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

Second reading (House), as of Oct. 22, 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 border security and immigration system by combating transnational crime, fentanyl trafficking, and illicit financing. It enhances information sharing and modernizes asylum claim processing.

Liberal

  • Strengthens border security: The bill enhances tools for law enforcement, including CBSA and Coast Guard, to combat illicit drug trafficking, weapons smuggling, and auto theft, thereby keeping Canadians safe.
  • Fights organized crime and illicit financing: It targets transnational organized crime by accelerating control of fentanyl precursor chemicals, strengthening anti-money laundering penalties, and improving information sharing among agencies.
  • Improves immigration and asylum system: The legislation modernizes the asylum system with new ineligibility rules to prevent misuse, streamlines claim processing, and enhances information sharing with partners, while upholding humanitarian principles.

Conservative

  • Liberal policies caused current crises: The bill attempts to fix problems created by the Liberal government's decade of "soft-on-crime" policies, porous borders, and mismanagement of the immigration and asylum systems, which led to surging crime and backlogs.
  • Protects civil liberties and privacy: Conservatives forced the Liberals to remove highly intrusive provisions from the original Bill C-2, such as warrantless mail searches by Canada Post and government access to personal data, which threatened Canadians' privacy.
  • Bill C-12 fails on crime and borders: The bill falls short by not including mandatory prison sentences for fentanyl traffickers or gangsters using firearms, continuing to allow house arrest for serious violent crimes, and failing to adequately staff border agencies or invest in technology.
  • Fixes for immigration system are insufficient: The party asserts the immigration system is "obliterated" with massive backlogs and bogus claims, incentivized by Liberal policies. The bill does not adequately address these issues, shifting responsibility to the courts and lacking effective removal mechanisms.

Bloc

  • Supports bill C-12 with reservations: The Bloc supports Bill C-12 as a step forward, especially since contentious privacy-violating parts of Bill C-2 were removed. However, they remain cautious and demand further improvements.
  • Calls for stronger border security: The party advocates for a dedicated border department, increased CBSA staffing, more flexible powers for border officers, and tougher action against illegal firearms, smuggling, and money laundering.
  • Addresses immigration and Quebec's burden: The Bloc supports measures to close safe third country agreement loopholes and combat visa fraud, but highlights Quebec's disproportionate intake of asylum seekers and demands fair redistribution and funding.
  • Backs Coast Guard transfer: The party supports transferring the Coast Guard to the Department of National Defence to enhance coordination and defense spending, but seeks details on arming officers and resource allocation.

Green

  • Calls for bill's withdrawal: The Green Party maintains that Bill C-12, like its predecessor Bill C-2, is unfixable due to its omnibus nature and should be withdrawn immediately.
  • Harms refugees and privacy: The bill is unacceptable as it contains provisions that invade privacy and harm refugees, catching innocent people in the gears of an increasingly "Trumpian world."
  • Opposes government's strategy: The party questions the government's unusual strategy of introducing two substantially similar bills, asserting Bill C-12 is primarily designed to appease President Trump.
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Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / noon

Scarborough—Guildwood—Rouge Park Ontario

Liberal

Gary Anandasangaree LiberalMinister of Public Safety

moved that Bill C-12, 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, be read the second time and referred to a committee.

Madam Speaker, I am thankful for the opportunity to speak today to Bill C-12, the strengthening Canada's immigration system and borders act. Bill C-12 is important legislation that would keep Canadians safe by strengthening immigration and border security.

Security risks and the danger they pose to our national and economic security are constantly evolving.

This is true when it comes to transnational organized crime groups that seek to facilitate illegal border crossings and smuggle fentanyl, precursor chemicals, other harmful drugs and illegal firearms into our communities.

Our government is committed to ensuring that law enforcement agencies have the right tools to keep our borders safe.

We have listened to the concerns raised by stakeholders and by my colleagues during debate here in the House. This new bill, Bill C-12, would strike the right balance between the need to protect our borders and the concerns about Canadians' privacy.

Bill C-12 draws on the elements of Bill C-2 that were designed to combat transnational organized crime and those who seek to exploit our immigration system. These include stopping the flow of illegal fentanyl, cracking down on money laundering, bolstering our response to increasingly sophisticated criminal networks and enhancing the integrity and fairness of our immigration system.

It is essential that we take urgent action on this issue.

That is why Bill C-12 was introduced. It would enable Parliament to quickly advance legislative priorities where we see the most agreement, while taking the time necessary to debate the provisions remaining in Bill C-2 that we have raised concerns about.

Responding to these changes and cracking down on transnational organized crime groups and their illegal activities are essential to maintaining the safety and security of our country. Border security is a priority that we share with our neighbours to the south. Addressing it will further strengthen our relationship with the United States.

We can always do more, and we are doing more, but I want to assure members that the border is secure. Our law enforcement and border agencies identify, neutralize and mitigate threats on a daily basis, and we are building on those operational outcomes.

Last December, Canada launched several key measures as part of a comprehensive border plan. This plan is bringing meaningful operational and policy changes, but we need legislative change to advance the plan and further strengthen border security to keep our communities safe. The amendments contained in Bill C-12 would help law enforcement by giving them the tools to respond more effectively to the evolving security challenges.

There are two main themes to Bill C-12. The first is securing the border. The second is combatting transnational organized crime, illegal fentanyl and illicit financing.

Under the first theme, securing the border, we are proposing to amend the Customs Act to secure our borders against illicit drug trafficking, weapons smuggling and auto theft. We would obligate owners and operators of certain ports of exit and entry to “provide, equip and maintain” facilities for “any purpose related to the administration or enforcement of” the Canada Border Services Agency's mandate.

This includes examining and seizing goods destined for export.

This change would allow the CBSA to access premises under the control of transporters and warehouse operators to perform examinations in places where goods destined for export are reported, loaded, unloaded or stored.

Second, Bill C-12 would amend the Oceans Act to add security-related activities to the Coast Guard's services. This would allow the Canadian Coast Guard to conduct security patrols and collect, analyze and dismantle information and intelligence for security purposes.

Third, we are proposing amendments that would enhance the ability of the RCMP to share information collected on registered sex offenders with domestic and international law enforcement partners.

Fourth, related to immigration, the bill introduces measures to protect the asylum system against sudden increases in claims by introducing new ineligibility rules, as well as to improve how asylum claims are received, processed and decided. The bill also proposes to strengthen authorities to cancel, suspend or change immigration documents and to cancel, suspend or stop accepting new applications. This would give us the ability to respond to potential crises in the event that a large number of immigration documents are affected by the same issue.

Finally, the proposed measures would improve how client information is shared within Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, or IRCC, and with federal, provincial and territorial partners.

The components related to the second theme include, first, amending the accelerated scheduling pathway to allow precursor chemicals that can be used to produce illicit drugs to be rapidly controlled by the Minister of Health. This would allow law and border enforcement agencies to take swift action to prevent the illegal importation and use of precursor chemicals, and it would ensure strict federal oversight over any legitimate use of these chemicals.

Second, the proposed measures would strengthen Canada's anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing regime, including through stronger anti-money laundering penalties.

Third, the measures contained in the bill would enhance supervisory collaboration and support high standards of regulatory compliance by adding the director of the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada, or FINTRAC, to the Financial Institutions Supervisory Committee. FINTRAC would also be enabled to exchange supervisory information on federally regulated financial institutions with FISC.

I am happy to say that these proposed measures would complement ongoing efforts to secure our border from coast to coast to coast, including the $1.3-billion investment made in December last year to increase resources dedicated to border security.

Meanwhile, Bill C-2 will continue, with further study, to advance the elements that would facilitate law enforcement’s access to basic and subscriber information, introduce the supporting authorized access to information act, expand the inspection authority of Canada Post, introduce new restrictions on third party deposits and large cash transfers, and clarify public-to-private information-sharing provisions to help better detect and deter money laundering. We heard the concern that it is important that we get this right.

As a result of our strong partnership with the United States, last year, nearly $3.6 billion in trade and about 400,000 people crossed the Canada-U.S. border every single day. We want to make sure that this continues. Following both the former prime minister's and current Prime Minister's discussions with President Trump, Canada committed to a set of measures that would further strengthen security at the border and expand on our $1.3-billion border plan.

In support of the plan, in February, a new intelligence directive on organized crime and illegal fentanyl was signed, and it will be backed by a $200-million investment. This includes the creation of the joint operational intelligence cell, which builds on existing co-operation mechanisms between law enforcement partners and security agencies to better leverage information sharing to target transnational organized crime, money laundering and drug trafficking and improve border security.

The integrated money laundering intelligence partnership was established with Canada's largest banks. It is enhancing our capacity to develop and use financial intelligence to combat fentanyl trafficking and other organized crime.

Canada has also appointed its first fentanyl czar, who serves as the primary liaison between the Canadian and U.S. governments to strengthen our collaboration in the fight against fentanyl.

Additionally, we have listed seven transnational organized crime groups as terrorist entities under the Criminal Code and are constantly monitoring whether more should be added. Listing is an important tool that supports criminal investigations and strengthens the RCMP’s ability to prevent and disrupt criminal activities.

Canada has also committed to providing surveillance at the border 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Nearly 10,000 frontline personnel are working on our border. As we announced just last week, we will be hiring 1,000 new RCMP personnel and 1,000 CBSA officers to bolster these protection efforts. We will mobilize law enforcement officers with new and modernized equipment to make them even more effective for our communities.

This equipment includes state-of-the-art technology, drones, surveillance equipment, canine teams and helicopters.

All of this important work takes place every single day at border crossings right across this great country.

I would like to note that, while illegal crossings from Canada to the U.S. are already down by 99% since the peak in June 2024, we have also deployed new drones and helicopters to the border.

These tools are enabling us to stop more illegal cross-border activity.

The border plan makes investments in both agencies, allowing them to procure tools for better detection and to build even stronger collaborative relationships between the CBSA and the RCMP, and between law enforcement across the country and in the United States. Through our border plan, we are building our information and intelligence-sharing capacity among federal, provincial and territorial authorities as well as with the United States and other international partners, including our Five Eyes partners. Enhanced information sharing allows authorities to identify, monitor and collaborate with partners to intercept high-risk individuals and goods attempting to travel between countries.

Meanwhile, as too many families know, illegal fentanyl has a devastating impact on both sides of our border. While less than 1% of illegal fentanyl seized in the United States is linked to Canada, we are working to ensure fewer drugs and their precursor chemicals cross our shared border. To increase our fentanyl-detection abilities, we have trained and are deploying border detector dog teams that specialize in fentanyl detection.

With respect to immigration, under the border plan, we have already strengthened our visa screening and integrity to keep those who seek to remain in Canada illegally, or to cross into the United States illegally, out of Canada. We have increased our ability to remove bad actors from Canada. As well, the CBSA removed over 18,000 inadmissible people in 2024-25, the highest in a decade and an increase from approximately 16,000 the year before. The border plan provides $55.5 million to support immigration and asylum processing and to increase CBSA’s capacity to reach 20,000 removals over the next two years, including this year.

With our current focus on the border and our plans to introduce further measures to strengthen the criminal justice system in the future, Canadians can be confident that Canada has a strong border and that we continue to build an even stronger one. We will always ensure that the actions we take will have appropriate safeguards in place to ensure due process for all.

