Borderlines

By Steven Meurrens and Deanna Okun-NachoffNews

Borderlines episodes

March 16 #208 - Proving Canadian Ancestry, with Amandeep Hayer and Lisa Middlemiss
We are joined once again by Amandeep Hayer and Lisa Middlemiss, to discuss citizenship by descent post Bill C-3

With thousands of people, particularly Americans, now exploring whether they qualify for Canadian citizenship through a distant ancestor, we discuss how the law works, how to prove eligibility, and the practical challenges involved.

We also discuss the genealogy research often required to prove citizenship, archival birth records, IRCC processing issues, the interim measures, and the broader policy implications of expanding citizenship while immigration pathways tighten.

03:01 Quick recap: who qualifies for Canadian citizenship by descent under the new framework
08:27 The main challenge: proving ancestry and lineage
13:33 Situations where someone may think they qualify but actually don’t (e.g., adoption issues)
27:43 Can someone apply for a study permit or work permit if they might already be Canadian?
Audience Questions:
33:14 British subjects in Canada during WWII
35:26 What happened to the interim citizenship measures from 2024
39:36 Do families need separate citizenship proof applications for each generation?
46:06 Where to start if your Canadian ancestor was born in the 1800s
48:26 Translation requirements for Quebec civil records
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57 min
March 12 #207 - Mobility Rights Under the Charter
Do Canadians have the right to travel throughout the country?

A discussion of the Supreme Court of Canada decision in Taylor v. Newfoundland and Labrador, 2026 SCC 5.

Topics discussed include the decision, s. 6 of the Charter, whether Canadians and permanent residents have a right to travel between provinces, how section 1 of the Charter can justify limits on rights, provincial nominee programs and post-landing mobility, misrepresentation concerns when intended province of residence changes and Bill C-12.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
17 min
March 11 #206 - The Importance of the Canadian Senate, with Senator Paula Simons
In this impromptu episode, we get a first person account of how one social justice advocate made the leap from journalist to Senator. The conversation is full of insight into the role that Senate plays in protecting the democratic process -- in particular around challenging legislation such as Bill C-12, which is approaching third reading.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
39 min
March 09 #205 - Former CBSA Chief On Immigration Investigations & Removal Priorities
Former CBSA Chief Christian Lane explains how CBSA immigration investigations and deportations work in Canada.

Topics discussed include CBSA investigative priorities, removals, organized crime investigations, misrepresentation, Bill C-12, refugee claims, intelligence work, the political pressure shaping immigration enforcement, whether immigration enforcement agencies sometimes pursue “low-hanging fruit” when removing individuals from Canada, and agency culture.

Christian Lane hosts the Team 1080 podcast, which features interviews with professionals working in public safety, law enforcement, healthcare, and military roles.

2:00 Immigration investigations
6:00 Enforcement priorities
15:05 Extortion investigations
25:03 Discretion
43:34 Why CBSA ranked last among federal agencies in employee satisfaction
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57 min
March 06 #204 - Stop Bill C-12! With Sharry Aiken
This epsiode offers insight into Professor Aiken's ongoing efforts to raise concern with Bill C-12 (the Stronger Borders legislation currently before Senate) -- both with the Canadian government, and with the UN Human Rights Committee.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
42 min
March 05 #203 - New Express Entry Manager Category (2026): Who Actually Qualifies — and Who Doesn’t
This was originally intended to be a YouTube only episode but several podcast listeners asked that we add it to the audio-only feed as well.

A break down the new Express Entry categories announced on February 18, 2026, with a particular focus on the senior managers with Canadian work experience category.

Key topics include:

Why this category generally does not help entrepreneurs or owner-operators.

How IRCC assesses self-employment.

What it really means to be a senior manager (NOC 00).

Federal Court cases discussed on what constitutes "senior management" include Recursive Craft Inc. v. Canada (Employment and Social Development), 2022 FC 1206, and Merijohn v. Canada (Citizenship and Immigration), 2025 FC 1003.
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8 min
March 03 #201 - IRCC’s Security Screening Delays: Causes, Timelines, and Legal Impacts
As of November 2025, internal IRCC projections reveal a stark reality about Canada’s security screening system. Based on recent processing times by partner agencies and current inventory levels, permanent residence applications referred for comprehensive security screening are projected to take approximately 64.8 months to complete. For temporary residence applications, the projected timeline is 30.3 months.

Lev Abramovich joins to break down what these projections actually mean and current issues with security screening.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
16 min
February 24 #202 - The Emergencies Act and the Freedom Convoy
Josh Dehaas, Interim Litigation Director at the Canadian Constitution Foundation (CCF), joins to walk through the Federal Court of Appeal’s Emergencies Act decision, often referred to as the “Freedom Convoy” case.

Topics discussed include what actually happened in Ottawa in early 2022, why existing laws were already available to address blockades, what it practically meant when the Emergencies Act was invoked nationwide, protest bands, the freezing of bank accounts and why public support for extraordinary measures can be durable.

Guest: Josh Dehaas, Interim Litigation Director, Canadian Constitution Foundation
CCF podcast: Not Reserving Judgment

Chapters / timestamps

4:38 – Setting the stage: COVID restrictions, mandates, and public frustration
11:45 – Border blockades
22:50 – What invoking the Emergencies Act meant nationwide
29:28 – Was there a coherent convoy “message”?
31:24 – Did it accelerate the end of restrictions? (Ontario vs. federal)
35:32 – What this says about Canada, public opinion, and civil liberties
40:09 – What the Federal Court / FCA held (speech, search/seizure, emergency threshold)
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46 min
February 17 #200 - Building a Corporate Immigration Law Practice
Jonathan Leebosh is a recently retired partner and longtime leader of EY Law’s immigration practice in Vancouver.

In this episode Jonathan reflects on a career that took him from refugee camps in Hong Kong with the UNHCR to building a corporate immigration practices inside a Big Four firm.

Topics discussed include how EY Law scaled, serving multinational corporate clients, managing people, policy innovation, the growing role of national security in immigration decisions, processing delays, and advice for young lawyers and consultants hoping to move from individual files to corporate work.

07:20 – Building EY Law’s corporate immigration practice
16:30 – Managing people vs. practicing law
24:00 – Policy innovation and lobbying
41:30 – The state of Canadian immigration
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58 min
February 09 #199 - Is Canada’s Population Decline Good for the Economy?
Canada is deliberately slowing, and possibly reversing, its population growth. But what does that actually mean for the economy?

We are joined by economist Mikuel Scutterat for a wide-ranging and candid conversation about Canada’s immigration reset, GDP per capita, shrinking rental markets, Express Entry category draws, francophone targets, regional programs, and the political risks of a rapidly changing system, winners and losers when immigration rises or falls, why focusing on “essential workers” may be bad long-term policy and social cohesion.

03:06 – Does population size actually matter for prosperity?
10:45 – Falling rents and distributional effects
15:01 – Human capital vs labour shortages
20:39 – Are French targets distorting outcomes?

Listener Questions

32:55 – Economics of mass regularization
39:02 – Regional immigration targets
43:39 – Country caps
48:57 – Underemployment
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54 min

About Borderlines

From the publisher's feed

A podcast for the discussion of Canadian immigration law and policy, although we often delve into other topics. Each episode features 2-3 lawyers, academics, politicians, and stakeholders…