Letter to Doug Ford

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Message to The Honourable Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario(Required)

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To: premier@ontario.ca; patrick.sackville@ontario.ca; 
CC: strangv@hrw.org; emilio@cpj.ca

Dear Premier Ford,

I am reaching out to you in my capacity as (role) at (organization) — (organization’s member base and location - e.g.: “a Community Church that gathers 2,000 people in the North York area”). I urge you to end Ontario’s immigration detention contract with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), which currently allows for migrants and refugee claimants to be incarcerated in provincial correctional facilities for purely immigration-related reasons.

The use of provincial jails for immigration detention is punitive and inconsistent with international human rights standards. It has devastating impacts on individuals, families and children, especially those with mental health conditions and other disabilities. In a <a href="https://www.hrw.org/report/2021/06/17/i-didnt-feel-human-there/immigration-detention-canada-and-its-impact-mental">2021 report</a>, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International documented how immigration detainees in Canada experience serious human rights violations in some of the most restrictive confinement conditions in the country. Immigration detainees are regularly handcuffed, shackled, searched, and can be subjected to solitary confinement with no set release date.

My congregation/organization joins Canadian faith communities calling for Ontario to end the practice of incarcerating immigration detainees in provincial jails. Since the start of the <a href="https://www.hrw.org/welcometocanada">#WelcomeToCanada campaign</a> in October 2021, we have seen a resounding wave of change as four Canadian provinces - British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Alberta, and Manitoba - have all cancelled their respective immigration detention contracts with CBSA.

Mike Ellis, Alberta’s Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services, provided the following <a href="https://www.alberta.ca/release.cfm?xID=86398B767B343-B7BD-D4D9-199029E4EB0872D3">statement</a> after ending his province’s contract with CBSA: “People who come to Canada for a fresh start and a new life deserve a better welcome than a jail cell while paperwork is sorted out. That is why we are also calling on all provinces to join us in ending this practice.”

It's time for Ontario to show leadership and end this devastating practice by cancelling its immigration detention contracts with CBSA. <a href="https://cpj.ca/interfaith-call-to-action-ending-human-rights-violations-in-immigration-detentions-in-canada/">More than 160 Canadian faith leaders, individuals and religious organizations</a> have already called upon Canadian authorities to end the human rights violations in the immigration detention system. Ending the use of provincial jails is a crucial first step.

We firmly believe that newcomers and those fleeing persecution and oppression should be treated with dignity. I would be more than happy to meet at your best availability to discuss this important matter.

I look forward to hearing from you,

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