The heartbreaking situation highlights deeper border control issues between Canada and the U.S. according to migrant advocate Syed Hussan, executive director of the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change.
"The question we need to ask is, why are people fleeing Canada to go to the United States?" Hussan told CTV New Channel on Saturday. "Why are migrants not able to just live here with justice and dignity and equality?"
The people found in the river were part of two families, one of Romanian descent and the other of Indian origin. Police said Friday they were likely trying to enter the U.S. illegally. The bodies, which haven't been officially identified, were found in Tsi Snaihne (Snye) in Akwesasne, a Mohawk territory that straddles Quebec, Ontario and New York state.
Hussan says people likely flee illegally across the border because they face difficulties accessing permanent residency in Canada, among other things.
"Prime Minister Trudeau in December 2021 at the start of this current mandate, promised permanent resident status for migrant students and workers and undocumented people," Hussan said. "Because he knows that that is the only way to ensure equal rights, 15 months later, we have not seen an inclusive regularization program."
He adds migrants will be less likely to flee if a path to permanent residency is created.
"People are being abused at work, exploited by landlords, separated from their families, denied health care, and a few of them are making this dangerous journey to the U.S. and are dying," he said.
Hussan is fearful the shocking news of migrant deaths will become normalized.
"What I'm scared of is that this will turn from news into current affairs," he said.
Recently, the U.S. and Canada agreed to end a loophole in the Safe Third Country Agreement which means asylum seekers will be turned away at irregular border crossings like at Roxham Road in Quebec. Federal figures show more than 39,000 people claimed asylum after crossing into Canada by land in 2022, with most coming through Quebec.
The Royal Bank of Canada is facing issues with online and mobile banking. According to a brief message posted on Twitter, there is an issue with the digital display of transactions.
More than 300 firefighters from the United States and South Africa are heading to Canada in the coming days as the country battles an unprecedented wildfire season that has forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes so far this year.
The federal government is proclaiming a National Day Against Gun Violence, to be held annually on the first Friday of June. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino and representatives of the Toronto Raptors basketball team are set to discuss the plans today at an event in Toronto.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's efforts to assure Canadians that his government is adequately addressing the threat of foreign interference took a hit on Wednesday, when the majority of MPs in the House of Commons voted for special rapporteur David Johnston to 'step aside,' a call Johnston quickly rejected.
Forget your hook, line and sinker. An Israeli foodtech company says it has 3D printed the first ever ready-to-cook fish filet using animal cells cultivated and grown in a laboratory.
Seventeen people – most of whom are young students – were hospitalized after a falling from a height during a field trip at Winnipeg's Fort Gibraltar. However, many of the children are now being discharged and sent home, according to an update from the hospital.
It's time for residents along the southeastern U.S. coastlines to make sure their storm plans are in place as the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season gets underway on Thursday.
Convicted murderer Daniel Jolivet, in prison for the past 30 years, has maintained his innocence since the day he was arrested. W5 reviews the evidence he painstakingly assembled while behind bars.
W5 Producer Shelley Ayres explains how she was in awe to meet what the Guinness Book of World Record's has named the World's Tallest Teenager, a 17-year-old from Quebec who plays for Team Canada.
CTV W5 investigates what authorities knew about plans to smuggle cocaine out of the Dominican Republic on a Toronto-bound Pivot Airlines flight. The airline's crew is demanding justice following their eight-month detention.
Gordie Sampson has written hit songs for some of the biggest names in country music, including Carrie Underwood and Luke Bryan. CTV W5 speaks with the Grammy winner from small-town Nova Scotia about his creative process.
A CTV W5 investigation reveals that a critical shortage of volunteer firefighters in this country is having a potentially deadly impact, especially in rural Canada.
Sandie Rinaldo tells the story of the largest Black military unit in Canadian history, whose members had to fight to serve for Canada in the First World War as they faced rampant racism at home.
The Royal Bank of Canada is facing issues with online and mobile banking. According to a brief message posted on Twitter, there is an issue with the digital display of transactions.
The city of Ottawa fired two employees with "medical related duties" for submitting falsified vaccination status documents last year following a tip to the city's fraud and waste hotline, according to a new report from the city's auditor general.
The Royal Bank of Canada is facing issues with online and mobile banking. According to a brief message posted on Twitter, there is an issue with the digital display of transactions.
Seven fire trucks, including an aerial truck, were on scene at a fire on Green Valley Drive in Kitchener on Wednesday afternoon after a fire impacted multiple townhomes.