We will continue to work with our U.S. partners to ensure that our border remains secure while we also continue to manage the fast and efficient movement of people and goods between our respective countries. These additional measures we are taking to further strengthen Canada’s border will help sustain this partnership and friendship for many years to come.

As a final point, I would like to thank the RCMP and CBSA officers who work so hard every day to keep us safe.

I was able to visit several Canadian ports of entry this summer, and I saw first-hand the crucial work that our frontline men and women of the RCMP and CBSA do each and every day.

This is integral legislation. I hope that my hon. colleagues will support Bill C-12 today and ensure that we can provide law enforcement with the necessary tools to keep Canadians and our communities safe.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 12:15 p.m.

Conservative

Frank Caputo Conservative Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola, BC

Madam Speaker, it is always a pleasure to rise on behalf of the people of Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola.

I listened with great interest to the minister's speech. Bill C-12 is obviously a reiteration of some portions of Bill C-2. Conservatives have been very vocal on problematic aspects of Bill C-2. The minister framed it as “we have listened to Canadians”, as in the Liberals have listened.

Will the minister admit that the Liberals simply got it wrong with Bill C-2, based on Conservative pressure and otherwise from Canadians, and that this is their attempt to salvage a very flawed piece of legislation?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 12:20 p.m.

Liberal

Gary Anandasangaree Liberal Scarborough—Guildwood—Rouge Park, ON

Madam Speaker, Bill C-12 is being introduced with three major elements that were left out of Bill C-2, which are lawful access, postal services and the $10,000 amount as part of money laundering. These elements are quite important to law enforcement. I have heard from law enforcement across Canada as to the need to ensure that there is a lawful-access regime. Canada remains the only country where lawful access is not entrenched in law.

I had a meeting with Grand Chief Fiddler this morning. He talked about the need for inspection of mail coming into first nations communities. In some cases, we know that fentanyl and other illicit drugs go through.

Quite to the contrary, what we are trying to do here is ensure that Bill C-12 passes, with the expectation that we can work together on passing the elements of Bill C-2 that were left behind.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 12:20 p.m.

Bloc

Mario Beaulieu Bloc La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the minister on his speech.

The Bloc Québécois has long called for better border control, whether to combat the export of stolen vehicles, reduce the number of asylum seekers in Quebec, or fight fentanyl and money laundering.

We are pleased that Bill C‑12 is doing away with the most problematic elements of Bill C‑2 with regard to privacy violations. However, there is one major issue on which we are still looking for clarification.

The minister said he would add 1,000 RCMP officers and 1,000 border officers. The 1,000 RCMP officers were mentioned in the Speech from the Throne, but the 1,000 CBSA officers were not. The unions tell us that it would take at least 2,000 or 3,000 more CBSA officers for the agency to be able to truly fulfill its mandate.

I would like my colleague to comment on that.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 12:20 p.m.

Liberal

Gary Anandasangaree Liberal Scarborough—Guildwood—Rouge Park, ON

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his speech and his work.

I want to acknowledge the work my colleague has done for many years on a number of issues, including medical assistance in dying. I thank him for that.

I want to talk about the 1,000 new CBSA officers announced last Friday in Niagara Falls with my good colleague from St. Catharines, and the hiring, training and deploying of the new officers. We were delighted to be able to do that. It is a promise we made during the campaign, and it is a promise that we intend to execute.

I want to note that, as part of the work we have done, there is a retention component at CBSA that includes enabling CBSA officers to retire with as little as 25 years of service, along with increasing their stipend from $125 a week to $525 a week. These are substantial elements to ensure that we have proper retention and training of CBSA officers, and we look forward to the new men and women joining the CBSA over the coming years.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 12:20 p.m.

Winnipeg North Manitoba

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Madam Speaker, I want to take this opportunity to talk about the minister's role with regard to the RCMP.

The RCMP is recognized worldwide as a first-class law enforcement security agency. Let there be absolutely no doubt about the degree to which it is apolitical. The leader of the official opposition is calling into question the leadership of the RCMP. That has to cause concern among Canadians in terms of confidence in the RCMP.

I am wondering if the minister would take this opportunity to reinforce the important role the institution of the RCMP has played in the past and will continue to play in the future, as well as talk about the irresponsible comments from the leader of the official opposition.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 12:25 p.m.

Liberal

Gary Anandasangaree Liberal Scarborough—Guildwood—Rouge Park, ON

Madam Speaker, that is a very important question.

The RCMP is an organization that is sacrosanct in Canada. It has defended Canadians for over 150 years. It is an internationally recognized leader in policing. In Canada, we have separation of the executive branch from police functions and judicial functions. The RCMP is an independent body that is accountable within its system. It is not accountable to a minister or prime minister, and it is not biased in any way.

For anyone in the House to suggest that the RCMP is acting in a partial way is outrageous and shameful. I call upon the Leader of the Opposition to retract those statements and ensure the public's trust is restored in the RCMP.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 12:25 p.m.

Conservative

James Bezan Conservative Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB

Madam Speaker, I have gone through Bill C-12. I appreciate the fact that the minister took the Conservatives' advice, listened to Canadians and took out the sections of Bill C-2 that were egregious and violated the charter rights and civil liberties of Canadians right across this country.

The government is talking about moving the Coast Guard to the Department of National Defence. However, part 4 does not name the Department of National Defence or the Minister of National Defence. It is rather open-ended on the Coast Guard still being under the control of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the Minister of Fisheries since its creation under the Oceans Act.

Will the Liberals formally announce or put in place the legislative powers to make sure the Canadian Coast Guard is part of the Department of National Defence and under the control of the Minister of National Defence, not make some ambiguous statement within the clause itself?

Will they also ensure that, since the Coast Guard is going to be asked to take on the role of security, its members will be given the tools to defend themselves when they are doing interdictions, along with the ability to encounter ships at sea when they are doing border security? That is very important since, right now, they are unarmed. When doing surveillance, all they can be are eyes and ears. Even the Canadian Rangers are allowed to carry guns, whereas the Canadian Coast Guard cannot.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 12:25 p.m.

Liberal

Gary Anandasangaree Liberal Scarborough—Guildwood—Rouge Park, ON

Madam Speaker, let me confirm that the Coast Guard plays an integral role in protecting Canadians. The measures we are taking will enhance its role with respect to surveillance, making sure, particularly in northern Canada, that information is shared with law enforcement agencies as well as the Department of National Defence.

As members are aware, we are investing 2% of our GDP in defence starting this year, something previous governments have been unable to do. I am very proud to say that the Coast Guard will play an integral role in that work.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 12:25 p.m.

Green

Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC

Madam Speaker, I echo some of the questions the minister has heard from members on the opposite benches about similarities with Bill C-2 and whether Bill C-2 remains as it does on the order of precedence.

My question is about RCMP training. It is really critical. I want to know if the Minister of Public Safety has read the report of the Mass Casualty Commission that was compelled after the deaths of 22 Nova Scotians. These were preventable deaths largely due to RCMP incompetence. The commission recommended that we expand training for the RCMP to a three-year required course instead of the current 26 weeks.

In hiring 1,000 new RCMP officers, is the government looking at improving the training, and is it looking at the recommendations of the Mass Casualty Commission?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 12:25 p.m.

Liberal

Gary Anandasangaree Liberal Scarborough—Guildwood—Rouge Park, ON

Madam Speaker, concerning the new RCMP officers who would be onboarded, the commitment we have is that those RCMP officers would be mandated to do federal policing. They would receive training that is consistent and that is customized for federalized policing; it is something that Commissioner Duheme and his senior team have been working on with the depot to ensure that the officers have the right training to do their work more effectively.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 12:25 p.m.

Conservative

Frank Caputo Conservative Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola, BC

Madam Speaker, it is always a pleasure to rise on behalf of the people of Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola. Before I begin, I want to acknowledge a few people from Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola.

I want to acknowledge the life of Dana Evans. I was very saddened to read about Dana's passing. She was mother to one of my friends in high school, Derek Luce, and his brother, Louie Luce. I did not know this, but she was born in Yakima, Washington, a place where I spent a great deal of time, and attended school in Ellensburg. I have a good friend from Ellensburg.

However, what stuck out to me most was that Dana Evans graduated from Thorp High School. I have a couple of friends from Thorp. It is basically a postage stamp in Washington; I always used to make fun of, to my friends, how small it is. Lo and behold, my friend's mom was born there. I have distinct memories of sleeping over at the house and of Ms. Evans being up early to make us pancakes and send us on our way, making sure that her sons and their friends did not get into too much trouble.

I would like to express my deepest condolences to the Evans family, Louie Luce and Derek Luce, and all others who are impacted by her passing. May perpetual light shine upon her.

I also want to acknowledge Les Consenheim, a resident of Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola, for his outstanding contributions to democracy. He has been a huge help to me, and I am so grateful that people like him are so involved. He recently sponsored an event that I was at this weekend, where people bid on art based on volunteer hours. If somebody liked an art piece, they could volunteer, say 100 hours, to an organization. Among those organizations was the Canucks Autism Network, an organization that is very close to my heart, for those who know me. I thank Mr. Consenheim for all he has done for the people of Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola.

Let us start at the beginning. Bill C-2 was tabled as what I would call a panacea. It was meant to be a cure-all, a reaction piece and something to contain a number of Liberal promises or not so many promises, requests, bureaucratic lingo and things like that. I can still remember, even though I was not here, how the Liberals spoke about omnibus bills and how bad they were. They spoke about the big, bad Conservatives' passing big, bad omnibus bills, and they said that the Liberals would never, ever pass omnibus bills, yet here we are: One of many omnibus bills comes to us in the form of Bill C-2, with a number of problems.

Bill C-2, if memory serves, would enact or alter 15 pieces of legislation. It is about 120 pages long, if memory serves, and the Liberals told us to just pass it, just trust them. Given some of the rhetoric in the House today, it is somewhat comical that the Liberals would use this type of language: Just pass this, just trust them.

As members of His Majesty's loyal opposition, our job is to listen to Canadians and to closely scrutinize government legislation. In a 120-page bill, there are problems. I am going to highlight one of those problems, and I really hope that the member for Winnipeg North is listening closely to this one: the warrantless search.

The member has spoken to the House ad nauseam, no fewer than five or six times, about the fact that Canada Post could not open up mail without a warrant. They have a number of lawyers on the Liberal side. We have a number of lawyers here. However, the legislation actually speaks really clearly, so I am going to read the legislation into the record just so that we are really clear on this, and then I will speak about what we have been through with a number of bureaucrats.

Bill C-2, in part 4, proposes to replace subsection 41(1) of the act with the following:

The Corporation may open any mail if it has reasonable grounds to suspect that

The reasonable suspicion part relates to regulation, so if any regulation is suspected to be breached, Canada Post could open our mail.

If I am understanding it clearly, the intent of the legislation is to cover up a gap, in that mail cannot not be opened with a warrant. In other words, we want to make it so that anybody shipping something that is 499 grams or less could be subject to a warranted search, a search that is authorized by a judge.

I admire the member's zeal for sticking with this position, which is a position I thought was untenable, so let us go through that again. Bill C-2 states that the corporation may open any mail, so that includes letters, parcels or anything. I think we are all on solid ground and know what “any mail” means. It states that it “may” open it, so it would not be compulsory. The government would not have to open mail, but the legislation would be permissive; the government could open any mail if it had reasonable grounds to suspect.

