One Canadian lawyer believes the U.S. is as dangerous for trans people as Africa and the Middle East
In the spring, not long after Trump’s inauguration, a 22-year-old trans woman from Arizona named Hannah Kreager arrived in Calgary seeking refuge. She has since filed an asylum claim with the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, based on a fear of persecution back home in the U.S. This is uncharted territory. Canada is not accustomed to accepting refugees from immediately south of the border. But then again, these are unprecedented times. Kreager faces a long process—up to two years—and approximately $15,000 in legal bills to make her case. |
To represent her, Kreager has hired Yameena Ansari, a lawyer who specializes in refugee applicants. Ansari outlines the case she is building in this Q&A with Courtney Shea for Maclean’s. What happens if Kreager is successful? “It could mean a massive influx of asylum seekers at our doorstep,” Ansari says. Visit macleans.ca for more coverage of everything that matters in Canada, and subscribe to the magazine here. —Sarah Fulford, editor-in-chief, Maclean’s |
Political and economic volatility has swept the United States. Does that mean it’s time for Canada to find new trading partners? Carleton University professor Meredith Lilly says yes. “The United States is our closest ally and our largest trading partner, but it’s time we grew out of our dependence,” Lilly writes in this essay for Maclean’s. “Not out of bitterness or ideology, but out of long-term strategic sense.” |
Stephen Marche, author of The Next Civil War, recently launched a new podcast about Canadian Sovereignty called Gloves Off. In this essay for Maclean’s, he writes that there’s nothing like having a gun to your head to clarify the mind. “Since Trump’s inauguration, a new patriotism has emerged in Canada, and nobody can deny its ferocity,” Marche says. “Turning Canada’s new nationalism into practical applications that preserve our sovereignty is a daunting task. Where even to begin?” |
Linny’s, the new amber-lit Toronto dining room from prolific restaurateur David Schwartz, advertises itself as a steakhouse—but that’s not the reason to come. The no-excuses, absolutely mandatory, must-order dish is the house-made pastrami, which is presented with the ceremony of a religious ritual. And not for nothing: this iteration is no humble deli meat, but thick, near-fuchsia slabs of smoky, peppery beef, brined for up to seven days until it melts, and served with its natural companions of mustard and dill pickles. The dish is so popular that Linny’s is launching a new sandwich shop—Linny’s Luncheonette—to keep up with demand and serve the midday crowd. For more, check out our bucket list of homegrown restaurants, chefs and dishes to experience this summer. |
If you never quite made it through War and Peace, you should know that Tolstoy’s behemoth tome has a 70-page tangent about how ingénue Natasha and her future husband Pierre first meet, all while the real-life comet of 1812 lingers ominously in the sky (a metaphor for Napoleon’s invasion of Russia, obviously). Since its off-Broadway debut in 2013, Dave Malloy’s musical reimagining of Tolstoy’s masterpiece has rocketed to success, with 12 Tony nods. It’s an electro-pop opera, often compared to Hamilton for its innovative historical retelling through a contemporary lens. —Rosemary Counter |
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