Protesters begin 3-day march to Roxham Road after Supreme Court ruling

Quebec activists began their 73-kilometre walk from Montreal to Roxham Road Saturday in protest of the irregular border crossing's closure and the Supreme Court's upholding of the Safe Third Country Agreement. 

The demonstrators aim to reach Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle, Que. by late Monday afternoon.

"Reaching safety in Canada is an obstacle course full of danger for the vast majority of people who walk across countries and continents to find safety," reads a description on the event's Facebook page.

"Their only choice when faced with danger is to flee in the direction of safety, by boat, bus, and foot."

Participants and their supporters gathered in the drizzle at La Fontaine Park Saturday morning mark the start of the three-day journey.

Their trek begins one day after Canada's Supreme Court upheld the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA), established in 2004 to control the flow of asylum seekers across the shared Canada-U.S. border.

The agreement requires refugees to seek asylum in the first of the two countries they set foot in.

Roxham Road, which has long served as an unofficial passageway between Quebec and New York, was previously exempt from the treaty, meaning asylum seekers could make claims in Canada despite having arrived in the U.S. first.

But the route was closed earlier this year after Canada and the U.S. agreed to include irregular border crossings in the STCA.

"A small road amidst agricultural fields, Roxham Road became a symbol of hope for thousands for whom hope was otherwise denied," the Facebook post continues.

"We march to Roxham Road as a symbolic action, to draw attention to the urgency of this issue and the humanitarian crisis asylum seekers face if immediate action is not taken to end the STCA."

SECTION 15 ARGUMENT STILL ON THE TABLE

Opponents of the STCA said the pact violates Section 7 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms (the right to life, liberty and security of the person), arguing the U.S. is not actually safe for many asylum seekers.

But Canada's highest court rejected this claim.

"The degree of difference as between the legal schemes applicable in the two countries can be tolerated, so long as the American system is not fundamentally unfair," the June 16 judgment read.

Critics also argued that the STCA violates Section 15 (every individual is equal before and under the law), alleging unequal treatment for women in the U.S. who are fleeing domestic and gender-based violence.

The Supreme Court deferred this matter to the Federal Court for further analysis.

Some of the groups behind Saturday's protest said this fact offers "some hope amid a disappointing decision."

"The STCA is counter to Canadian values, in breach of international obligations, and stands in stark contrast to the overwhelming public support for refugees," reads a joint statement from the Canadian Council for Refugees, Amnesty International Canada and The Canadian Council of Churches.

"Canada’s identity as a compassionate and welcoming nation is tarnished by this shameful agreement."

With files from The Canadian Press.