Exiled Catalan president Carles Puigdemont is appealing to a Canadian court after finding himself subject to a last-minute travel ban. Puigdemont had planned to visit Quebec in early April, at the invitation of the president of the Société Saint-Jean-Batiste de Montreal (SSJB), Maxime Laporte, but Canadian authorities blocked his right to enter the country just one day before the scheduled departure date. Sources close to the exiled Catalan leader regard the decision as "arbitrary", and this Monday they have lodged an appeal with a Canadian federal court.
The Canadian government has given no explanation for revoking Puigdemont's Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA), which had already been granted to the president. The eTA is essential for citizens of visa-free countries travelling to Canada and can be used by authorities to block travelers before they board their plane. Puigdemont's lawyer Gonzalo Boye is now coordinating legal action on the matter before a Canadian judge, working with Montreal lawyer Stéphane Handfield.
The trip was to begin on April 2nd with a press conference and a visit to the Quebec's legislature, the National Assembly. On March 31st, hours before the scheduled departure, the permit was revoked. The news of the ban on Puigdemont's visit was carried by Radio Canada today.
The Canadian broadcaster explains how the country's immigration ministry reserves the right to reject an eTA permit due to involvement in "subversive activities" or "criminal activities", and in this context, the SSJB attributes the decision to a political intervention by the Canadian federal government because the exiled Catalan leader's presence in Canada was considered undesirable. Asked about the withdrawal of the permit, the ministry told Radio Canada only that "all requests are considered on a case-by-case basis".
"It is absolutely disgraceful that Canada is again the accomplice of Spanish authoritarianism," said Maxime Laporte to the Canadian broadcaster. "We ask the Canadian government to review its position immediately."
On October 4th, 2017, all parties in the Quebec National Assembly unanimously passed a motion deploring "the authoritarian attitude of the Spanish government that caused acts of violence during the referendum on the independence of Catalonia."