The bill refers to the “Corporation”, which is very interesting. The corporation legally has personhood, but the corporation is made up of people. Those people, generally, are not going to be peace officers. In fact, I do not know whether Canada Post has any peace officers in its employ. The legislation would not even require a peace officer, so theoretically it could be somebody in the mail room who has no training. We hear all about RCMP training and things like that. Somebody with no training could open up mail; they may, not shall, do so if they have reasonable grounds to suspect.

The member for Winnipeg North has told us so many times that a warrant would be needed. I went to a briefing with top officials from the government, and they told me that based on the provisions, a warrant would not be needed. Imagine that. The words are so clear that a warrant would not be needed, so let us just go through it one more time for clarity.

Bill C-2 states:

The Corporation may open any mail if it has reasonable grounds to suspect that

It does not state that the corporation may apply for a warrant. It does not state that the corporation shall apply for a warrant. It says that it “may open any mail”.

Here is the real kicker: reasonable grounds. I have not practised law for about four years, but my recollection is that a search warrant is issued by a judge when there are reasonable grounds to believe, based on oath or affirmation, than an offence has been committed, that there is evidence of that offence and that the place to be searched will yield evidence of the offence. Those three characteristics are needed with reasonable grounds to believe.

Let us go back to the plain language:

The Corporation may open any mail if it has reasonable grounds to suspect that

Wait a minute. That is not reasonable grounds to believe, as is needed for a warrant, yet the Liberals have repeatedly stood up in this place and said that Conservatives are full of conspiracy theories and that a warrant would be needed, when it says right in the bill that a warrant would not be needed.

The member for Winnipeg North is very active in questions and comments, and God forbid that any member of the House would misspeak, so I really look forward to his addressing the issue in questions and comments. In fact, perhaps a page can run the document over to him, because it says it right in it, and the member can tell us whether he still believes this, or acknowledges perhaps that Conservatives were correct on the issue.

This leads me to Bill C-2 generally. Bill C-2 was a mess. The government went very far. We can all acknowledge that border security is an issue, but the legislation went very far, and we heard about it from Canadians. The Liberals have said that we need the legislation and need it done, and they have asked how we dare stand in the way of border security and things like that. However, as Conservatives, we played our role as opposition, and we did so very clearly.

We took issue, and people will notice that the matters with which we took issue are not matters in Bill C-12. I take great pride in what we have done, because that is what an opposition does. An opposition scrutinizes, considers and opposes, when and where it is appropriate to oppose.

Lo and behold, part 4, which speaks about the inspection of mail, is no longer in Bill C-12; it remains languishing in Bill C-2. It is by no coincidence that occurred, because we as Conservatives consistently raised the plain language in Bill C-2, which I think I will quote again:

The Corporation may open any mail if it has reasonable grounds to suspect that

Then it goes on to the regulations.

What other things are missing? Conservatives raised substantial questions about privacy concerns, parts 14 and 15, what is colloquially called lawful access. People have said I should know about the R v. Bykovets decision. I do know about the Bykovets decision very well. I think I was still practising law when it came out. That decision said there is a reasonable expectation of privacy in an IP address. As parliamentarians, we have to remedy the problem.

We have actually seen that when the Liberals want to remedy an untenable decision for the House, they have no problem doing it quickly. I will note that they have failed to do that on the issue of bail. There were three or four decisions on bail that they actually codified. That means they took the language from the decision and put it into legislation. They did not push back on it. Section 33.1, the defence of extreme intoxication, was struck out. There was legislation before the House within weeks of that happening.

The Liberals did not want a law on the books. They did not want a lack of law that said that extreme intoxication is an excuse for a general intent offence, that is, when someone does not legally have the ability to commit the offence. I believe it goes to the actus reus defence, but it has been a while. In any event, the Liberals responded with legislation very quickly.

The Liberals did not really care so much about bail, but now they say they are tough on crime. This is after former ministers of justice Virani and Lametti stood just across the aisle in the House to tell us there is no problem with bail. The Liberals have no problem responding when it is consistent with their agenda.

In Bill C-12, what the Liberals will not acknowledge is that it was robust opposition that led to elements that should be debated in Bill C-2's forming Bill C-12, as well as other very questionable issues in Bill C-2's remaining in Bill C-2. It also begs this question: What is going to happen in Bill C-2?

Perhaps we can have another debate on Bill C-2, and the member for Winnipeg North can stand up and speak about warrantless searches of mail. The Liberals could also discuss cash transactions, how much money should be permitted, and whether we should actually be telling Canadians how much cash they can or cannot use.

I just want to pause to acknowledge somebody who has done tremendous work when it comes to democracy and participating in democracy. That person is named Dawson McKay. He is a Crown prosecutor in British Columbia. I admire his passion for the rule of law and what is right, and I want to thank him for his contributions to democracy. He is somebody with a deep conscience, a deep desire to do what is right. I thank him for his work.

I would also like to thank somebody else, another prosecutor, Alex Wheele. He works out of the Kamloops Crown counsel office in Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola. He is somebody I had the pleasure of meeting when he was in law school and was just thinking about becoming a prosecutor, and we spoke. I taught his now wife in the faculty of business back then. I am very proud to call Alex a friend. I am so grateful for his work in contributing to democracy. I am also proud of his work in contributing to public safety. I want to recognize that formally in the House of Commons.

We have spoken about the mail provisions, and we have spoken about Bill C-2 generally and how we got here. Now let us focus on Bill C-12, what is in it and what is not.

I know that my colleague from Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman will be giving a speech today. I am sure he will give it with his characteristic zeal and great detail, as he is so often known for in the House.

What is not in Bill C-12? There is no mandatory prison time for fentanyl traffickers. I believe we heard from the Secretary of State for Combatting Crime that the Liberals are “tough on crime”. That was actually said in the House. Really? Apparently, now the Liberals are going to come out with legislation. We have not even seen the legislation yet, but we are being told that we should support it. I would think the House would support a bill on intimate-partner violence, but that remains to be seen.

I am told the legislation has good stuff in it and speaks about sex offences and people who committee sex offences no longer getting house arrest. I have probably raised this issue 15 times in the House, and the Liberals have openly mocked our views when it comes to justice. I actually raised this issue with the minister of justice at one time, and I heard, “Do not worry. When somebody commits a serious crime, they will get serious time.” What happened to the mentality of trusting judges? The Liberals told us we should trust judges; they are appointed. Now they say, “Wait a minute. There is no more house arrest for sex offences.” They do not trust judges any more; they are tough on crime. It is something they mocked us for. I am worried that I am going to wake up with a stiff neck tomorrow based on the whiplash I am getting from the government, which is now tough on crime.

What else do we not have in the bill? There is no mandatory prison time for gangsters who use guns to commit crimes. A person can get house arrest for a drive-by shooting. What is worse is that this was not the court's doing; it was the Liberals' doing. For Bill C-5, Mr. Lametti, then a minister, said he did not think that somebody had to go to jail for popping off a couple of shots into a bar after having a couple of pops.

Intending to discharge a gun, if done in a car, is called a drive-by shooting. If it is done otherwise, it is a called a shooting with intent. There used to be a four-year mandatory minimum, which was constitutionally upheld in a case called Oud, I might add, for the Liberals who say that everything was always struck down under the Conservatives. However, it went from a four-year sentence to potentially house arrest. Now the Liberals are tough on crime, but not tough enough to put this into an omnibus bill to keep us all safe.

The Liberals have created what I would call a porous border, and that porous border is allowing firearms to get in like never before. What should we be doing? People will say to me that denunciation and deterrence do not work. They have been our sentencing principles in the Criminal Code from time immemorial, but they will say they do not work. I am starting to have serious questions about the fact that people can repeatedly commit crimes and believe they are untouchable. I saw this happen on so many occasions in my employment before I was blessed to be present in the House. When we let somebody operate with impunity when it comes to the criminal law, we will invariably have an outcome that they repeat the behaviour, because they have learned that there will be no consequences from it. Bill C-12 is silent on that.

I hope the Liberals will give credit where credit is due as to how Bill C-12 came here. We will scrutinize this legislation and we will go from there.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 12:45 p.m.

Winnipeg North Manitoba

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Madam Speaker, the Conservatives try to give the impression that whether someone is a letter carrier or a mail organizer for Canada Post, they are going to start opening the letters of Canadians. I find that amazing.

I am going to sidestep that particular issue because we see a more serious issue from over the last number of days. The leader of the Conservative Party made very serious statements against the RCMP at the highest level. I think the member would agree with me that the RCMP is recognized around the world as a first-class institution. When his leader starts providing the types of comments he has put on the record, false comments, at the end of the day he is displaying a great deal of disrespect for the RCMP.

I am wondering if the shadow minister would agree that the leader of the Conservative Party crossed the line when he said that the RCMP is “despicable”. I think Canadians need to hear what the member has to say about the comments his leader made. Does he support those comments?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 12:50 p.m.

Conservative

Frank Caputo Conservative Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola, BC

Madam Speaker, what I find very despicable is that the Liberals, an hour ago, refused to support my private member's bill, Bill C-225. I hope they reconsider that.

On the mail issue, I hope the member reconsiders it. I am going to read the bill one more time in hopes that he will concede. We have had our back-and-forths in this House many times. Perhaps some of them have been draws when it comes to debate, but I will not concede this one. Let me just say it one more time:

The Corporation may open any mail if it has reasonable grounds to suspect that

The member made my argument for me by wondering whether a mail carrier would be able to do this. Obviously, Canada Post has a policy, but the legislation as written would actually allow it if that person were part of the corporation. I commend him for helping me with my argument.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 12:50 p.m.

Bloc

Mario Beaulieu Bloc La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC

Madam Speaker, I would like to know what my colleague thinks about the fact that the Customs and Immigration Union estimates that we need an additional 2,000 to 3,000 officers in order to truly ensure better border control.

What are his thoughts on the fact that the Canadian Coast Guard, despite having a mandate to control and monitor the border, is not authorized to intervene and is not a part of DND?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 12:50 p.m.

Conservative

Frank Caputo Conservative Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola, BC

Madam Speaker, I have heard my colleague very often. My French is not the best, but I will say this:

He has a great voice.

I love hearing his voice because he speaks with such power in this House. I really appreciate that.

I have had several meetings with the union leader from the CBSA, and I will be meeting with him very shortly. This is a concern. The border officer issue is quite vexing to me because the minister made an announcement, which was reannounced and then maybe reannounced twice more, about having 1,000 officers, but then just the other day, the minister caught himself and said “personnel”. What does that mean?

I stand with the union in saying that our border is porous and we need more people there. I had the opportunity over the summer to visit the border and see this. Morale is low, and these people want and need change. They are working on the front lines to do their best. We need to support them to the best degree possible.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 12:50 p.m.

Conservative

James Bezan Conservative Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB

Madam Speaker, I want to follow up on some of the comments made.

Bill C-12 has taken up the parts of Bill C-2 that we agree with and moved them over, but Bill C-2 is still sitting on the Order Paper. That bill, as my colleague mentioned, would give the power to Canada Post employees to do search and seizure, which is in complete violation of our charter rights. We know that through Bill C-2, the Liberals want to take cash and make it illegal to make deposits of over $10,000. Last time I looked at the back of any currency in Canada, $20 bills, $10 bills and five-dollar bills say “Canada”. We are talking about legal tender, guaranteed by the government and the Bank of Canada, yet they want to make cash illegal.

