Well, he is just as daft in more than 140 characters.
I just watched his press conference Held in Montreal and dealing specifically with the illegal entry crisis.
First, you wouldn't know there is a crisis by listening to him, it's more like: "Oh! We are experiencing a greater than anticipated number of immigration claims, but fear not Canadians, our processes and legal standards will be respected and in the mean time we will do everything to make those people making a claim comfortable, even get them early work permits so they can stop depending on the rest of us."
Second: His very first line in his very first statement - which he repeated in no less than three other statements or answers: "Canada is an open and welcoming country. Canadians hold this as value because we are secure and confident in our immigration rules and standards and trust that the system works." To paraphrase the rest: We, the multi-government work group are working hard to make the situation as easy and quick as possible and are confident that the rules and standards for immigration in place will be fully respected, as we are a country of rule of law.
Well, here's my problem: We don't have an immigration problem, we have an illegal entry into Canada problem. That's what Canadians want the PM to "get" and proceed on.
We live by the rule of law? Fine. The legal process to immigrate to Canada starts with an application to that effect made at a Canadian embassy or consulate in the country of the immigrant. It is not started at a border crossing and even less after crossing illegally outside of ports of entry. BTW, an actual Canadian who would enter back into Canada somewhere else than at a port of entry would be not only arrested, but detained in jail, brought to a judge to decide if release pending trial is appropriate and, upon being found guilty, sentenced to either a fine or jail time. Why not the same for all these illegal border crosser?
Also, it is important to distinguish Refugees and Asylum seekers. Refugees are fleeing a general situation without specific application to them personally: they flee a war zone or a devastated region or famine area, etc. There is no famine or war in the US. Some of the illegals (I'll call them that from now on) are refugees from the devastation of the Haiti earthquake, but they have already been dealt with on that basis by a safe country under international law, the USA, who is from then on responsible for them until the devastation is overcome. This removes them from the ranks of refugees under said international law and they cannot make any further claim of refugee status in another country. Canada currently considers that there is no situation in Haiti that requires granting refugee status to its citizens.
The second category is Asylum seekers. People can seek asylum if there are circumstances specific to them personally that forces them to "escape" from their country for personal security reasons, such as receipt of death threats or being the object of persecution on various political, human rights or religious grounds. It does not apply to someone merely facing prosecution for commission of a crime in a country that otherwise recognizes the rule of law and provides the fundamental legal protections to all accused. The USA is one such country. In international law, asylum seekers should normally claim asylum in the first safe country they enter. If they do not do so, they can make their claim in another country. But no claim can be made anywhere AFTER a first such claim has been made in a safe country , wether it has been accepted or rejected. International law does not recognize the shopping of asylum venue. Asylum seeking is the matter that is the object of the current Agreement between Canada and the US. Basically, you will not be let in at a border crossing if you seek entry to Canada as asylum seeker from the US.
So three possibilities exist when these Illegals come into Canada: (1) They wish to immigrate here, and don't claim asylum or refugee status: It's illegal, you are jumping queue, return them to either the US or, if the US won't have them, to their country of origin (this is whereto CAF can help: bus them to Saint-Hubert, stick them in the back of a Herky-bird and fly them home). (2) They claim refugee status: They came from the US and if they have papers from the US they are to be returned there immediately, otherwise, just by knowing where they are from (such as Haiti), the border personnel knows immediately if we recognize any such status or not - most likely not and again turn them back immediately. (3) they make an asylum protection demand: These are the only ones to be further investigated, really, but even then, an immediate check can and should be made with US authorities to see if they have ever made such claim while in the USA. If so, it's an immediate rejection here in Canada and, well by now you know what I think should be done.
All in all, everything exists for quick, legal and fair processing of this influx with the result that Canadians know to be the right one here: the rejection of the majority of these illegal entry seekers. By treating this as an immigration abnormal influx, the PM and his government, which claims that we are a country that follows the rule of law, is actually telling Canadians, and foreigners seeking the right to immigrate here legally ( and who will now have to await extra months if not years of delay in the processing of their claim because of these queue jumpers) that actually, we don't care, just get here any way you want and screw the law.
