Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders Act

An Act respecting certain measures relating to the security of Canada's borders and the integrity of the Canadian immigration system and respecting other related security measures

Sponsor

Status

In committee (House), as of Oct. 23, 2025

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Summary

This is from the published bill.

Part 1 amends the Customs Act to provide the Canada Border Services Agency with facilities free of charge for carrying out any purpose related to the administration or enforcement of that Act and other Acts of Parliament and to provide officers of that Agency with access at certain locations to goods destined for export. It also includes transitional provisions.
Part 2 amends the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act to create a new temporary accelerated scheduling pathway that allows the Minister of Health to add precursor chemicals to Schedule V to that Act. It also makes related amendments to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (Police Enforcement) Regulations and the Precursor Control Regulations .
Part 3 amends the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and the Cannabis Act to confirm that the Governor in Council may, on the recommendation of the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, make regulations exempting members of law enforcement from the application of any provision of the Criminal Code that creates drug-related inchoate offences when they are undertaking lawful investigations.
Part 4 amends the Oceans Act to provide that coast guard services include activities related to security and to authorize the responsible minister to collect, analyze and disclose information and intelligence.
Part 5 amends the Department of Citizenship and Immigration Act to authorize the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration to disclose, for certain purposes and subject to any regulations, personal information under the control of the Department within the Department and to certain other federal and provincial government entities.
It also amends the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to authorize the making of regulations relating to the disclosure of information collected for the purposes of that Act to federal departments and agencies.
Part 6 amends the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to, among other things,
(a) eliminate the designated countries of origin regime;
(b) authorize the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration to specify the information and documents that are required in support of a claim for refugee protection;
(c) authorize the Refugee Protection Division of the Immigration and Refugee Board to determine that claims for refugee protection that have not yet been referred to the Refugee Protection Division have been abandoned in certain circumstances;
(d) provide the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration with the power to determine that claims for refugee protection that have not yet been referred to the Refugee Protection Division have been withdrawn in certain circumstances;
(e) require the Refugee Protection Division and the Refugee Appeal Division to suspend certain proceedings respecting a claim for refugee protection if the claimant is not present in Canada;
(f) clarify that decisions of the Immigration and Refugee Board must be rendered, and reasons for those decisions must be given, in the manner specified by its Chairperson; and
(g) authorize regulations to be made setting out the circumstances in which the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration or the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness must designate, in relation to certain proceedings or applications, a representative for persons who are under 18 years of age or who are unable to appreciate the nature of the proceeding or application.
It also includes transitional provisions.
Part 7 amends the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to, among other things,
(a) authorize the Governor in Council to make an order specifying that certain applications made under that Act are not to be accepted for processing, or that the processing of those applications is to be suspended or terminated, when the Governor in Council is of the opinion that it is in the public interest to do so;
(b) authorize the Governor in Council to make an order to cancel, suspend or vary certain documents issued under that Act, or to impose or vary conditions, when the Governor in Council is of the opinion that it is in the public interest to do so;
(c) for the application of an order referred to in paragraph (b), require a person to appear for an examination, answer questions truthfully and produce all relevant documents or evidence that an officer requires; and
(d) authorize the Governor in Council to make regulations prescribing circumstances in which a document issued under that Act can be cancelled, suspended or varied, and in which officers may terminate the processing of certain applications made under that Act.
Part 8 amends the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to add two new grounds of ineligibility for claims for refugee protection as well as powers to make regulations respecting exceptions to those new grounds. It also includes a transitional provision respecting the retroactive application of those new grounds.
Part 9 amends the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act to, among other things,
(a) increase the maximum administrative monetary penalties that may be imposed for certain violations and the maximum punishments that may be imposed for certain criminal offences under that Act;
(b) replace the existing optional compliance agreement regime with a new mandatory compliance agreement regime that, among other things,
(i) requires every person or entity that receives an administrative monetary penalty for a prescribed violation to enter into a compliance agreement with the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (the Centre),
(ii) requires the Director of the Centre to make a compliance order if the person or entity refuses to enter into a compliance agreement or fails to comply with such an agreement, and
(iii) designates the contravention of a compliance order as a new violation under that Act;
(c) require persons or entities referred to in section 5 of that Act, other than those already required to register, to enroll with the Centre; and
(d) authorize the Centre to disclose certain information to the Commissioner of Canada Elections, subject to certain conditions.
It also makes consequential and related amendments to the Retail Payment Activities Act and the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Administrative Monetary Penalties Regulations and includes transitional provisions.
Part 10 amends the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions Act to make the Director of the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada a member of the committee established under subsection 18(1) of that Act. It also amends the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act to enable the Director to exchange information with the other members of that committee.
Part 11 amends the Sex Offender Information Registration Act to, among other things,
(a) make certain changes to a sex offender’s reporting obligations, including the circumstances in which they are required to report, the information that must be provided and the time within which it is to be provided;
(b) provide that any of a sex offender’s physical characteristics that may assist in their identification may be recorded when they report to a registration centre;
(c) clarify what may constitute a reasonable excuse for a sex offender’s non-compliance with the requirement to give at least 14 days’ notice prior to a departure from their residence for seven or more consecutive days;
(d) authorize the Canada Border Services Agency to disclose certain information relating to a sex offender’s arrival in and departure from Canada to law enforcement agencies for the purposes of the administration and enforcement of that Act;
(e) authorize, in certain circumstances, the disclosure of information collected under that Act if there are reasonable grounds to believe that it will assist in the prevention or investigation of a crime of a sexual nature; and
(f) clarify that a person who discloses information under section 16 of that Act with the belief that they are acting in accordance with that section is not guilty of an offence under section 17 of that Act.
It also makes a related amendment to the Customs Act .