I want to ask the member whether he believes the Liberals are going to turn away from Bill C-2 and the flawed policies they still have in it. Should we be making some suggestions about them? Does he think, through Bill C-12, the Liberals are going to empower CBSA officers to police the entire border, not just ports of entry?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 12:55 p.m.

Conservative

Frank Caputo Conservative Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola, BC

Where should I start, Madam Speaker? My colleague proved his intellectual fortitude one more time with that brilliant intervention.

On the issue of enforcement at ports of entry, my colleague raises a very important point, something that I do not believe gets enough coverage in the House. If somebody commits an offence, despite the fact that border officers with the CBSA are police officers, which grants them specific powers under the Criminal Code, their mandate does not permit them to go beyond a port of entry. Let us say somebody had a kilogram of cocaine and it was dropped outside a port of entry. Even if it was in sight, the CBSA could not get it. This has been stated to the government time after time. If it wants to make meaningful changes, that is something we should be debating in this House.

When it comes to the member's comments on Bill C-2, I could agree more. It remains on the Order Paper and we need to scrutinize it. I wonder if the Liberals will pull back from it. They have obviously shown some willingness to do that given that Bill C-12 is now before us.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 12:55 p.m.

Bloc

Claude DeBellefeuille Bloc Beauharnois—Salaberry—Soulanges—Huntingdon, QC

Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to hear that my Conservative colleague supports the Bloc Québécois's proposal to optimize the work of our officers by allowing them to leave the border crossing where they are posted to intercept migrants or goods. We know that border officers are armed and trained in self-defence. They have everything they need to better co-operate with the RCMP, which is often far from border crossings, especially in rural areas like mine.

Does my colleague agree that we should bring up this idea during our study on border security so that it can be one of the key recommendations in the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security's report?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 12:55 p.m.

Conservative

Frank Caputo Conservative Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola, BC

Madam Speaker, I have had a good experience working with my Bloc colleague, who is the critic for public safety. I hope we can maintain a good relationship working together to create the best possible legislation.

We should not shy away from asking the hard questions in this place. Sometimes they will be contentious. Sometimes the answers will be very easy and sometimes they will be difficult. I know somebody had an idea in mind when they restricted the CBSA's border mandate to not go beyond the port of entry, but we should not shy away from discussing these things.

In answer to my colleague's question, I would be happy to include this in a study. I think it is something we should be debating. We should not shy away from it. There are sometimes very tough questions. They are often difficult questions to ask because we have to consider the RCMP, which currently has the mandate. How far are they from the borders? There are going to be borders where they might have a 15- or 20-minute response time. That is unacceptable in my view. I think the time has come for us to have a robust discussion on that.

My colleague pointed out that CBSA members are armed. That was done under the Harper government. They are well trained, and I thank them for all they do to keep us safe. They do not always have the tools or the resources to do that, but let us give credit where credit is due. These people put their lives on the line for us every single day, and we as Conservatives and Canadians ought to be grateful.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 1 p.m.

Bloc

Claude DeBellefeuille Bloc Beauharnois—Salaberry—Soulanges—Huntingdon, QC

Madam Speaker, it is always an honour to speak when you are sitting in the chair.

I would like to congratulate the newly acclaimed mayors in my riding. We recently had an election in Quebec for cities and municipalities. I would like to congratulate Alain Dubuc, who was re-elected as mayor of Beauharnois. I would also like to congratulate Daibhid Fraser in Dundee, Deborah Stewart in Elgin, Mark Wallace in Hinchinbrooke, André Brunette in Huntingdon, Michel Proulx in Les Cèdres, Sylvain Brazeau in Les Coteaux, Peter Zytynsky in Pointe‑des‑Cascade, Sylvie Tourangeau in Saint‑Anicet, Mylène Labre in Saint‑Clet, Daniel Pinsonneault in Sainte‑Barbe, Shawn Campbell in Sainte‑Justine‑de‑Newton, Jinny Brunelle in Sainte‑Marthe, Martin Dumaresq in Saint‑Étienne‑de‑Beauharnois, Yves Daoust in Saint‑Louis‑de‑Gonzague, Jean-Pierre Ménard in Saint‑Polycarpe, David McKay in Saint‑Télésphore and Miguel Lemieux in Salaberry‑de‑Valleyfield. Eighteen mayors out of 25 have been acclaimed in my riding. I would like to wish them all the best and may they have a successful term for the coming year.

Today, we are discussing Bill C‑12. With the exception of three parts, it is almost identical to Bill C‑2, previously presented by the government with considerable fanfare. Viewers at home will recall that the bill's number, Bill C‑2, reflects the fact that the government was intent on bringing this bill forward urgently at the start of this Parliament. That is why today, in mid-October, we are dealing with another bill that has the same objectives, but is now known as Bill C‑12.

What does that mean? It means that this bill was initially intended to appease the President of the United States after he set a very high bar for Canada in terms of border security requirements. The Prime Minister promised to respond forcefully to the problem and to introduce a very strong bill to secure the borders, known as Bill C‑2 at that time.

The Bloc Québécois has carefully examined Bill C‑12 and we want the government to know that we support sending it to committee for study.

However, what worries me is that I heard the Minister of Public Safety say that Bill C‑2 has only been postponed, and I have read that too. In other words, in order to be able to pass the other parts of Bill C‑2 through Bill C‑12, he removed the contentious parts that were preventing it from being passed unanimously, namely all the parts that violated privacy or anything that did not comply with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

In its report, the Library of Parliament provided a whole list of Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms violations, including the section that protects the right to life, liberty and security of any person in Canada, and section 8, which provides protection against unreasonable search and seizure. Obviously, we have talked at length about everything akin to opening mail without a warrant and about section 15, which provides that every individual is equal before the law.

There was a risk of arbitrary discrimination. I could not find a single organization or agency that had anything good to say about the parts that were removed from Bill C‑2. That is why we are discussing and debating Bill C‑12 today. I could not find anyone to defend those parts because they represented a potential for intrusion. One very well-known expert witness told me that parts 14 and 15 of Bill C-2 would spell the end of privacy. If those provisions were not amended, it would have been the end of privacy.

The government clearly took its shot, but it wrote this in a hurry. What scares me is that if the Liberal government had won a majority, Bill C-2 would have been passed and rammed down the throats of Quebeckers, Canadians and the opposition, all because the Americans felt it was very important. However, they do not value privacy as highly as we do here in Quebec and Canada.

That is scary, because there is no guarantee that Bill C‑2 will not be brought back to life. Parts of that legislation can still be found in Bill C‑12. The minister has not given up hope of getting the highly contentious parts of Bill C‑2 passed.

What matters is that the opposition did its job. The government realized that it did not do its job properly, that it had rushed things and had been too hasty in introducing Bill C‑2, which did not at all meet the needs of Quebeckers and the people of the other provinces.

Bill C‑12 was pared down, because it is better to have something than nothing at all. This bill does have some interesting parts, which we would like to explore. We in the Bloc Québécois do not simply oppose or criticize. As a political party, we truly want to improve things and propose ideas, especially when they are in the interest of Quebec. All the better if they are also in the interest of other Canadians.

When it comes to the whole issue of border security, the Bloc Québécois has long been calling for stronger action. We know that it took the President of the United States to tell us that our border is like a sieve. The Speaker of the House will surely recall that, at the time, we were very critical of the fact that the Liberal government opened Roxham Road and that we were told that we were racist and unwelcoming to refugees. Slowly but surely, Ontario came around to our way of thinking, as did the other provinces, and all of a sudden, the government managed to solve the problem and began welcoming refugees through the proper points of entry.

The Bloc Québécois also made suggestions about how to better monitor the borders and better protect citizens. The first was to create a department of borders. I asked the minister questions at the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security two weeks ago, but instead of answering me, he looked to the president of the CBSA to answer for him. That is rather unfortunate. He needs to be accountable. This is his responsibility, and he needs to answer the questions. Given the current context, we think it is high time that the government incorporated a border department into this department, where all security interventions are entrusted to a minister who is responsible and accountable.

We also proposed a measure that we believe could improve border security. We propose that border officers be given more flexibility in performing their duties. On Friday, I visited the school where Canadian border officers are trained. The training centre is located in Rigaud, in the riding of my neighbour from Vaudreuil. I had a wonderful time seeing first-hand the serious training provided to border officers and the highly-qualified personnel it produces in all matters related to border security. Why not let these officers respond to situations as they arise, leave their post, perform interceptions and call the RCMP to come and deal with packages, shipments or people trying to enter Canada illegally?

I fail to understand the government's resistance to this proposal, since not a single border officer would deny that it is a good idea. In times of limited resources, it is wise to use our resources as effectively as possible. That is an idea proposed by the Bloc Québécois.

The Bloc Québécois also continues to demand better control of firearms that are circulating illegally and are prohibited on our soil. I represent a riding that borders the Akwesasne reserve, Lake Saint‑François, Lake Saint‑Louis, and the U.S. border in New York state. We know there is trafficking of illegal arms. We are therefore asking for more patrols and more resources to be allocated to this part of the country, where we know there is a lot of smuggling and even human trafficking, which occurs more by waterways than by land.

We will continue to demand oversight to clean up the Toronto big banks and money laundering activities linked to criminal groups. We will also propose tougher penalties for border smugglers. The current penalties are a joke. We have even seen smugglers get caught and deported back to their countries, only to return to Quebec and resume the same criminal activities. Our border control system is clearly dysfunctional.

Obviously, we also want to take action in the fight against the fentanyl crisis, which, as everyone knows, is a public health crisis. In the Bloc Québécois, we agree that we need to invest in public health, which means increasing federal health transfers. The government must be more attentive to the needs of Quebec and the provinces in terms of support and funding, whether for rehabilitation centres, rapid access to emergency rooms, social worker services, supervised consumption centres, or harm reduction initiatives.

The Bloc Québécois believes that border measures to crack down on organized crime continue to be not only necessary, but extremely important. In addition, we must have seamless co-operation among American, Mexican and Canadian authorities so they can be more effective in their response and capture the criminals, who have had it easy for the past few years. These criminals have figured out the flaws in our system and learned how to take advantage of them.

Of course, Bill C‑12 also deals with the issue of refugee claimants. If the bill is sent to the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security, we will have an opportunity to debate it there and get a better idea of the sections that amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

I must say that the Bloc Québécois has some questions about Bill C‑12. Under the bill, rail companies will have to create a space in their marshalling yards, including a warehouse and offices, because right now customs officers are unable to inspect railway cars leaving Canada for the United States. To do that, rail companies such as CN, CP and CSX will have to build infrastructure in their marshalling yards. The big question I have is this: Are those rail companies going to have to cover 100% of the costs associated with setting up this infrastructure?

For example, it could cost millions of dollars to set up infrastructure that includes a warehouse and two or three offices for border officers, as well as a scanning system to detect if cars contain explosives or other important illicit substances that could threaten national security. I do not have the exact figure, but it could be more than $30 million. I know this because it is what is required at the Port of Valleyfield for border officers to be present and for containers to clear through the port. Will the rail companies also be required to set up this very expensive infrastructure? Will they receive financial support? Will they have a certain amount of time to comply with the new requirements?

As is often the case in legislation, the devil is in the details, and yet the current text of Bill C‑12 is lacking in this level of detail. In committee, we will have an opportunity to hear from many witnesses. For example, CN officials may tell us that this is not a problem, that they are willing to invest several million dollars in their marshalling yards to ensure that the agency has the infrastructure it needs to inspect the rail cars. I may be a pessimist but, given the times we are living in, I question whether a rail company would want to invest so much money in order to meet a government request. I suspect that enforcement delays may be much longer than what is anticipated in the context of the bill.

