Canadians said no to Trump – so why is Mark Carney pushing a Maga-inspired border bill? | Erica Ifill

If it goes ahead we will see the construction of a surveillance state that is in some ways worse than the US

Canada got duped. We avoided electing an outright Trump sympathiser, but we still elected a prime minister who will align our policies with the United States. Despite all the anti-Trump rhetoric and celebration of the idea that Canada was independent and had no desire to be like the US, we are now passing Maga-inspired legislation.

The newly elected Mark Carney government tabled a border bill that will give law enforcement sweeping powers in obtaining citizen's data, and will align Canada with the US's refugee policies. Bill C-2, or the Strong Borders Act, is presented as a border security bill. However, its reach extends beyond border applications to nearly all legislation.

Erica Ifill is an economist and award-winning political columnist