Independent B.C. MLA Tara Armstrong and the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) are calling on Ottawa to deny U.S. live streamer Hasan Piker entry into Canada — despite him having no criminal record. Politics, free speech, and Canada’s visa and entry rules collide: Can Canada legally block entry of a U.S. citizen based on what they’ve said online? This is VANCOLOUR host Mo Amir is joined by lawyer Kyla Lee to break down Canada’s visa laws, who actually has the authority to deny entry, what qualifies someone as a “terrorist” under Canadian law, and whether blocking Hasan Piker would withstand legal scrutiny.
“Canada can deny entry to anyone pretty much for any reason they want. There’s a whole list of reasons given on the government of Canada’s website, including even having a family member that’s inadmissible to Canada. But typically if there’s any kind of national security concern about a person, that would get you denied entry.”
“Canada might recognize he’s part of that group, but Antifa is not on Canada’s list of recognized terrorist organizations. It is in some other countries, but Canada doesn’t consider them to be a terrorist organization, at least as of right now. And so because it’s not on a list, he’s not automatically considered for immigration purposes, a terrorist.”
