Extraction, Dependence, and Responsibility-Sharing: Taking Stock of Canada's Role in Western Hemispheric Migration Governance

This RCIS working paper by Craig Damian Smith examines Canada’s role in Western hemispheric migration governance, arguing that the country’s economic dependence on extracting mineral wealth and human capital from Latin America and the Caribbean creates a normative duty and rational self-interest in greater responsibility-sharing for the region’s displacement crises. The author highlights two primary areas of extraction: the significant presence of Canadian-based mining firms, which are often linked to social and ecological ills that drive displacement, and the agri-food sector reliance on temporary foreign workers who remain structurally vulnerable and lack pathways to permanent residency. Despite these deep connections, the paper notes that Canada’s engagement with regional displacement—such as the crisis in Venezuela and Central America—remains largely symbolic or limited to short-term emergency appeals, with international resettlement efforts for the hemisphere lagging far behind those for other regions. Furthermore, the study analyzes how institutional frameworks like the Canada-US Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) have historically functioned to exclude regional asylum seekers, effectively outsourcing protection responsibilities to neighbors with increasingly restrictive policies. Ultimately, the paper concludes that Canada must move beyond its current "extractive" relationship and adopt more robust policy options, such as increased funding and expanded resettlement pathways, to uphold its global reputation as a leader in refugee protection.