In terms of rail companies, allowing border agents to come into marshalling yards to conduct inspections is a new way of doing things. Practices are going to change as a result. Ultimately, with Bill C‑12, the government is announcing a lot of changes today. A law can be changed, but it can take several months or even years before the law is implemented and practices on the ground actually change. There are bills that were passed two years ago that we still do not have regulations for. The Official Languages Act is a good example.

Bill C‑12 also provides for changes to the mandate of the Canadian Coast Guard. As we know, the Coast Guard is responsible for patrolling various parts of Quebec and the provinces by water, but it does not have the authority to relay information to other authorities. It is not allowed. I do not know if it does so in practice, but it is not supposed to. This bill therefore corrects that by giving the Coast Guard the ability to help document information it deems suspicious.

Since the Coast Guard has been moved back under the military budget, what we are wondering is whether Coast Guard officers will be armed and how much they will be able to intervene. I did not see anything in the bill to indicate whether that might change. It is rather odd to be part of the armed forces but to not be allowed to be armed. That is another question. We can have that debate during committee hearings when we study the bill more thoroughly. As long as we do not know the answers to these questions, if the Coast Guard's only mandate is to provide information and surveillance, then we have to wonder whether it will truly be integrated under the umbrella of the Canadian Armed Forces.

I think everyone knows that this is needed first and foremost for the Arctic, to safeguard the border and protect Canada's territorial sovereignty. However, as a member of Parliament representing an area near Lac Saint-François that also borders the Akwesasne reserve and New York State, what I am seeing is a decrease of at least 50% in maritime patrols in that area. The government talks about adding resources, but I think it is more a question of managing resources. The government is going to take resources away from the Coast Guard, give it a little more power and move its officers to priority areas, thereby neglecting other areas, including areas in my riding, which is a hot spot for gun smuggling, tobacco smuggling and human trafficking.

For the past year or year and a half, the government has been making one announcement after another. I think this is the fifth official announcement of plans to hire 1,000 border officers. Hiring 1,000 new officers takes a lot of organization; after all, border officers do not grow on trees. It takes at least 18 weeks to train them, not including the specialized training delivered at various campuses in Quebec and Canada. What is less clear in the bill is who will be training them. Do we have enough instructors? Are the 1,000 officers really going to be assigned to the border? It seems not. Instead, we hear that 800 border officers will be trained at Rigaud and another 200 will be assigned to intelligence or administrative investigation duties. These are some of the areas we will have to clarify when we ask questions in committee.

In closing, we obviously intend to take a serious and thorough approach to Bill C-12. We are going to help improve it, and we hope that the governing party will listen to our amendments and recommendations.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 1:15 p.m.

Winnipeg North Manitoba

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Madam Speaker, I appreciate many of the comments that the member put on the record this morning. A lot of the questions she poses are no doubt concerns that people will have going forward, as we debate the legislation.

Ultimately, my question for the member is with respect to a standing committee. The Bloc seems to support the principles of Bill C-12. Is there anything specific in the legislation that the member would like to see amended? The follow-up to that would likely be something in the neighbourhood of clarity. The Bloc supports the bill going to committee, is that not correct?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 1:20 p.m.

Bloc

Claude DeBellefeuille Bloc Beauharnois—Salaberry—Soulanges—Huntingdon, QC

Madam Speaker, I think I said this, but perhaps my colleague missed the beginning of my speech. I said at the outset that the Bloc Québécois agrees to refer Bill C-12 to committee so that we can hear expert opinions on this bill. We will be able to hear from witnesses to determine whether we should propose amendments and whether we can improve the bill. The answer to my colleague's first question is yes, we will send the bill to committee.

As for the changes we might make, I would say that witnesses are very important to me. Before submitting amendments or ideas for amendments, we want to take the time to listen to witnesses and experts, who will help us make the right decisions and improve the bill, if necessary.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 1:20 p.m.

Conservative

Eric Melillo Conservative Kenora—Kiiwetinoong, ON

Madam Speaker, it is important in this discussion that law-abiding Canadians should not lose their liberty to pay for the failures of the Liberals, but, unfortunately, Canadians are often finding themselves paying for the failures of the Liberal government. That is the case when it comes to trade.

The Ear Falls sawmill has announced an indefinite shutdown, affecting nearly 150 workers, citing U.S. tariffs as the reason behind this decision, which will absolutely devastate the community. This comes months after the Prime Minister promised to negotiate a win for Canada. Canadians are still paying for his failures. It is time for the government to step up and support workers in northwestern Ontario and across the country.

To that end, I would ask the member if she agrees with my initial premise that law-abiding Canadians should not lose their liberties to pay for the failures of the Liberals on borders and immigration.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 1:20 p.m.

Bloc

Claude DeBellefeuille Bloc Beauharnois—Salaberry—Soulanges—Huntingdon, QC

Madam Speaker, I tend to agree with the first part of my colleague's question; it is true that workers are losing their jobs right now because of American tariffs. It does not seem as though the government is acting very quickly to support the small regions and medium-sized businesses that do not have the cash flow they need to cope with these changes. Quite frankly, we had very high expectations of this Liberal government based on what we heard during the election campaign. Unfortunately, we have been very disappointed.

Take, for example, the aerospace industry and secondary processing facilities. There have been closures and staffing cuts in my riding and across Quebec. Unfortunately, the government is not paying much attention to that and does not seem to be acting very quickly. The government is not very quick on the draw, as they say. It is not very quick to respond to communities' urgent and pressing needs.

The most problematic parts of Bill C‑2, namely, the privacy invasions, were taken out of Bill C‑12. Bill C‑2 was completely unacceptable. Canadians, Quebeckers, all organizations and everyone were against the fact that the government would allow such a major invasion of the privacy of Quebeckers and Canadians. When the government saw that its bill would not make it any further than this if it did not make amendments, it finally listened to reason and introduced Bill C‑12, which removed the three most problematic parts of Bill C‑2.

What concerns me is that the government does not seem to have given up on these three parts. I hope that people are listening today and that they will keep up the pressure on the government so that these three parts, which invade privacy, are never passed.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 1:25 p.m.

Bloc

Sébastien Lemire Bloc Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC

Madam Speaker, I thank my distinguished colleague from Beauharnois—Salaberry—Soulanges—Huntingdon for her speech, which was very relevant given the circumstances.

First, the reason why Bill C‑2 was introduced so early on is that it was an urgent matter for the government. Donald Trump forced the government to improvise, and Canadians are under a lot of pressure in the climate of fear and insecurity that he is creating. However, with the new Bill C-12, the government is removing mail searches, privacy invasions and restrictions on cash transactions for charities.

How will the U.S. President react to that? Are we expecting the United States to retaliate? I am curious to hear what my colleague thinks will be the consequences of removing these two clauses. They were problematic, and I do not think anyone wanted to see them in a bill.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 1:25 p.m.

Bloc

Claude DeBellefeuille Bloc Beauharnois—Salaberry—Soulanges—Huntingdon, QC

Madam Speaker, that is a very good question. We do not have the inside track, so we will talk hypothetically.

I agree that the U.S. President's team must be disappointed, given that the U.S. government did not get what it asked for. The Liberal government backed down on a number of decisions that were made in the House to please the U.S. government, in the hopes that it would have some impact on the tariffs that were imposed. Unfortunately, that strategy has not worked so far.

As we know, businesses continue to be impacted by the tariffs. I think that Bill C‑12 is a first step. I am sure that, in private discussions between the U.S. the President and our Prime Minister, there is talk of trying again to get us to pass Bill C-2, which contains three parts, including mail searches and the serious violation of the privacy rights of Quebeckers and Canadians. I think it is only a matter of time.

I urge everyone to be very vigilant because that is what the U.S. President really wants. I think that we can only conclude that the current Liberal government will do everything it can to satisfy the American administration.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 1:25 p.m.

Conservative

Frank Caputo Conservative Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola, BC

Madam Speaker, it is always a pleasure to rise on behalf of the people of Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola. I am just wondering what my colleague thinks about the remainder of Bill C-2. Does she have any advice for the government on what is clearly a flawed bill, a bill that Canadians have spoken out against in droves?

What are her thoughts as to what should occur with the remainder of Bill C-2, given the concerns regarding privacy and civil liberties?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 1:25 p.m.

Bloc

Claude DeBellefeuille Bloc Beauharnois—Salaberry—Soulanges—Huntingdon, QC

Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague with whom I have the privilege of serving on the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security.

I would say that, to calm things down a bit, the Minister of Public Safety should make it clear that the three troubling parts that were removed from Bill C-12 need to be scrapped for good. Bill C-2 should die on the Order Paper and there should be no strategies or negotiations to bring those three parts back for debate or to be passed.

I think the minister needs to be very clear. So far, I have to say that the minister is trying to have it both ways, which means that we are not quite sure where he stands on this issue. Sometimes, in one newspaper article, he says one thing, and in another article, he says something else.

I think the best solution would be for the Minister of Public Safety to clearly announce that the three parts that have been removed will not reappear in any form.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 1:25 p.m.

Winnipeg North Manitoba

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Madam Speaker, as I indicated in my question, I appreciate many of the comments the member from the Bloc party has raised here this afternoon. I think this is very much a responsible approach to deal with the legislation that we have before us. I can assure the member that many of the concerns and questions she has raised will no doubt be talked about extensively during the committee process. Hopefully, the member will be able to get the answers she is looking for.

Obviously, we have a minister who is committed to getting the legislation through. I appreciate the frankness and the manner in which the Bloc appears to be supporting the legislation. Ultimately, we will have to wait and see what sort of priority the opposition, collectively, will put on this legislation.

It is important for us to recognize, right at the beginning, why legislation of this nature has become such a priority. Canada's new Prime Minister, along with the cabinet, members of the Liberal caucus and others, understands that things have changed a great deal over the past year. We have seen great emphasis put on the border between Canada and the United States. Border security concerns have been elevated to a degree I have not seen in my many years of being a parliamentarian. We have a prime minister who recognizes just how important it is that the government act quickly to address a number of those concerns. That is the reason why Bill C-2 was introduced as early as it was. The Prime Minister was amplifying just how important border control is because of some of the crimes being committed in Canada. He has made it a priority in Bill C-2.

In listening to the many comments thus far, both from the Bloc and the Conservatives, I can appreciate that there are aspects of Bill C-2 they are concerned about to the degree where the legislation was not receiving the type of support that can see it go to committee in a quick fashion. In fact, I believe we had just over 18 hours of actual debate on Bill C-2.

There are some issues within Bill C-2 that are somewhat contentious, and concerns have been raised about them. However, just because they are not necessarily incorporated in Bill C-12, which we are debating today, it does not take away from the importance of other measures in Bill C-2. It is important that we recognize it is not just the government's opinion but also that of stakeholders, particularly law enforcement agencies. We recognize there are many aspects of Bill C-2 that address concerns Canadians justifiably want to see some form of action taken on.

To those who have been following Bill C-2, the government is not saying no. It recognizes that we need to get other aspects incorporated into Bill C-2 to move it more quickly through the House of Commons. We believe that the legislation we are proposing today deals with these concerns to a degree where we will hopefully see the bill get to the committee stage.

