Lush Cosmetics calls for end to Safe Third Country deal with U.S.

OTTAWA — Lush Cosmetics has launched a campaign calling on people to pressure the Canadian Parliament to back out of an agreement with the U.S. that governs refugee claims in both countries.

It’s part of a broader campaign by the company to draw attention to the impacts of major changes to U.S. immigration policy.

They say they are adding a Canadian element because the Safe Third Country deal with the U.S. makes this country complicit in that one’s crackdown on refugees.

The deal largely bans people from seeking asylum at the Canada-U.S. border, on the grounds both countries are safe and so people must apply for refugee status where they first arrive.

But there’s a loophole in the policy that allows people coming into Canada from the U.S. at unofficial border openings to file a refugee claim here.

More than 54,000 people who crossed the border in that way have filed a refugee claim in Canada since 2017.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 5, 2020.

The Canadian Press