Dozens of people gathered at La Fontaine Park in Montreal on Saturday morning to begin a march of nearly 75 kilometers towards Roxham Road, in Montérégie. They denounce the closure of this migration route and defend the right to asylum in Canada.
Despite the rain, more than a hundred people gathered near the obelisk in tribute to Charles de Gaulle in Parc La Fontaine on Saturday morning. This is the starting point of a three-day march to denounce the closure of Roxham Road and the Safe Third Country Agreement, which was recently reinforced by Canada and the United States.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Rani Cruz, employee of the Welcome Collective, which helps asylum seekers, with her three daughters aged 8, 12 and 13, Saturday morning at La Fontaine Park
“I am here because if we close the borders, there will be people who will not be able to live a safe life”, denounces Mila, 13 years old. She showed up at La Fontaine Park on Saturday with her mother, Rani Cruz, who works at the Welcome Collective, and her two sisters, ages 8 and 12. “It was really my daughters who wanted to be here, assures Mme Cruz. They made the posters and insisted on coming. »
If the family cannot participate in the walk until the end, other people present will take turns until Monday to cover the 73 kilometers that separate Montreal from the American border, at Roxham Road.
The journey was organized by some fifteen organizations supporting refugees and asylum seekers, as well as by Amnesty International and the Canadian Council for Refugees.
“This march is a symbol, because every day we welcome families who have walked for months to arrive in Canada,” said Maryse Poisson, director of social initiatives for Collectif Bienvenue, to the crowd.
Supreme Court decision challenged
Abdel Igué, an intern at Amnesty International, will relay colleagues for the last kilometers before the border on Monday.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Abdel Igué, intern at Amnesty International
Asylum seekers also have rights that must be protected. With the latest developments, there are even more reasons to be here.
Abdel Igué, intern at Amnesty International
The closure of Roxham Road came into effect on March 24 after a strengthening of the Safe Third Country Agreement between Canada and the United States to apply to the entire land border between the two countries, including at unofficial crossing points.
On Friday, the Supreme Court also rendered a complex decision concerning this agreement, which was challenged in court. She ruled that the Safe Third Country Agreement was constitutional under section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. But she also sent the Federal Court of Appeal back for consideration of another article on equality.
The fact that the march is taking place the day after this decision is “extremely significant,” said Jenny Jeanes, vice-president of the Canadian Council for Refugees. “The Court has not completed its analysis of the Safe Third Country Agreement. The battle continues! »
A vision shared by New Democratic Party (NDP) MP Alexandre Boulerice: “For us, what is important is the freedom to travel for people seeking refuge,” he explained.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
NDP Deputy Leader Alexandre Boulerice
The Entente must be suspended, because Roxham Road is a symbol. By closing this one, 350 others open.
Alexandre Boulerice, Member of the New Democratic Party
“Roxham is a symbol of hope”
Several asylum seekers also took turns at the microphone to share their experience. This is the case of Peggy Nkunga Ndona, who arrived via Roxham Road after crossing the continent from Brazil. She held two children by the hand and was pregnant with the third, born in Canada. She recounts her journey in her documentary The audiencecurrently in theaters.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Peggy Nkunga Ndona, asylum seeker and director of the documentary The audience
Recently, she was denied the right to asylum in Canada and will have to return to Brazil, she denounces. “I demand justice for all refugees and all immigrants! »
Hady Anne, spokesperson for Solidarity Across Borders, also arrived via Roxham Road. In his view, rich countries like Canada have a role to play in the political destabilization of countries in the South, particularly through the impact of multinational companies. “Roxham Road is a beacon of hope,” says Mr. Anne. Today, I feel like a Montrealer, a Canadian, a Quebecer. This agreement [sur les tiers pays sûrs], it is made by the privileged, for the privileged. She is unfair! »
Claudia, a Chilean journalist who applied for asylum when arriving in Canada by plane, considers it discriminatory that applications at the border are not considered in the same way as those made when leaving the plane. “For me, crossing the border was the difference between life and death,” she said to applause.
“More and more people are being forced into exile, forced into migration and forced [de prendre] extremely dangerous roads. Not all agreements will change this number,” said France-Isabelle Langlois, Director of Amnesty International Canada.