We need to take a look at the changing dynamic that Canada is facing today, compared to where it was a year ago. One only needs to look at the last national election in the United States. President Trump has made it very clear that he has concerns on a number of fronts with respect to Canada and Mexico. He wants to see specific actions taken in order to foster more co-operation, if I could put it that way.

I will use the issue of fentanyl as an example.

The United States says that fentanyl coming from Canada into the United States is a huge problem. I believe that what is being brought into the United States is less than 1%, but we still take it seriously. The Prime Minister has been very clear about the impact fentanyl is having not only in our communities but also in other nations. He recognizes the impact that drugs coming into Canada is having.

Back in late spring, the government attempted to address concerns expressed on many occasions about how Canada Post was obligated to deliver first-class mail, or size 10 envelopes, which are just standard envelopes. Canada Post was being used to distribute fentanyl in my province and in particular in northern communities. This is a legitimate concern that comes from stakeholders in rural Manitoba. The government responded by ensuring there are more checks in place to minimize the amount of fentanyl going through Canada Post. That is the goal. The Prime Minister, cabinet and the Liberal caucus want to see less fentanyl in our communities. Whether it is through Bill C-2 or Bill C-12, and our talking about the principles of these, this is what we are hoping to accomplish.

Stronger borders is another issue that has been of great concern in the last 12 months. Actually, it has been less than 12 months. Again, we have the newly elected Prime Minister. He was elected back in April. He has committed not only legislation but also budgetary measures to this. A budget is coming on November 4. We often receive questions about RCMP officers, Canada border control officers and the commitment the Prime Minister has made.

It is no small commitment. The Prime Minister says that we are serious about securing Canada's borders. This means not only bringing in Bill C-2, which would provide extra strength, but also factoring in 1,000 new RCMP officers and 1,000 new border control officers. This is a significant commitment that goes over and above the legislation. As a government, we recognize that we can bring forward legislation and that, in this situation, there is a need to put more boots on the ground. This is something that will be materializing. I suspect we will hear more about that on November 4, when we present the fall budget to Canadians through the House of Commons.

The legislative component is absolutely critical. The sharing of information is so important. Things have changed over the years. We all know that, through technology and the advancement of the Internet, there are things that can be done through the Internet with all the different types of weapons out there. I am not just talking about guns. Weapons can take many different forms. There is a need for legislation of this nature.

Bill C-12 has two pillars. The first is securing the border and the second is combatting transnational organized crime in terms of things like illegal fentanyl and illicit financing. These are the types of issues being dealt with in this legislation.

I want to recognize the efforts of our border control officers. There are interesting statistics, which we always like to talk about. Whether it is the RCMP or our border control officers, I do not think we give them enough credit for the fine work they do. When I say “we”, I am talking about parliamentarians as a whole and, even beyond the House of Commons, provincial politicians. To give a sense of the type of work that border control officers do for us, I will provide some statistics from January 1 to September 19 of this year. These are all seizures by the Canada border security agents.

Regarding cannabis products, somewhere in the neighbourhood of 37,467,000 grams were seized. For hashish, it was 379,000 grams. For cocaine or crack, it was 2,702,000 grams. For heroin, it was 73,946 grams. There were 770,534 grams of other opioids and 22,237,913 grams of other types of drugs seized. With regard to firearms, something that is constantly discussed, 662 firearms and 11,119 prohibited weapons were seized. In terms of hard dollars, it amounted to $29,961,000. In suspected proceeds of crime, the amount was $2,919,000. This work was done in the first nine months of the year. That is why I say the work our Canada border control officers do for us is so critically important, as is the RCMP's.

I asked the Conservative shadow minister or critic a very specific question related to the RCMP. I want to raise this because I take it very seriously, as I know Canadians do. When I posed my question to the Conservative opposition critic, he chose to sidestep the issue and not answer. It is the same question I posed to the minister responsible for introducing Bill C-12, and it is in relation to the RCMP.

I am offended because, over the last number of days, there has been a lot of news and social media coverage about a statement the leader of the Conservative Party made. The Winnipeg Free Press said that the leader of the Conservative Party called the leadership of the RCMP “despicable”. That is a very important issue in this debate. The government says it is going to increase security at our border, reinforce the strength of the RCMP by investing in another 1,000 officers and that we should, collectively, support those two institutions.

As I indicated, the RCMP as an institution is recognized around the world as a first-class security and law enforcement agency. Let there be absolutely no doubt about that. A politician who says that the leadership of the RCMP is despicable, and goes on in great detail, does a disservice not only to the institution of the RCMP but to all of us who sit inside the House, let alone if it is the leader of Canada's official opposition making that statement.

That is why I posed the question earlier to my colleague across the way from the Conservative Party, who was appointed by the leader of the Conservative Party to take on the role of shadow minister: Does he support what the leader of the Conservative Party is saying? I respect, to a certain degree, that the member chose not to answer the question. I suspect that he understands why it was not an appropriate thing for the leader of the official opposition to say. I believe that the leader of the official opposition owes an apology to all Canadians on this issue. What is despicable, and I would add a few other words to that, is the damage that it causes when the leader of the official opposition makes comments of that nature. I would suggest that the leader of the official opposition owes a sincere apology inside the House to all Canadians for saying what he has said.

Bill C-12 would amend the accelerated scheduling pathway that allows precursor chemicals that can be used to produce illicit drugs to be rapidly controlled by the Minister of Health. This would allow law and border enforcement agencies to take swift action to prevent the illegal importation and use of precursor chemicals and would at the same time ensure strict federal oversight over any legitimate use of these chemicals. The legislation would also provide more strength in terms of the anti-terrorist-financing regime, including through stronger anti-money-laundering penalties.

With respect to the substance of the legislation, the Bloc member referred to the Coast Guard, saying that the Coast Guard would have expanded responsibility. I believe that the sharing of information that a Coast Guard can receive can be exceptionally valuable in terms of the security of our nation. As a result, I agree that there need to be checks in place related to privacy and actions that would not adhere to our Constitution, but at the end of the day, that is valuable information and I would suggest that this information, if accessed appropriately, can ultimately save lives and a whole lot more. That is the reason some of the initiatives Bill C-12 would bring in add more value to the legislation. It becomes a question of whether we want to see that sharing of information, either with the Coast Guard or with immigration.

If I had another 20 minutes, I could go into detail as to why we need to protect the integrity of the system and to be able to recognize that there is abuse within the system and that there is the potential for significant abuse. These amendments are absolutely critical for dealing with the issue of asylum, for example.

Many issues that I have, whether they are related to asylum or other issues related to security, can best be addressed in one-on-one discussions and debates and by the presenters who go before the standing committee.

We have had Bill C-2. We now have Bill C-12. I hope we will see the legislation pass—

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 1:50 p.m.

The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Alexandra Mendès) Alexandra Mendes

Questions and comments, the hon. member for Beauharnois—Salaberry—Soulanges—Huntingdon.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 1:50 p.m.

Bloc

Claude DeBellefeuille Bloc Beauharnois—Salaberry—Soulanges—Huntingdon, QC

Madam Speaker, I really appreciated the parliamentary secretary's constructive tone when speaking about Bill C‑12 generally. We have a lot in common. We both agree that border security needs to be enhanced and that much tougher and more robust measures need to be taken to ensure security.

As he said, we agree that the Coast Guard should be given more powers and more tools for surveillance and communicating information. As for the other changes he is calling for relating to invasion of privacy and information sharing, it is not just the opposition parties that have a problem with that. Civil society as a whole stood up and spoke out, and many people have contacted members from all parties to express their concerns. If these parts of the bill are so important, as the parliamentary secretary said, then we need to talk about them, educate people and make sure everyone understands them. The debate needs to go beyond the House of Commons.

I am pleased with the parliamentary secretary's tone and I can assure him the co-operation of the Bloc Québécois throughout the process of studying Bill C‑12. However, does he agree with me that, on the issue of resources, we must also listen to workers, RCMP officers and border officers, who are also asking for suitable tools, technology and infrastructure? Right now, we are seeing that more people are being hired but nothing is being said on the issue of providing support through more advanced technological tools, for example. Could the parliamentary secretary expand on this issue?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 1:50 p.m.

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB

Madam Speaker, it was posed to the minister earlier, based on a report, that we look at expanding the number of weeks in the training of RCMP officers. I believe there is room for discussion in regard to the whole issue of training.

For example, when I listened to the question earlier, I was sitting with one of my colleagues and I thought to myself, and shared that thought, that it would be valuable to have, every four or five years, ongoing training opportunities that reinforce the changes that take place in society.

We need to approach the issue of the security of our borders and other forms of security with an open mind. That means, at the very least, being open to ideas. Let us have that discussion and let us, when we are in a position to take action, look at doing that.

I think the Prime Minister has been, very much, open to ideas and thoughts.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 1:50 p.m.

Liberal

Bienvenu-Olivier Ntumba Liberal Mont-Saint-Bruno—L’Acadie, QC

Madam Speaker, can my colleague explain how the new law will have an impact on Canada and the security of its borders?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 1:50 p.m.

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB

Madam Speaker, if I were to encapsulate it, I would suggest to my friend and colleague, who posed a very good question, that it does two things. It complements budgetary allocations in a very real way because it puts in significant changes in law to ensure that there is more information sharing, as an example. It is also complemented in terms of the significant budgetary measures that we are taking. I mentioned earlier, for example, the hiring of 1,000 new RCMP officers and 1,000 new CBSA employees.

Those two issues will, in fact, make a profoundly positive difference for the citizens whom he represents and whom we all represent.

I would hope, for that reason in itself, that we would get more co-operation in seeing the legislation get through to the committee stage.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 1:50 p.m.

Conservative

Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB

Madam Speaker, many interest groups looked at the immigration provisions in Bill C-2 that are now contained in Bill C-12. They have raised concerns about the constitutionality of these principles. Several groups have actually done this. The minister suggested she thinks it is constitutional.

My concern is that if we have all these groups saying it is unconstitutional when the minister thinks it is constitutional, and there are no other provisions to deal with the massive backlog of asylum claims, then how is the Liberal government going to functionally reduce the asylum claim backlog? What I am worried about with the bill is that the Liberals are just punting the problem to the courts and potentially past the next election date, as opposed to making a serious structural reform that would reduce the incentive for economic migrants to abuse Canada's asylum system.

Could my colleague comment on the fact that many groups have said it is unconstitutional when the minister has said it is constitutional, and this is likely an attempt by the Liberal government to punt the asylum claim system problem to the courts?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 1:55 p.m.

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB

Mr. Speaker, I find it a bit surprising that the Conservatives, while in opposition, are really concerned about constitutional issues and the charter when it comes to the government bringing in laws, because they sure were not concerned before. When the member sat around with the Harper government, they were not at all concerned about these issues. Court rulings have demonstrated that the government is very much aware of the issues facing the immigration system today, including asylum seekers and potential asylum seekers.

The legislation is very important in terms of protecting the integrity of the system. I understand the issue in great detail in regard to the immigration file and the issues around asylum. I understand why there is a problem. It is not just Ottawa. We can talk about provinces; we can talk about post-secondary institutions, and we can talk about unethical employers. It is a combination of things.

As the Prime Minister has said, we are going to bring stability to the immigration file. This is part of it. We have a new Prime Minister who has made that commitment, and that commitment will be fulfilled.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 1:55 p.m.

