The sanctuary city movement is a transnational response to increased numbers of non-status migrants living and working in global cities – and it is gaining ground in Canada. Borrowing from the American model, municipal governments have played a role by promising all residents access to municipal services without fear. But unlike their American counterparts, Canadian cities and the federal government are not locked in overt political and legal conflicts over jurisdiction i.e. the authority to govern migration. On the one hand, the federal government has no official policy on sanctuary; on the other hand, cities have avoided contesting presumptions about the capacity of the federal government to project enforcement power at the local level. Nowhere is this more evident than the role of local authorities in the collection and sharing of information with the Canada Border Services Agency. At the same time, there is limited dialogue among local, provincial or federal governments about the role of cities in the governance of migration.

This presentation will review instances of conflict and cooperation between local and federal authorities in Canadian sanctuary cities. Using Toronto as a case study, it will survey the conceptual relationship between sanctuary and jurisdiction and question the nature and vitality of policies that avoid conflict over the authority to govern migration. Special attention will be paid to the collection and protection of information from the incongruous standpoints of service delivery and border enforcement.

The event is free and open to the public. 

L'évènement est gratuit et ouvert à tous. La présentation sera en anglais et sera suivie d'une période de questions bilingue.