Since the agreement allows the government to refuse asylum seekers who attempt to enter official ports of entry into the country, potential refugees who do not respect certain exceptions under the agreement, such as. B a family member living in Canada must find other ways to cross the border if they wish to make a refugee claim in Canada. The debate on the safe third country agreement has for some time become the lightning rod for racist and xenophobic rhetoric. Former Conservative immigration critic Michelle Rempel called on the Liberal government to close the « loophole » and extend the pact across the border. « People who come from a safe country and are not directly fleeing persecution should not be able to ignore our laws and enter Canada illegally, » Rempel wrote. .
