and executive director of Queer Momen- tum, said in an interview Wednesday that trans people “absolutely” want to live their lives without government interference and thrive economically. She said some conservative provin- cial governments are trying to get in the way of that by setting rules that explicitly affect trans youth and their families. Johnstone said it’s a “coward’s option” for Poilievre to do anything but defend the freedom and equality of LGBTTQ+ people. She said he’s a “hypocrite” to talk about building a free and equal country for everyone if that excludes trans people and their families. “It is disgusting for politicians to play petty politics on social issues that re- quire a mature and nuanced conversa- tion,” she said. “He is threatening everything that makes Canada a country that I am proud to live in and I’m so grateful to have grown up in.” Multiple posts on social media were supporting Poilievre’s comments in the interview Wednesday, while clips from it were spread hundreds of times. Poilievre has previously expressed support for banning trans women from women’s sports and the idea of “parent- al rights.” Last February, Poilievre said “female spaces should be exclusively for fe- males, not for biological males.” Since those spaces generally are not con- trolled by the federal government, it’s not clear what it could do. Poilievre also has said he doesn’t sup- port trans kids taking puberty blockers and that gender treatments should be available only to adults. — The Canadian Press ALESSIA PASSAFIUME Sajjan says he won’t run in next election OTTAWA — Emergency Preparedness Minister Harjit Sajjan on Wednesday became the latest member of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s front bench to announce he won’t seek re-election. More than two dozen Liberals, includ- ing some ministers, are taking them- selves out of the running in the next campaign as their party continues to face dismal polling numbers. Sajjan said in a media statement he will remain a dedicated member of the Liberal party but his name will not be on the ballot the next time Canadians go to the polls. That election has to be held before mid-October but is now expected this spring. All three opposition parties have vowed to defeat the government in a non-confidence vote as soon as they can. Parliament is prorogued until March 24 and some spending votes, which are confidence matters, are expected to take place that same week. Sajjan used his statement to express gratitude for what he said the govern- ment accomplished in his nearly 10 years in office. He also called for a re- turn to civility in politics. “Sadly over the last few years, our political landscape has become increas- ingly toxic and polarized with more aggressive rhetoric and even physical threats,” he wrote. Sajjan is among a growing number of cabinet ministers and party leaders who have been given regular RCMP protection in recent years in response to threats. Sajjan was first elected in Vancouver South in 2015, when the Trudeau Lib- erals swept to power, and has served in a variety of cabinet roles, including defence, veterans affairs and inter- national development. Sajjan joins multiple cabinet col- leagues opting out of the coming elec- tion, including former housing minister Sean Fraser, former revenue minister Marie-Claude Bibeau and former sport minister Carla Qualtrough. Trudeau himself is also not seeking re-election and will step down as prime minister and Liberal leader after his successor is elected on March 9. Sajjan recently endorsed former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney for the Liberal leadership. Carney’s presence in the race has convinced another Liberal to reverse her decision not to run again. Helena Ja- czek said in July 2023 that she wouldn’t seek re-election and Trudeau replaced her in cabinet. Earlier this week, she said she has changed her mind. “The new energy in the party and in my community has caused me to re- think my retirement, and I now intend to run in the next election,” she said. — The Canadian Press DARRYL DYCK / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES Harjit Sajjan won’t seek re-election. PM to attend events marking liberation of concentration camp OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will fly to Poland next week for events marking 80 years since the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. Trudeau’s office said he’ll be travel- ling Sunday to Tuesday and visiting the site of the Nazi regime’s largest camp, where more than one million people were murdered during the Holocaust. He will be travelling with Canadian Holocaust survivors and Deborah Lyons, the federal envoy for preserving Holocaust remembrance and combat- ing antisemitism. Trudeau’s office said he also will meet with other Holocaust survivors and take part in a commemorative event. While in Poland he plans to meet with the country’s president and prime min- ister to discuss transatlantic security and support for Ukraine — a major plank of Canada’s G7 presidency. Trudeau’s office said the leaders will also discuss clean energy trade and nu- clear power generation. His office said he will also meet with unspecified international partners on “key geopolitical challenges,” including Ukraine and the Middle East. — The Canadian Press DYLAN ROBERTSON ;