Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his minister of citizenship and immigration boarded the MV Ocean Lady for a photo opportunity on Canada’s west coast in February 2011. They severely criticized those who arranged for the ship to transport 76 Sri Lankans Tamils to Canada.
Photo Credit: Jonathan Hayward/Canadian Press

Supreme Court hears ‘human smuggling’ appeal

The Supreme Court of Canada will hear arguments starting today on cases relating to Canada’s “human smuggling” law. Four out of the five cases involve people connected to ships that arrived on Canada’s Pacific coast carrying Sri Lankan migrants.

The law makes it a crime for anyone to assist someone coming into Canada without valid documentation, including humanitarian workers helping refugees fleeing persecution, says the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, an intervener in the proceeding. Its lawyers will argue the law is unconstitutional.

Categories: Immigration & Refugees, International, Politics, Society
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