Constructing undesirables: A critical discourse analysis of ‘othering’ within the Protecting Canada's Immigration System Act

Abstract

Immigration policy in Canada has recently shifted, reflecting changes in other Western countries. We studied the discursive constructions of forced migrants within Bill C-31 "Protecting Canada's Immigration System Act" and its associated Backgrounder documents published by the Canadian Government. The documents were analysed using an approach to critical discourse analysis adapted from Bacchi's (2009) methodology and informed by a theoretical framework of "othering". Particular groups of migrants were represented as posing threats to the economy, the integrity of the refugee system, and national security. The documents offered three solutions: the creation of specific categories of migrants, an emphasis upon efficiency of the system, and expanded powers to the government. The problematization of asylum seekers as posing multiple threats to Canadian society obfuscates governmental responsibilities to this population and reflects common strategies of neoliberal governance.

The Political Discourse Behind Canada’s Unusually Harsh Detention Practices: The MV Sun Sea Case

“…The "regime of truth" is then formed based on who spreads the discourse and what their position of power is (Hall, 2007, p. 60). In the context of Canada, the government has worked to create a "regime of truth" around the security threat of asylum seekers and refugees (Huot, Bobadilla, Bailliard, Rudman, 2016). Whether these vulnerable populations actually pose a legitimate risk to Canada's national security is irrelevant, the discourse has already been used to create knowledge and meaning about how people perceive these groups of immigrants.…”

What a Difference Does Time Make? Framing Media Discourse on Refugees and Migrants in Croatia in Two Periods

“…As extensively discussed in the literature, this is mainly connected with the perception of threats Others demonstrate, regardless whether we are talking about economic, cultural, social, security or health threats (Mayda 2004;Scheepers, Gijsberts, & Coender, 2002), which in turn can construct them as undesirable in a specific community (Huot et al, 2015). Recent research on the attitudes of the public in Croatia towards migrants/refugees during 2015-2016, shows the link between higher national identity expression and negative attitudes towards refugees and migrants (Medlobi & Čepo, 2018).…”

Fighting Human Smuggling or Criminalizing Refugees? Regimes of Justification in and around R v Appulonappa

“…Bill C-31—officially named An Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, the Balance Refugee Reform Act, the Marine Transportation Security Act and the Department of Citizenship and Immigration Act , but generally referred to by its short title Protecting Canada’s Immigration System Act —was introduced in February 2012 and received royal assent in June 2012. It included new provisions that were intended to expedite the processing of refugee protection claims by reducing protection, and expand the scope of the offence of human smuggling in the name of public safety and security (Hari 2014; Silverman 2014; Huot et al 2016). In fact, the bill was a reformulation of abandoned Bill C-4 and Bill C-49 whose blunt sensationalist short title was Preventing Human Smugglers from Abusing Canada’s Immigration System Act.…”