Elsewhere

All sorts of information on this bill is available at LEGISinfo, an excellent resource from Parliament. You can also read the full text of the bill.

Bill numbers are reused for different bills each new session. Perhaps you were looking for one of these other C-12s:

C-12 (2022) Law An Act to amend the Old Age Security Act (Guaranteed Income Supplement)
C-12 (2020) Law Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act
C-12 (2020) Law An Act to amend the Financial Administration Act (special warrant)
C-12 (2016) An Act to amend the Canadian Forces Members and Veterans Re-establishment and Compensation Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts

Debate Summary

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This is a computer-generated summary of the speeches below. Usually it’s accurate, but every now and then it’ll contain inaccuracies or total fabrications.

Bill C-12 aims to strengthen Canada's borders and immigration system by addressing security, transnational crime, fentanyl, and illicit financing. It proposes amendments to various acts, including those related to customs, oceans, and immigration.

Liberal

  • Strengthens border security and combats organized crime: The Liberal party supports Bill C-12 to keep Canadians safe by strengthening border security, combating transnational organized crime, stopping fentanyl flow, and cracking down on money laundering and auto theft.
  • Modernizes immigration and asylum systems: The bill modernizes the asylum system through new ineligibility rules for late or irregular claims, streamlines processing, enhances information sharing, and allows for managing immigration documents during crises.
  • Balances security with humanitarian values: The party asserts that Bill C-12 strikes a balance between protecting borders and privacy rights, ensuring due process, and upholding Canada's humanitarian tradition for genuine asylum seekers.

Conservative

  • Protected Canadians' privacy and freedoms: The party forced the Liberal government to remove invasive measures from the original Bill C-2, such as warrantless mail searches and access to personal data, which were deemed violations of Canadians' privacy and freedoms.
  • Denounces soft-on-crime policies: Conservatives criticize the government's soft-on-crime agenda, arguing that previous legislation led to increased violent crime, "catch-and-release" bail, and insufficient penalties for serious offenses.
  • Calls for border and immigration reform: The party asserts that Liberal policies have created a broken immigration system with massive backlogs and porous borders, leading to increased illegal crossings, human trafficking, and insufficient resources for border security.
  • Demands tougher action on fentanyl: While Bill C-12 includes measures to ban fentanyl precursors, the party demands mandatory prison sentences for traffickers and opposes government-supported drug consumption sites near schools, advocating for recovery-based care.

NDP

  • Opposes bill C-12: The NDP strongly opposes Bill C-12, viewing it as a repackaged Bill C-2 that doubles down on anti-migrant and anti-refugee policies, rejected by over 300 civil society organizations.
  • Undefined executive powers: The bill grants cabinet unchecked power to suspend applications or cancel documents in the "public interest" without definition, guidelines, evidence, or judicial oversight, allowing arbitrary decisions.
  • Harms vulnerable migrants: The bill directly harms vulnerable migrants by imposing arbitrary timelines for asylum claims, risking the deportation of those fleeing violence and persecution, and undermining international obligations.
  • Panders to anti-immigrant narratives: The NDP argues the bill panders to a Trump-style anti-immigrant narrative, undermining Canada's reputation as a welcoming country and reinforcing a repressive rather than humanitarian approach.

Bloc

  • Supports bill C-12 with caveats: The Bloc Québécois supports sending Bill C-12 to committee as it removed contentious privacy-violating clauses from Bill C-2, but clarifies their support is not a "carte blanche" endorsement.
  • Demands enhanced border security: The party advocates for a dedicated border department, increased CBSA and RCMP staffing, greater operational flexibility for officers, and proper infrastructure for inspections, alongside tougher penalties for smugglers.
  • Addresses immigration and refugee system: The Bloc supports closing Safe Third Country Agreement loopholes and ministerial powers to cancel fraudulent visas, while demanding fairer distribution of asylum seekers and adequate funding for Quebec.
  • Combats organized crime and fraud: The party calls for better control of illegal firearms, increased patrols, oversight against money laundering, and action on the fentanyl crisis to protect citizens and their economic security.

Green

  • Opposes omnibus bills: The Green Party opposes Bill C-12 as an omnibus bill, arguing that issues touching on many different acts should be studied separately, not combined.
  • Bill C-12 is unacceptable: Despite some changes from Bill C-2, Bill C-12 remains unacceptable due to provisions that invade privacy and negatively impact refugees.
  • Calls for bill withdrawal: The Green Party asserts that issues in both Bill C-2 and Bill C-12 are not fixable, demanding their immediate withdrawal.
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Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 23rd, 2025 / 4:35 p.m.

The Deputy Speaker Tom Kmiec

Accordingly, the bill stands referred to the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security.

(Motion agreed to, bill read the second time and referred to a committee)

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 23rd, 2025 / 4:35 p.m.

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I suspect that if you were to canvass the House at this time, you would find unanimous consent to call it 5:30 p.m. so we can begin private members' hour.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 23rd, 2025 / 4:35 p.m.

The Deputy Speaker Tom Kmiec

Is it agreed?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 23rd, 2025 / 4:35 p.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.