As the Canadian government discusses plans to tighten security along the Canada/ US border and make it more difficult for people to claim asylum, it is worth remembering that seeking asylum is not a crime.

It is a fundamental human right enshrined in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 1951 Refugee Convention. Canada is a signatory to both.

In 2023, more than 146,800 people claimed asylum in Canada, a record number, up from 92,000 in 2022. It placed Canada in the top five countries for asylum claimants, behind the U.S, Germany, Egypt and Spain. (On a per capita basis, however, the smallest countries are carrying the heaviest loads. Read on.)

About 90 per cent of the asylum claims in Canada were made by tourists, international students, and other visitors arriving at Canadian airports, official border crossings or an inland office. The remaining claimants crossed the border “irregularly” between official border posts. (It is legal to cross the border this way if it is done to claim asylum.)

The highest number of asylum claims in Canada were filed by nationals from Mexico, India and Nigeria. (In contrast, most of the people arriving through the privately sponsored refugee program are from Syria and Afghanistan.)

In commenting on the record numbers of claimants in Canada, the United Nations High Commission on Refugees stated in its March 2024 report: “In this time of unprecedented global displacement, these numbers are not surprising.”

The UN estimated that by the end of June 2023, there were 110 million people displaced from their homes due to violence, conflict, persecution and human rights violations.

An estimated 75 per cent of the world’s refugees are hosted by low and middle income countries.

In 2023, Iran claimed the top spot by hosting an estimated 3.44 million refugees, mostly from Afghanistan. Turkey followed with an estimated 3.37 million refugees, mostly from Syria.

Significantly, the countries hosting the most refugees per capita over the past decade are among the smallest in the world. Here is the list.

So, the next time a Canadian politician complains about asylum seekers, tell them about the people of Aruba, or Montenegro or Lebanon, the people doing the heavy lifting.