Border back door: Liberal gov’t handed out 42,000 safe third country exemptions
“Since 2019, 225 children have crossed into Canada alone — 15 just this year — admitted under Safe Third Country loopholes.”

The Liberal government has quietly handed out 42,315 exemptions to the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) since 2019, according to new data tabled in Parliament in response to a written question by Conservative MP Tony Baldinelli.
The STCA requires migrants to claim asylum in the first “safe” country they enter—meaning most who cross from the U.S. into Canada should be turned back. Instead, tens of thousands have been admitted under four carve-outs: having family in Canada, being an unaccompanied minor, holding a valid document (visa, study permit, work permit), or facing possible death penalty abroad.
Since 2019, 225 unaccompanied minors have shown up at Canadian borders. That includes 15 children between January and April of this year alone.
The numbers show dramatic shifts in who is coming:
Haitians: from just 70 in 2019 to over 4,000 in 2024, with another 4,000 already recorded by April 2025.
Colombians: once a trickle, but since 2021 now over 1,000 per year, with more than 6,000 admitted since 2019.
Other surging groups include Pakistanis (2,460 since 2019) and Turks (5,000 since 2019).
While exemptions were spread across the provinces, Quebec has become the top destination. After starting with just 360 exemptions in 2019, the province took in 6,100 last year and has already received 4,200 in the first four months of 2025.
Instead of deterring border crossers, the exception system has become a back door for tens of thousands of asylum seekers to bypass the Safe Third Country Agreement entirely.
Sheila Gunn Reid
Chief Reporter
Sheila Gunn Reid is the Alberta Bureau Chief for Rebel News and host of the weekly The Gunn Show with Sheila Gunn Reid. She's a mother of three, conservative activist, and the author of best-selling books including Stop Notley.
COMMENTS
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Bruce Atchison commented 2025-09-19 19:42:26 -0400Liberals are guilty of aiding human smuggling. Neither do they care that children are being trafficked. It’s time to expose this evil and warn people about it.