Government of Canada Appeal Granted on Safe Third Country Agreement

Ottawa, April 15, 2021 — The Honourable Marco E.L. Mendicino, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship and the Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, today issued the following statement:

“Today, the Federal Court of Appeal granted the Government of Canada’s appeal of the July 2020 Federal Court decision in the case of Canadian Council for Refugees v. Canada (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship), 2020 FC 770.

As a result, the application of the STCA at Canadian and U.S. land ports of entry remains in effect.

The STCA has served Canada well for 16 years, ensuring that our shared border remains well managed.

For the last three years, Canada has welcomed more refugees than any other country in the world, and continues to provide protection to those fleeing conflict and persecution. Canada remains firmly committed to upholding a fair and compassionate refugee protection system and the STCA remains a comprehensive means for the compassionate, fair, and orderly handling of asylum claims at the Canada-U.S. land border.”