Students from 22 Law Schools across Canada -- including UVic -- spent Saturday hunched over books gathering legal arguments for the Canadian Council for Refugees who will be mounting legal challenges to U.S.. President Donald Trump's travel ban. That ban includes forbidding visas for people from 7 Muslim majority countries, and bars anyone from Syrian indefinitely.
UVic Law student Susie Flader told CTV Vancouver Island a major focus is challenging the U.S..-Canada Safe Third Country Agreement which came into effect in 2004, and requires refugees to seek asylum in the first country they arrive in -- either Canada or the U.S..
"Which is very significant in this day and age because a lot of refugees showed up in the U.S.., were told that they would be granted status and how all of a sudden they can't any more ... but they also can't try and claim status in Canada ... so the only option really is deportation. If Canada were to suspend its place in the agreement, then it would be more likely refugees would be able to come here."
All Canadian Law Schools are taking part. Each one has been given a different research question concerning Trump's executive order.
Flader says "We're not just here to read books, we're also here to use our skills and to make change."