Petition against Compact on Migration passes 58,000 signatures

Maxime Bernier's petition against the UN's Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration has officially surpassed 58,000 signatures with over one month still left for Canadians to sign.

You can read the full petition by clicking here.

To provide some perspective, 58,000 signatures makes the petition the fourth most signed on the commons website.

The government of Canada now must provide an official response as the petition has far surpassed the required 500 signatures.

Compact called out by Canadians

The petition specifically calls on the government of Canada to ensure the rights and well-being of Canadians and to maintain our borders and limited merit-based immigration system.

It also demands that Canada pull away from the 160 nations which have agreed to the document and instead follow the lead of the United States Poland, Japan, Russia, Israel and Brazil among others, by pulling out.

The sheer number of Canadian signatures is rather unsurprising given the intense discussion which occurred around the document at the time of signing.

At that time the True North Initiative's Candice Malcolm, described the document by stating:

"This dystopian UN plan seeks to erase borders, destroy the concept of citizenship, undermine the rule of law and circumvent state sovereignty. It would change what it means to be Canadian and prevent the media from criticizing these fundamental changes."

While Alex Neve the Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada  and Aditya Rao, published in IPolitics, advising Canadian's that "It’s time to calm down about the UN Global Compact for Migration."

In their piece they state an almost polar opposite view to Malcolm noting:

This is an opportunity for Canada to show leadership in the vital global effort to protect the rights and dignity of those on the move, seeking to lead better lives. International guidelines on how to manage human mobility are precisely what we need as a first step in acknowledging that migration is a global challenge too big for any one nation to tackle on its own.

With so much distance, it's no wonder many Canadians were left asking, "So which is it?"

Is this an opportunity for Canada to show leadership in the vital global effort to protect the rights and dignity of those on the move, or a method for the UN to erase borders?

Well the government of Canada will have its chance to respond once the document finishes its signing period on February 21st.

This is even more likely given the extreme difference between the Liberal and Conservative views on the topic.

Justin Trudeau is decidedly supportive of these international agreements, while both Andrew Scheer and Maxime Bernier have made it clear they oppose the non-binding UN deal.

While it is extremely likely that the topic will make headlines as we approach October 2019, I wonder if it will significantly impact the election when Canada's economy is also struggling, and almost half of Canadians are within $200 of bankruptcy.

What do you think about the petition? Will it affect the 2019 election?

Join the conversation by commenting below!