Liberal

Mark Gerretsen Liberal Kingston and the Islands, ON

Mr. Speaker, on the topic of immigration, I have heard the member speak about immigration quite a bit in this House. It is probably the thing I have heard him speak about most. The reality is that our country is a relatively new country. Other than those of indigenous descent, we have all immigrated here over about the last two hundred years. My father was eight years old when he immigrated from Holland with his parents, and he was able to thrive in this country because his parents chose to come to Canada.

Can the member talk to the importance of having a healthy immigration system in a country that is relatively new, such as Canada?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 1:55 p.m.

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB

Mr. Speaker, I truly appreciate the question. I have been consistent over the years, as I believe the Liberal Party has, in regard to the true value of immigration. Let us contrast that to the far-right leader of the Conservative Party. The far-right leader of the Conservative Party goes against, I would argue, many of the thoughts prairie MPs would have regarding some of the statements he has made publicly. This anti-immigrant messaging coming from the Conservative Party's leadership is very concerning.

As an example, I would challenge my Manitoba colleagues in the Conservative Party. We have a province that desperately wants to retain people who are on working visas and people who have working visas that are expiring. My Conservative colleagues from Manitoba know that, yet they sit on their hands and are quiet when we have rural communities in Manitoba advocating for something their leader is saying no to. That is irresponsible leadership coming from the Conservative Party, whether it is immigration or even the issue of the RCMP, and I'll save that for another time.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 3:30 p.m.

Conservative

Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB

Mr. Speaker, Canada's asylum system is deeply and fundamentally broken after 10 years of Liberal government. This was not the case 10 years ago, but today, Canada's once compassionate asylum claim system has been absolutely ruined, absolutely abused and absolutely made a mess of by the Liberal government.

Today, I rise to speak to Bill C-12. I will direct my comments to parts 5, 6, 7 and 8 of the bill, which would amend the Department of Citizenship and Immigration Act as well as the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. These parts are similar to the immigration provisions contained in Bill C-2.

A decade ago, Canada's asylum claim backlog sat at less than 10,000 cases. Today, that backlog sits at several hundred thousand cases, with thousands more claims being made every month. While there are many highly persecuted persons around the world who are legitimately seeking refuge in Canada, there are many claims currently in that massive backlog that are bogus. Those claims are taking years, not months or weeks, to process, and worse, even after being found to be a bogus claim, an applicant can appeal their process for years more and then not be deported for years after that, if they are deported at all. During this time, bogus claimants can draw social benefits that Canadians do not have access to, such as vision care.

In effect, over the last decade, the Liberal government has allowed Canada's asylum system to veer far away from the original principles of its design and turned it into a backdoor, skip-the-line, economic migration stream, which is not accounted for at all in federal immigration levels planning, including the impact on housing supply, health care access and jobs. The Liberal failure has had many negative impacts, which I will outline today, with the two most noteworthy being the destruction of the fairness and compassion of Canada's asylum system and, in turn, the inability of the system to prioritize the world's most vulnerable persons.

When the Minister of Immigration claimed that the immigration provisions contained in Bill C-2, and now in this bill, would do something about this problem, she said it “would improve the flexibility and responsiveness of the asylum system”. However, in reality, the immigration provisions of this bill are structured to do one thing, which is to shift the responsibility for addressing Canada's deeply broken asylum system to the courts and away from the Liberal government that broke it in the first place, potentially past the horizon of the next election. As such, it is my assessment that the immigration provisions in the bill are likely to fail without substantive amendment and additional measures to both reduce the incentive for economic migrants to abuse the asylum system, to swiftly remove bogus asylum claimants from Canada, and to restructure this asylum system to ensure that the world's most vulnerable persons do not continue to be let down by the Liberal government.

I will now demonstrate to colleagues and the IRCC bureaucrats listening in the government lobby why this failure is likely to occur and what changes must be made. To begin, it is important to understand the extent to which Canada's asylum system is broken and how we got to this point because we cannot fix something if we do not understand what the problem is.

In 2017, the leader of the Liberal government tweeted, “#WelcomeToCanada”, in a tweet that was designed to encourage failed asylum claimants in the United States whose temporary protected status had been revoked by a due process to come to Canada instead, and come they did. After that tweet, well over 100,000 people illegally crossed the border into Canada and claimed asylum, many in spite of the fact that they did not have valid asylum claims in the United States, which is considered to be a safe third country.

Said differently, if somebody had a failed asylum claim in the United States, they never should have been allowed to claim asylum in Canada after illegally crossing the borders, but the Liberals opened the floodgates in 2017, even putting up infrastructure at the illegal border crossing most used, Roxham Road, and instructing RCMP officers to help people with their baggage. In many instances, scammers, unscrupulous consultants and even human traffickers exploited the system at the expense of the integrity and compassion of Canada's asylum system and the safety of all involved. The Liberals encouraged this for years.

I have been standing in this place for years now saying this and here we are. At that time, I remember the Liberals implied I was a racist for saying these things, and here we are with Bill C-12 in front of us because of this failure.

Well over 100,000 people have entered Canada illegally from the United States since 2015 and claimed asylum. Most have bogus claims, most are still in the processing queue, most have work permits and access to health care, and many have been put up for years in hotels at the taxpayers' expense.

At the same time, the Liberals lifted visa requirements from countries that have had a long history of high levels of bogus asylum claims, like Mexico, without any plan in place to prevent those claims from skyrocketing again. At that time, I raised many concerns about this issue, which fell on deaf ears. It is unfortunate, because since that time, over 60,000 asylum claims have been made by Mexican nationals due largely to the visa lift. Most have bogus claims, most are still in the processing queues and many have abused the government's payment of hotel rooms for people. It is insane that we are here having this debate again.

Experts have raised concerns that there are likely many more asylum claims on the way from the record three million temporary residents the Liberals allowed into Canada over the past few years whose visas are about to expire. Social media posts have encouraged people to attempt to extend their temporary resident permits by making bogus asylum claims. The result is that Canada's asylum claim system is drowning in over 296,000 claims, with average processing times of 29 months or more. At current rates, estimates suggest it could take 25 years to clear the current inventory, while thousands more claims keep pouring in.

The prolonged uncertainty and volume created by this backlog strain resources and people with valid claims alike. This backlog is failing the world's most vulnerable, who have real claims of persecution.

Nearly $1 billion has been spent by the Liberals on something called the interim federal health program, which provides benefits to asylum claimants that in some cases Canadians do not even have taxpayer-funded access to. Since the Liberal government came to power, the program has increased in cost by 1,200% because of the backlog in the asylum claim system. This is on top of the billions of dollars that have been spent on providing funding to house asylum claimants in hotels and affordable housing, many of whom are bogus, while Canadians struggle to afford rent.

A shocking number of claims do, in fact, appear to be bogus, with news reports revealing nearly identical stories in hundreds of applications under one immigration consultant who had coached them unscrupulously. They often originate from low-risk countries with high volumes of issued temporary visas, serving as a back door to extend stays after student or work permits expire. Loopholes abound: easy inland claims, fraudulent labour market impact assessments and consultants peddling fake persecution narratives for fast-tracked permanent residency. Lax enforcement and limited oversight of immigration consultants have massively exacerbated this problem.

The determination process of these claims itself is inefficient, with inconsistent decisions that plague an already massively clogged system. Some experts suggest that the higher rates of acceptance in recent years are due to a desire by bureaucrats to rubber-stamp applications in an effort to clear the backlog. What does this type of action do instead? It incentivizes more abuse of the system.

Said differently, the Liberals' breaking of the asylum system is a direct affront to the principles behind the 1951 refugee convention, which aimed to protect individuals fleeing true persecution. It was never meant to support economic migration. Today, thanks to the Liberals, many of the claimants in Canada's system are trying to claim asylum for reasons far beyond what the scope of the Geneva Convention imagined or proposed, and most are likely economic migrants.

Now we find ourselves here with the provisions in Bill C-12. The provisions outlined herein would undoubtedly face, without question, charter challenges, and given the state of Canada's judiciary, they are likely to be struck down by the courts. Consequently, considering the Liberal government's history of not appealing court rulings on immigration matters, as evidenced by the events that precipitated the current federal bill, Bill C-3, this would probably result in a further clogging of Canada's already overburdened judicial system and the continued deterioration of the asylum system.

Advocacy groups have claimed that Bill C-12 may precipitate tens of thousands of court cases. The Refugee Law Lab, for example, in its report on provisions inherited from Bill C-2, highlighted potential infringements on section 7 of the charter due to the one-year bar on refugee claims, as well as section 15 on equality rights. This group has also suggested that it is already planning empirical research for litigation. The Canadian Immigration Lawyers Association suggested that the immigration provisions in Bill C-12 could be challenged because the Governor in Council powers for mass revocation of immigration status risk violating section 7 by enabling arbitrary politically motivated actions. Amnesty International and a coalition of another 300 organizations suggested that the bill should be challenged for potentially violating section 8 of the charter.

For Bill C-2, which has provisions similar to Bill C-12, the federal government's charter statement asserts that any engagements are justified under section 1 as proportionate for border security and safety. It also makes a bunch of other assertions and says that everything is fine.

Here is the thing. There is a massively vast gulf between legal lobbyists, who do not want any sort of boundaries on the abuse of the asylum system because they are financially motivated to make endless appeals by the big glut of people coming in and abusing the asylum system, and what the Liberals are saying would be charter-compliant. In fact, when I was at the immigration committee and asked some department officials what they thought about the charter compliance of the provisions in Bill C-2 that are now in Bill C-12, they were fairly silent on the matter, which told me everything I needed to know. This is the Liberals' “let the courts sort it out later” approach to a system that is massively broken. It will only lead to abuse of the system without massive amendment and other massive actions to reduce the intake of people and their incentivization to abuse the system. I can say one thing, though: This is definitely going to make lawyers and immigration consultants a lot richer.

After the Liberals established a reputation for not challenging court rulings, the ruling that precipitated Bill C-3, an unmitigated chain migration bill, was never challenged by the Liberals. They did not even bother to assert Parliament's supremacy on the laws that had been made in this place. They said, “No, this is good”, and we have all of these other potential problems with Bill C-3. Now, after the Liberals have refused to challenge that ruling, they are trying to say that all of the lobby groups that are saying this bill is not charter-compliant are somehow going to magically accept that it is charter-compliant and will somehow solve the problems, which I find ridiculous.

The other thing is that the Liberals have gone out of their way to eschew the validity of section 33 of the charter. What have they essentially done with that? Even though their history says they are not going to challenge immigration rulings and they know that every legal group in the country is saying that this bill will need a charter challenge review, the Liberals have said they are probably not going to do anything about it. Mark my words: I cannot wait to come back to this in the House a few years from now, or whenever it may be if this bill passes, and say I was right. What the Liberals are doing is punting this issue to the courts while the system continues to get worse.

The Economist magazine recently published an article entitled “Scrap the asylum system—and build something better” that stated, “Rich countries need to separate asylum from labour migration.” I agree. Bill C-12 is silent on several other measures that could restore order and fairness to Canada's asylum system right now. For example, the Liberals should immediately undertake a system-wide review of the benefits that asylum claimants receive, particularly bogus asylum claimants, those with claims that have been found to fail, with an eye to reducing the benefits that bogus asylum claimants receive, especially when they are benefits that Canadians themselves do not receive.

