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Democracy is weakened when a majority government callously endangers the rights of vulnerable minorities.

Without question, this cut in legal services means more refugees in genuine need of protection will lose their cases, and be ordered removed to their home countries. There, they may face torture, imprisonment and even death. While it is the provincial government that has taken this disgraceful step, the federal government cannot stand silently by. In fact, the Justin Trudeau government has a clear responsibility to protect the integrity of our immigration system and ensure the rights of refugees and immigrants are fully respected.

To be sure, the Ontario government bears direct responsibility for gutting legal services to immigrants and refugees. But when people are ordered removed, it is the federally run Canada Border Services Agency that carries out the actual deportations. The federal government must not pretend that all is well when someone facing deportation has no lawyer to defend them simply because they cannot afford it and Legal Aid is no longer available.

And the federal government can, and should, go a step further. It must get to the table with the province, and solve the legal aid crisis.

Canadians need not look further than our southern neighbour to see the terrible impact of dysfunctional, punitive immigration and refugee policies. A properly functioning immigration and refugee system keeps us safe, and ensures that Canada meets its legal, constitutional and international human rights obligations.

The world has long seen Canada as a welcoming place for those seeking safety, freedom and a place to call home. Now, the federal government has a chance to uphold that image for immigrants and refugees who are already here: Ensure funding for refugee and immigration legal services, and prevent deportations without representation.

Alex Neve is Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada.