The Strong Borders Act? with Kate Robertson and Adam Sadinsky

** There are less than 10 tickets remaining for the live recording of Uncommons with Catherine Mckenna on Thursday Oct 2nd. Register for free here. **

On this two-part episode of Uncommons, Nate digs into Bill C-2 and potential impacts on privacy, data surveillance and sharing with US authorities, and asylum claims and refugee protections.

In the first half, Nate is joined by Kate Robertson, senior researcher at the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab. Kate’s career has spanned criminal prosecutions, regulatory investigations, and international human rights work with the United Nations in Cambodia. She has advocated at every level of court in Canada, clerked at the Supreme Court, and has provided pro bono services through organizations like Human Rights Watch Canada. Her current research at Citizen Lab examines the intersection of technology, privacy, and the law.

In part two, Nate is joined by Adam Sadinsky, a Toronto-based immigration and refugee lawyer and co-chair of the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers’ Advocacy Committee. Adam has represented clients at every level of court in Canada, including the Supreme Court, and was co-counsel in M.A.A. v. D.E.M.E. (2020 ONCA 486) and Canadian Council for Refugees v. Canada (2023 SCC 17).

Further Reading:

Unspoken Implications A Preliminary Analysis of Bill C-2 and Canada’s Potential Data-Sharing Obligations Towards the United States and Other Countries - Kate Robertson, Citizen Lab

Kate Robertson Chapters:

00:00 Introduction & Citizen Lab

03:00 Bill C-2 and the Strong Borders Act

08:00 Data Sharing and Human Rights Concerns

15:00 The Cloud Act & International Agreements

22:00 Real-World Examples & Privacy Risks

28:00 Parliamentary Process & Fixing the Bill

Adam Sadinsky Chapters:

33:33 Concerns Over Asylum Eligibility in Canada

36:30 Government Goals and Fairness for Refugee Claimants

39:00 Changing Country Conditions and New Risks

41:30 The Niagara Falls Example & Other Unfair Exclusions

44:00 Frivolous vs. Legitimate Claims in the Refugee System

47:00 Clearing the Backlog with Fair Pathways

50:00 Broad Powers Granted to the Government

52:00 Privacy Concerns and Closing Reflections

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.uncommons.ca