# Should Canada toss the Canada–U.S. "Safe Third Country Agreement"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 11, 2007, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-canada-toss-the-canada-u-s-safe-third-country-agreement/391723 "2007-02-11T14:26:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2007, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-canada-toss-the-canada-u-s-safe-third-country-agreement/391723/21 "2007-02-13T03:38:08Z")
So the higher the acceptance rate of refugee claimants, the higher the safety? What kind of metric is that? For example [Citizenship and Immigration Canada](http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/policy/responses.html) has the following quote > [@](#): > > With respect to criticisms of the US system expressed by some witnesses to the Committee, recently released analysis of Professor David A. Martin, Professor at Law at the University of Virginia and internationally recognized expert on the US refugee determination system, indicates that in the period from 2001 to 2005, out of 205,330 cases adjudicated, the US granted protection to 148,327 or 45% of cases. This compares favourably to the Canadian acceptance rate during the same time period of 43%. Since the US acceptance rate is equal to, or better than, our own we could say they are equally as safe. As for the Haitian refugees the [UNHRC](http://www.unhcr.org/statistics/STATISTICS/44153f592.pdf) says that > [@](#): > > Similarly, almost all Haitian asylum-seekers requested asylum in the United States (51%) and the French overseas department of Guadeloupe (46%). When you consider that 18,000 Haitian fled Haiti in 2004 and 2005 combined, the US accepted 9,000 claims per year from just that country. That would be more than 10% or their annual refugee allowance. While I agree with you that it is a shame that more Haitian refugee are not accepted in the US and Canada, I can’t really fault the American’s for capping a single country to allow others to equally benefit. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2007, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-canada-toss-the-canada-u-s-safe-third-country-agreement/391723/22 "2007-02-13T03:57:26Z")
[QUOTE=Muffin] If you don’t think that being admitted into a country as a refugee is a from of protection, then we will have to disagree on that one. [/QUOTE] Having worked in refugee resettlement, I am comfortable quite comfortable being on this side of the disagreement. The formal definition of a refugee is someone who has crossed an international border while fleeing from war or disaster. Such people fall under the rubric of the UNHRC or the UN high committee for refugees, which will provide them aid in whatever their location of displacement, and try to resettle them in countries where they have a reasonable chance of making a new life. At no point in this process is there any protection involved. It is assistance, and the two concepts are substantially different. Individuals emigrating from Haiti for example are not seeking protection, they are seeking better economic circumstances. As such they are not refugees or even asylees, they are just unfortunate folks hoping to improve their fortunes. The resources of refugee resettlement organizations, in particular the IRC, are limited and simply cannot absorb everyone. Finally, your line of reasoning is somewhat odd, that pristine Canada shouldn’t return refugees to the mean old US. Canada refuses refugees not because it thinks the US will absorb them but rather because Canada simply doesn’t want them and doesn’t want the burden of repatriating. If you feel bad about the plight of refugees, just say “Canada ought to accept more refugees”, don’t waste our time by arguing that the US is bad because it won’t resettle refugees that Canada couldn’t be bothered to accept. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2007, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-canada-toss-the-canada-u-s-safe-third-country-agreement/391723/23 "2007-02-13T14:56:23Z")
[QUOTE=Brain Wreck] At no point in this process is there any protection involved. [/QUOTE] The Canadian government on refugee protection: [http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/refugees/asylum-1.html](http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/refugees/asylum-1.html) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-canada-toss-the-canada-u-s-safe-third-country-agreement/391723.md?page=1)