Mr. Speaker, during the last election campaign, Canadians across the country asked us to take concrete measures to build a safer Canada. They elected a new Liberal government with the clear and legitimate expectation that we would reform our bail system, improve public safety and make sure that our communities are safe.
We also made a commitment to secure our borders and preserve the integrity of our immigration system. That is exactly what Bill C-12 is all about. The bill makes crucial amendments to give law enforcement and border officers the tools and resources they need to disrupt the activities of increasingly sophisticated criminal groups, including those that traffic fentanyl and firearms, and to protect our communities.
The bill is built around two fundamental pillars: securing our borders and fighting transnational organized crime, including fentanyl and illicit financing.
The security of our border is a priority for our government. This issue is especially important for me as the member for Madawaska—Restigouche, a riding with five border crossings.
Before I go any further, I want to point out that Canada's borders are already strong and secure and that CBSA personnel are doing an amazing job. I want to commend them for their ongoing commitment to protecting our borders. Over the last few months, I have had the opportunity to meet many of these border officers during various activities in my riding and to discuss their important work with them.
Bill C‑12 will make our borders even stronger. The bill amends the Customs Act to strengthen the CBSA's powers. The CBSA will now be able to better monitor points of entry and exit and to require owners and operators to provide the necessary facilities to facilitate inspections. Border officers will also have access to places under the control of carriers and warehouse operators to examine goods destined for export, so they will be able to intercept stolen or illicit goods leaving the country. This will make it possible to intercept more drugs, guns and stolen vehicles before they leave Canada.
The bill also modernizes the Oceans Act to expand the Canadian Coast Guard's mandate, allowing it to conduct security patrols and to share essential intelligence. This will strengthen maritime surveillance, which is critical to our national security.
The RCMP's capacities will also be strengthened, particularly for sharing information on registered sex offenders with domestic and international partners. Such information sharing is fundamental to protecting communities all across Canada.
At the same time, Bill C‑12 proposes rules aimed at safeguarding the integrity of our immigration system. It includes measures to better manage asylum claims and introduces inadmissibility grounds that will help prevent abuse while upholding fundamental humanitarian principles in Canada.
It is also important to understand that this bill complements our other measures to strengthen our borders, including Canada's border plan, which comes with $1.3 billion in funding, the largest investment in border security in Canadian history.
When we talk about strengthening our country's security, it is not just talk. We are taking concrete action. In fact, the Prime Minister recently announced new measures that will appear in the upcoming budget. We are going to hire 1,000 new CBSA officers. These new officers will help crack down on the movement of stolen goods and drugs, enforce import measures and investigate unfair trade practices.
We are also going to increase the CBSA's recruit stipend for the first time since 2005, raising it from $125 to $525 per week, to help attract and retain the next generation of highly trained border officers.
We are also going to amend the Public Service Superannuation Act to ensure that officers and other frontline first responders receive benefits that reflect the weight of their responsibilities.
This is terrific news, not only for my riding, which contains several border crossings, but for our country as a whole.
I would now like to turn to the second pillar of Bill C‑12, namely combatting transnational organized crime and fentanyl. Now more than ever, the threat posed by transnational organized crime is a reality we must face. We understand that a strong Canada requires strong crime fighting measures.
The opioid crisis is wreaking havoc across the country. Thousands of lives are being lost every year. Not a day goes by without hearing heartbreaking stories of lives cut short. We cannot remain indifferent in the face of such a crisis, and we must take action.
Bill C‑12 introduces a temporary accelerated scheduling pathway that will allow the Minister of Health to quickly control the precursor chemicals used to manufacture illicit drugs. This measure will enable law enforcement agencies and the CBSA to act swiftly to prevent these substances from being imported and used illegally, while ensuring rigorous oversight of their legitimate use.
The bill also strengthens the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing through tougher penalties and improved supervisory collaboration between the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada and the Financial Institutions Supervisory Committee. This enhanced collaboration is essential to detecting and stopping illicit financial transactions that fuel crime and terrorism.
Bill C‑12 is part of a series of bold and decisive public safety measures that our new government has been taking since the beginning of our mandate. We know that safe, resilient communities are the backbone of a strong Canada. They attract people, families, businesses and investment and enable greater certainty and prosperity.
Just last week, our government announced new measures that will protect Canadians and keep our communities safe. We will strengthen Canada's Criminal Code to keep violent and repeat offenders out of our communities, including those accused of serious crimes such as violent auto theft, breaking and entering, human trafficking, violent assault and sexual assault.
We will also introduce consecutive sentencing to ensure that multiple crimes mean more time behind bars, impose harsher penalties for organized retail theft and restrict conditional sentences for a number of sexual offences. These are changes the public wants to see. We are also planning to hire an additional 1,000 RCMP personnel.
In the 2025 budget that will be tabled in the House on November 4, we will be announcing a $1.8‑billion investment over four years to increase federal policing capacity across Canada to combat crime, including online fraud, money laundering, online child sexual exploitation, and organized criminal networks that threaten Canada's economic and national security. This funding will also go toward raising the RCMP cadet recruitment allowance to $1,000 per week and dedicating 150 new RCMP personnel to tackle financial crimes, targeting money laundering networks, organized crime, online fraud and the recovery of illicit assets.
Yesterday, the Minister of Finance and National Revenue also announced that we are going to introduce the very first national anti-fraud strategy and a new anti-fraud agency. These concrete measures will help protect Canadians, especially seniors and vulnerable persons.
Our actions show that we are very serious about the mandate given to us by Canadians to make our communities safer and our borders more secure. That is why we are taking a holistic approach, as I just mentioned. Through historic investments, bold action and tough legislation, such as Bill C‑12, Canada's new government is working to protect our way of life. We are fighting crime, building safer communities and ensuring that Canadians have the security that they deserve.
Bill C‑12 is the result of careful consideration, is backed by a massive investment and is designed to protect Canadians while respecting fundamental rights. Securing our borders and keeping Canadians safe means ensuring that the government and law enforcement have the tools they need to do their jobs. We have a collective responsibility to work toward a safer and stronger Canada. Bill C‑12 is a decisive step in that direction, and we are confident that it will meet Canadians' expectations.