An agency aimed at providing service dogs to those with disabilities and mental disorders is making a plea to the public to help foster 12 puppies for up to a year.
On May 26, OPP used a search warrant to enter a home on Huron Street west for an investigation where police seized fentanyl, methamphetamine, crack cocaine and Adderall.
OPP in Leamington are hoping the public may have seen a man reported as missing. Guillermo, 42, was last seen around 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday in the area of Talbot Street west and Fader Avenue.
A forest fire is out of control in Chapais, in the Nord-du-Québec region, with evacuations underway. Meanwhile, the situation is improving in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, where two forest fires are now under control and a third is contained.
Quebec Education Minister Bernard Drainville is likely to have a bad day on Thursday as several groups are ready to criticize his Bill 23, predicts Quebec Solidaire (QS) MNA Ruba Ghazal.
A wildfire that began burning in the Upper Tantallon, N.S., area Sunday and forced the evacuation of thousands of residents is now 50 per cent contained.
More than 300 firefighters from the United States and South Africa are heading to Canada in the coming days as the country battles an unprecedented wildfire season that has forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes so far this year.
Seventeen people – most of whom are young students – were hospitalized after a falling from a height during a field trip at Winnipeg's Fort Gibraltar. However, many of the children are now being discharged and sent home, according to an update from the hospital.
A Medicine Hat, Alta., doctor has been reprimanded by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta for improperly handling a prescription for opioids for one of his patients.
More than 300 firefighters from the United States and South Africa are heading to Canada in the coming days as the country battles an unprecedented wildfire season that has forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes so far this year.
Alberta's re-elected premier says she plans to form a "council" of UCP candidates who lost in Monday's election to advise her on Edmonton issues, something her opponent made fun of Wednesday.
A team led by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) has found physiological evidence of brain inflammation in people with cognitive and depressive symptoms months after their COVID-19 infections.
In response to a barrage of questions about Surrey’s beleaguered hospital, B.C.’s minister of health told reporters that an Emergency Operations Centre was activated at the site on Wednesday afternoon.
The federal government is proclaiming a National Day Against Gun Violence, to be held annually on the first Friday of June. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino and representatives of the Toronto Raptors basketball team are set to discuss the plans today at an event in Toronto.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's efforts to assure Canadians that his government is adequately addressing the threat of foreign interference took a hit on Wednesday, when the majority of MPs in the House of Commons voted for special rapporteur David Johnston to 'step aside,' a call Johnston quickly rejected.
It's that time of year again where MPs will be sitting until midnight until the House rises in late June, as the federal government pushes to pass as many bills as it can before the summer legislative hiatus. On Wednesday, Government House Leader Mark Holland announced that the Commons will be working late 'every single night … from here until the finish.'
Canada will soon require health warnings to be printed directly on individual cigarettes, making it the first country to implement this kind of measure aimed at reducing tobacco usage.
Navigating health care and dealing with expectations has been tough as she tries to cope with how her life has changed, similar to the experiences of other women who take on the majority of caregiving responsibilities -- an issue highlighted in a report released Thursday by the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
Forget your hook, line and sinker. An Israeli foodtech company says it has 3D printed the first ever ready-to-cook fish filet using animal cells cultivated and grown in a laboratory.
Bruce Willis’ daughter, Tallulah, has revealed her difficulties coming to terms with her father’s frontotemporal dementia (FTD) diagnosis and shared details about its impact on her family’s life.
Wall Street moved modestly higher early Thursday after the United States House of Representatives approved a debt ceiling and budget cuts package, avoiding a default crisis.
The Canadian economy grew faster than expected in the first three months of the year and likely expanded again in April, fuelling speculation that the Bank of Canada will raise interest rates again.
Confidence on the Scripps National Spelling Bee stage manifests itself in subtle ways, like spellers asking questions even though they know the answers.
Locals call it "watermelon salad." But this delicacy popular in the southern Gaza Strip at this time of year is far from the sweet, refreshing taste the name evokes.
A 15-year-old soccer player has died after suffering severe brain injuries during a post-match brawl with an opposing team at an international youth tournament in Germany over the weekend, officials said Wednesday.
The U.S. government's auto safety agency plans to require that all new passenger cars and light trucks include potentially life-saving automatic emergency braking and meet stricter safety standards within three years.
Ever have a car with a difficult-to-reach seatbelt? This recall is for you. Ford is having to recall 176,000 of its Ford Bronco SUVs, model years 2021 to 2023, because the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that drivers and front seat passengers can have difficulty reaching the metal portion of the belt when it is in the retracted position.
