The Coming Clash Over Migration Policy Between Canada and the United States

Abstract

Canada and the United States have historically addressed conflicting issues in migration policy reactively rather than proactively. This chapter argues that unless anticipatory action is taken, this trend will likely continue, exacerbated in the current context of a minority government in Canada and a populist government in the United States. Four issue areas are examined here: changes to labour mobility in the United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA), specific labour mobility issues concerning the migration of tech professionals, entry–exit issues, including marijuana legalisation, and the growing challenge posed by refugees, asylum seekers, and the safe third country agreement. Nevertheless, as the chapter shows, each of these challenges can be overcome through forward-thinking policy. To do this, both Canada and the United States will have to eschew their historical preference for short-term compromises in favour of long-term solutions.