This House of Commons subcommittee meeting studied internally and externally displaced people worldwide. Witnesses were François Audet, Christina Clark-Kazak, Asma Faizi, Gauri Sreenivasan, Tracey Maulfair, and Dimon Liu.
François Audet described Central American migration corridors as criminal economies where extortion is often more lucrative than drug trafficking, with over 80% of women experiencing sexual violence during their journey. He recommended Canada support research, strengthen human-rights-based approaches, support regional coordination, and tailor aid to avoid inadvertently fueling criminal economies, noting that economic development can increase migration when crime is entrenched.
Christina Clark-Kazak noted that over 71% of forcibly displaced people are hosted in low-income countries and that states increasingly limit asylum through detention, push-backs, and externalization policies. She recommended Canada pursue diplomatic interventions for human rights, take bolder climate action, ensure corporate social responsibility of Canadian companies, increase resettlement numbers, abolish the safe third country agreement with the U.S., reconsider Bill C-12, and waive biometric requirements for people trapped behind closed borders.
Asma Faizi highlighted that Canada is stepping back from refugee protection, with the groups of five sponsorship pathway frozen and resettlement numbers slashed. She urged the committee to recommend a positive government narrative about immigration and refugees, pushing back against dangerous narratives that blame newcomers for housing and social pressures, and called for diplomatic efforts to resolve conflicts between Afghanistan and its neighbours.
Gauri Sreenivasan stated that Canada’s asylum system is robust, with 80% of claimants found to be refugees, but that the safe third country agreement with the U.S. is now absurd given the U.S. suspension of its asylum system. She argued that Bill C-12 moves Canada away from human rights standards and procedural fairness, and she urged the committee to study the human rights implications of new immigration and refugee trends rather than copying U.S.-style enforcement machinery.
Tracey Maulfair reported that 117 million people are forcibly displaced globally, with the number decreasing slightly due to Syrian returns, but that cuts to humanitarian funding have forced UNHCR to end critical programs, leaving 11.6 million people without help. She emphasized that investing in humanitarian aid is a cost-effective contribution to global security and that Canada’s support makes a measurable difference, urging continued advocacy for peace and sustained funding.
Dimon Liu testified that 300 million to 400 million people are internally displaced in China due to land seizures and the household registration system, which he called the foundation of China’s economic growth. He argued that Western democracies have enabled these abuses through a commercial approach to China policy and recommended that Canada move from virtue signalling to effective human rights policies focused on the Chinese population as a whole, not just peripheral regions.
The meeting concluded without procedural debate, motions, or votes.
AI-generated summary — may contain errors; verify against the official evidence.