Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Ahmed Hussen waits to appear before a standing committee on Citizenship and Immigration in Ottawa on Monday, March 19, 2018. iPolitics/Matthew Usherwood

NDP MP and immigration critic Jenny Kwan told Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen who was flanked by officials at the House of Commons immigration committee Monday that it’s wrong he and his officials used the term “illegal” to describe asylum seekers at the U.S.-Canada border.

“It is not illegal. Just because the Conservative members are badgering does not mean you should capitulate,” said Kwan.

“It’s the wrong term,” she said.

Kwan’s comments came after Conservative MP David Tilson asked Hussen why he uses the word “irregular” to describe asylum seekers at unofficial entry points between the U.S.-Canada border, when “everyone else uses the word ‘illegal.’”

“I’m happy to use ‘illegal,” said Hussen, “I have used the word illegal and I have used the word irregular.”

Tilson then asked about how many illegal border crossings there had been to date and when an immigration official responded, using the word “irregular” Tilson corrected him, suggesting he use the word “illegal.”

Liberal MP Gary Anandasangaree later chimed in and said he “takes some exception to Tilson’s assertion that asylum seekers are illegal,” despite the fact that his minister also used the term.

According to the department of immigration, in 2017, over 20,593 asylum claims were made between ports of entry, primarily in Emerson, Manitoba and Lacolle, Quebec where ninety-one percent of these individuals were intercepted.

Conservative MP Erin O’Toole also piled on and said today was the first time he heard Hussen use the term.

“I have no qualms about using the term,” Hussen reiterated.

O’Toole asked Hussen whether he has spoken with his U.S. counterparts about closing the loophole in the Third Safe Country Agreement and whether he still believes the agreement is working “fantastically well.”

In September, 2017, Hussen said “the safe third country agreement works fantastically well for Canada. We use it to co-operate with the United States on the orderly management of asylum claims,” in a response to a question from Conservative MP and immigration critic Michelle Rempel.

Hussen confirmed that there have been no formal negotiations underway. In response to O’Toole’s question about the agreement, Hussen said “it has been working for Canada because it allows both countries to better handle asylum seekers, and it’s supported by the United Nations.”

Hussen said the principle behind the agreement is that those seeking asylum in the U.S. or Canada should not engage in asylum shopping from going to Canada to the U.S. or vice-versa.