Lifting visa restrictions with little concern

The Liberal government led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is keen to fulfill another campaign promise to lift visa requirement for travelers from Mexico. Visa restrictions were imposed by Stephen Harper’s government in year 2009 following an increase in refugee claims. In 2012, another move by Stephen Harper’s government was the inclusion of Mexico on a list of countries it believed was safe and therefore unlikely to produce valid refugee claimants. The move faced opposition from Human rights groups.
The data so presented by various TV channels on the same issue, doesn’t show Mexico in a good light. Asylum claims from Mexico almost tripled from 2005 to 2008, when Mexicans accounted for more than 25 per cent of all refugee claims filed in Canada. During Stephen Harper’s government, new asylum claims jumped to over 9500 in 2009, and when the visa restrictions were put in place by Stephen Harper’s government the new asylum claims dropped to less than 1400 in 2010.
With not a favorable track record, In order to secure the deal, Mexico has assured Canada that it will share security and background information on Mexican travelers. Practice that is in place between United States and Canada. Mexico in a desperate bid to make sure that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s attempt is not faced with opposition; Mexico has assured that it will tell its citizens that obtaining refugee status in Canada is not easy.
The deal is far more important for Mexico. Mexico is also the second most important destination for Canadian tourists in the world. Every year, Mexico hosts 1.7 million visitors from Canada, while 200,000 Mexicans tourists travel to Canada. “I appreciate and recognize Mr. Trudeau’s stance on establishing the conditions to eliminate current visa requirements as a way to increase this mobility and further boost our bilateral ties,” saidEnrique Peña Nieto the president of Mexico on the eve of his three day visit to Canada.
The move that is being presented as a favorable move on the political platforms, comesat a time when Great Britain has left the EU, a new political alignment is taking place in North and South America. A big re-configuration comes with certain risks for Canada and Canadians.
First and foremost it will drive more Mexicans to seek refuge in Canada to escape low standards of living, and come out of a system which is full of human rights violations and has crime record that is unmatched in the world. Mexico has a weak system of passport issuance and experts have expressed that not only Mexico but also natives of other Latin American countries may misuse the system to gain entry into Canada. Since 2014, Canada has intercepted more than 100 fraudulently obtained Mexican passports.
Prime Minister’s Justin Trudeau has been advised by officials of the risk associated with lifting of the visa requirements-And rightly so. Canada has had an immigration and visa system that is robust and not that prone to misuse, with lifting of the visa restrictions, travelers involved in organized crime, illegal drugs could enter Canada more easily. For them this lifting of the restrictions also lifts a veil of a plethora of opportunities. Despite assurance by Mexico, attempts in bogus asylum claims can’t be ruled out. Same concerns led the former Conservative government to impose the visa requirement in 2009.
The deal is being presented as the one that would strengthen productivity and competitiveness in the region, allowing Mexico, Canada, and the United States to have open doors for the free exchange of goods and better contact between people. For United States, Canada could become a weak security partner, making them opt for more regulations and inspections that could slow down the cross border movement and trade.
Liberal government needs to consider all check and balances in the light of the fact that whenever Canada has gone liberal with Mexico, the system has been put to test and has resulted in misuse. Liberals need to critically analyze the steps taken by the previous Harper government and gain from the learning and not rush into a deal which it may have to retrieve later.