Commentary
Britain’s dramatic, hard-nosed reforms to its asylum system demonstrate that civilized countries can put their citizens first without compromising on the essential Western values of dignity and fairness. At a time when Canada is rethinking our own immigration policies, we should meditate on Britain’s approach.
On Nov. 17, British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood delivered a speech to the House of Commons in which she declared that a major influx of asylum seekers—400,000 in four years—has “destabilized communities” and made the British Isles “a more divided place.”
The speech went on to outline a package of reforms, the central thrust being a plan to reorient the asylum system by “making refugee status temporary, not permanent.”…