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The word from Ottawa is that we’re no longer supposed to refer to illegal border crossers as “illegal” border crossers.

Thanks, but no thanks. Our word choice works just fine.

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On Monday, federal Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen chastised Ontario Premier Doug Ford and his colleagues for using the term.

“I’m very concerned by Premier Ford and (provincial) minister (Lisa) MacLeod really making statements that are difficult to understand when it comes to how they’re describing asylum seekers,” Hussen said to reporters in Halifax.

“These are people who we have a legal obligation to give a fair hearing to, and so we’re applying Canadian law, we’re applying international law and that requires all levels of government to work together,” Hussen continued.

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These words were echoed in a press release sent out to the media by the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers.

They claim assigning the phrase “illegal” to any asylum claimants in Canada is inaccurate and that “the pejorative connotation associated with the term ‘illegal’ implies these claimants are doing something they should not or getting away with crimes.”