As Canadians began to tune out politics for the summer, Mark Carney’s Liberal government pushed forward with a border bill reminiscent of conservative security crackdowns on both sides of the forty-ninth parallel. Framed as a matter of getting things done at speed and scale — and with an eye toward placating the Trump administration in hopes of securing a trade deal — the Carney government tabled a bill that would grant extraordinary new powers to the state. Critics warn the bill carries significant risks.

The Liberals don’t seem especially troubled by these critiques — but they should be. Amnesty International has denounced the proposed law as an “attack” on the rights of asylum seekers, arguing it “would make it virtually impossible for most people entering Canada via the US to have their refugee claim reviewed by the Immigration and Refugee Board.”

For a party that just won an election by running against Donald Trump and threats to Canadian sovereignty from the Yankee menace — “Elbows Up” and all that — Bill C-2 is a particularly cynical offering. Just months ago, Carney was warning that Trump was trying to “break” Canada, “so that America can own us,” and demanding that the president drop his fifty-first state rhetoric before any cooperation between the two countries would resume. Now Canada is not only open for business — it appears keen to comply with US demands, including a dangerous border security law that won’t bring the country any closer to a fair and lasting trade deal. Not that the legislation would be any better if it did.