Liberals against human smuggling bill

The first of my new pieces on the national page of Xtra.ca today was the story I wrote yesterday about the Liberals coming out to oppose Bill C-49. It was a lot of running around and getting quotes from the "caucus outs" (which I don't normally attend but was suggested that I show up to this one), from the Foyer after Question Period, and calls made to Vancouver. And sadly, the quote from the Rainbow Refugee Committee in Vancouver didn't make it into the final version, but I'll include it here:

Sharalyn Jordan of the Rainbow Refugee Committee is happy that the opposition has committed to killing C-49.

“We’re delighted that MPs from all of the opposition parties have seen the injustice of punishing refugees and come down on the side of upholding Canada’s commitment to refugee protection,” Jordan says.

“It’s important for queer refugees in particular, because it’s often unsafe for queer asylum seekers to seek protection in neighbouring countries, and so they have to come to Canada to seek protection. For that reason, it’s critical that queer Canadians can use their voice to protect the right to asylum and the right to refugee protection here in Canada.”