For example, did members know that bogus asylum claimants get taxpayer-funded vision care through the interim federal health program? I know a lot of Canadians who do not get that. Years of taxpayer-funded hotel stays for bogus asylum claimants while Canadians make ends meet serve as a draw for system abuse. These types of benefits must be reviewed, and where possible, they must be curtailed to prevent the abuse that further draws on the system.

Why is Canada, at this juncture, still accepting asylum claims originating from the G7 and other safe third countries? The Liberal government needs to give its head a shake if it believes that someone who is arriving in Canada after having reached the safety of the United Kingdom, Germany or Japan is fleeing persecution in the spirit of the refugee convention and should be allowed to stay in Canada for years on a pending claim receiving taxpayer benefits like free hotel rooms.

Also, Canada's laws regarding the removal of people with no legal right to be in Canada need to be enforced. Canada needs timely removals and anonymized but publicly released departure tracking, and we need to know how this is getting done within the CBSA. While hearings and immigration tribunals must be conducted in a timely and efficient manner to ensure that claimants receive a fair process, those who do not have valid claims must be swiftly removed from Canada if our laws require them to be. Otherwise, we will just keep incentivizing people to abuse the system, because there is no disincentive for them not to. This could mean ensuring the detention of offenders attempting to enter Canada undetected when conditions are met. Peace officers must be empowered to carry out their duties as set out in the law, and national security warrants must be issued and executed in a way that Canadians expect them to be.

We have seen reports that the Liberals have allowed foreign nationals with known criminal histories into the country. New rules are needed to ensure that those with serious criminal convictions are rendered inadmissible to our country. The Liberals also need to get serious about closing loopholes and backlogs that further overload the system and cause frustrating delays up and down the immigration system. Applications failing the physical presence requirements, false information and endless rights to appeal need to be modernized to ensure the system works for the folks who it is intended to serve: the world's most vulnerable. The existing inventory of asylum claims should be reviewed on a last-in, first-out basis, while the criteria for making new claims must be tightly narrowed to prevent the system from being abused by economic migrants.

The Liberals could be pursuing new rules and engagement strategies for countries with high levels of asylum claims, particularly resulting from bogus asylum claims made by temporary resident visa holders whose visas have expired. Educational institutions that have profited off of massive and unsustainable numbers of foreign student visas could be made to pay fines and be held financially liable when their students on these permits make bogus asylum claims. When the asylum-claim backlog reaches a certain number of claims or approval rates, an automatic review of the system could be triggered to ensure that officials are not incentivized to rubber-stamp applications as opposed to making thorough and consistent decisions.

Asylum claimants could be made to prove that their claims were made in a timely manner, as opposed to having that responsibility fall on the government. We could reverse the onus. This would prevent fraudulent claims from being made long after someone arrived in Canada.

Additionally, there are many reports of unscrupulous immigration consultants aiding and abetting the abuse of Canada's asylum system. Shame on the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants for rejecting a request to appear in front of our committee. We will be reinviting it. It is absolutely shameful what some of these consultants are doing. The fact that its executives left under mysterious circumstances and are not coming to our committee suggests that maybe it is time these consultants report to lawyers after all.

Also, the government should pause the acceptance of new United Nations-selected, government-sponsored refugees and use those spots to find room for highly persecuted persons who are already in Canada and who the government has already made promises to, like those waiting for news through the Hong Kong pathways program, or Ukrainians in Canada, who the Liberals made promise to and have failed.

The reality is that there are hundreds of millions of people who want to move to Canada, but we do not have the housing, health care or jobs to support them all. Our immigration system must be fair and orderly to make consistent and smart decisions and to prioritize, especially in the asylum system, the world's most vulnerable persons. The Liberals have moved us far away from that. ln that context, with regard to the asylum system, careful decisions must be made to ensure that our asylum system prioritizes the world's most vulnerable, is immune to abuse and fixes the mess the Liberals have created.

In the 30 seconds I have left, I will say this. The Liberal immigration minister has not answered any of these questions. She has put this bill out, it has been massively denigrated by all sides of the public and she has not come up with a solution. I have solutions. I have put them out, and I hope the minister will respond to some of these things in her speech so I do not have to keep doing her job for her.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 3:50 p.m.

Winnipeg North Manitoba

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, I had to do some quick research. From when I was the critic for immigration, I remember this quote:

...that the European Union is the number one source region for asylum claims to Canada, that Canada gets 98% of Hungarian asylum claims filed worldwide and that about 95% of those claims are abandoned or withdrawn by the claimants themselves or subsequently rejected by our fair and generous Immigration and Refugee Board.

This is from former minister of immigration Jason Kenney. The member had the opportunity to work with Jason Kenney directly, and not only did the Conservatives fail to rectify all the problems then when they brought in refugee reform, in terms of asylum seekers, but the member also has the tenacity to try to give the impression that what is taking place today is all to be blamed on the federal government. I am sure the member knows that is not the case.

Can the member explain what role the provinces play?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 3:55 p.m.

Conservative

Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB

Mr. Speaker, hello, fifteen years ago called and wants its immigration debate back. Fifteen years ago the asylum system had fewer than 10,000 claims, thanks to our Conservative government.

What happened—

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 3:55 p.m.

The Assistant Deputy Speaker John Nater

There is a point of order.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 3:55 p.m.

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB

Mr. Speaker, it was not 10,000; I believe it was closer to 60,000 in 2012.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 3:55 p.m.

The Assistant Deputy Speaker John Nater

That is not a point of order; that is debate.

The hon. member can resume her answer.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 3:55 p.m.

Conservative

Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB

Mr. Speaker, I get that the Liberals want to silence me, but, again, I got the information right off their website. Do they not know how to use the Google machine?

It was fewer than 10,000 when they formed government. Today it is almost 300,000, after they hashtagged “WelcomeToCanada” to every economic migrant in the United States. This is insane. I wish we had our former immigration minister back. This never would have happened. The bill never would have been here.

Now, today, the Liberals had better not punt the issue back to the courts, and they had better fix the system.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 3:55 p.m.

Bloc

Luc Thériault Bloc Montcalm, QC

Mr. Speaker, the Standing Committee on Health studied the issue of the toxic drug crisis, and several witnesses told us that there needs to be better control of precursors, the substances used in the manufacture of drugs such as fentanyl.

I would like to know what my colleague thinks about part 2 of the bill, which gives the Minister of Health additional powers with respect to precursors.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 3:55 p.m.

Conservative

Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB

Mr. Speaker, I have a couple of things. I am speaking to the immigration provisions in the bill.

My colleague mentioned health. The impact that the government's completely bananas, unsustainable levels of temporary residents and letting the asylum system get out of control has had on our health system needs to be measured and be dealt with.

With regard to fentanyl, I will note that this week the Canada Border Services Agency issued a very important tweet about apprehending paper plates. I am wondering what it is doing with fentanyl precursors.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 3:55 p.m.

Conservative

Pat Kelly Conservative Calgary Crowfoot, AB

Mr. Speaker, I listened to the member's speech, and yes, eight years ago the government, through a deliberate choice of the then prime minister, blew up the asylum system, and the conflation of economic migrants and asylum seekers began.

We have been in opposition for the tenure of the government. The government then purports to table a solution in the bill to a problem we have spent eight years trying to explain, and we have been called horrible names, horrible things, over the years.

Could the member tell the House just how much credit the government deserves for at least finally tabling something to acknowledge the problem it created?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 3:55 p.m.

Conservative

Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB

Mr. Speaker, in Greek mythology there is a character called Cassandra, who was fated to know the future and have nobody believe her.

I know that colleagues on this side believed me when I said that tweeting “#WelcomeToCanada” and then rolling out a literal actual red carpet at Roxham Road and instructing the RCMP to help illegal border crossers with their baggage was going to be a problem with the asylum system. The Liberals did not believe me, but here we are today.

The Liberals created this mess. The bill is going to punt stuff to the courts. I guarantee it will. I guarantee it is going to incentivize more response. They need to amend it. There need to be better solutions. They need to stop the incentivization of the abuse of the asylum system, so we can protect the world's most vulnerable.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 3:55 p.m.

Green

Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC

Mr. Speaker, I would love to dive into some of the refugee questions, but I know the member's knowledge of this place, and I wonder whether she would agree with me that the change from Bill C-2 to Bill C-12 still leaves us with an omnibus bill.

The member has chosen to focus on the refugee portions, which I appreciate. I am very concerned about the refugee portions of Bill C-2 and now Bill C-12. They are almost the same. They would get rid of the warrantless access to private information by Canada Post and Internet providers, but not the concerning parts.

When we have an omnibus bill like this, it means that one committee studies the whole bill. Would the member agree with me that it would be better to split the bill up so the committee on immigration could study and call witnesses only on the immigration portions of the bill?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 4 p.m.

Conservative

Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB

Mr. Speaker, where I will agree with my colleague is on what we have seen with the Liberals in their omnibus bills. They consistently want to push a narrative to Canadians that somehow they have to sacrifice their civil liberties in order for the government to fix messes of its own making.

I think that what the Liberals have done with the immigration provisions in the bill is to purposely design a bill to punt the issue off to the courts so the Liberals can somehow skate through while the system continues to get worse. That is not going to help.

I encourage people who have viewpoints on this issue, experts in the field, to either refute or support my hypothesis and also to come up with constructive ways to help parliamentarians modernize the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act so we can protect the world's most vulnerable people, restore order and fairness to the system, and stop the incentivization of abuse on our once fair and wonderful asylum system.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 4 p.m.

Winnipeg North Manitoba

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, the point I am trying to get across to the member is this. At the end of the day, there were changes made under Jason Kenney because of a serious issue in 2012, 2011 and 2010, which happened to be at the same time the member's leader was part of the government. The then government had to deal with asylum claims that hit 60,000 in one year.

Now fast-forward, and we have a situation, because of a number of factors, some of which are beyond the federal government's control, that dictates that we again make changes. Would the member not agree that in order to protect the integrity of the system, yes, Bill C-12 would address the issue?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 4 p.m.

Conservative

Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB

Mr. Speaker, since we are going through history, I will say that Jason Kenney, bless him, had to impose a visa on Mexicans because of the number of bogus asylum claimants there were. What did the Liberals do as soon as they came into office? They immediately reversed it. Now, after that, there have been over 60,000 asylum claims. Whose fault was that? Was it Jason Kenney who reversed the visas? No, it was the Liberals.

Come on. I am so tired of the Liberals' trying to say anything. They just try to absolve themselves of responsibility after 10 years of mess. No.

Conservatives have better plans and better ideas to restore order, compassion and fairness to Canada's immigration system. That is what we are going to do.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 4 p.m.

Bloc

Luc Thériault Bloc Montcalm, QC

Mr. Speaker, according to the Customs and Immigration Union, another 2,000 to 3,000 border officers are needed to protect border security properly. Does my colleague think that there is enough personnel to meet the bill's requirements?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 4 p.m.

Conservative

Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB

Mr. Speaker, I am so glad my colleague brought this up. It gives me the opportunity to talk about the magical missing promise of more border agents. The Liberals keep getting up and saying that they promise 1,000 more border agents. They keep making this announcement, but they are not hiring anybody.

What an utterly inept and disastrous government it is. Canadians deserve something better. They deserve Conservative policies that restore order and fairness, actually deliver on promises, and will again make sure that immigration is focused on integrating people into the Canadian economic and social fabric at a pace that matches housing, health care and jobs.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 4 p.m.

Conservative

Brad Redekopp Conservative Saskatoon West, SK

Mr. Speaker, I listened to the speech with great interest. I have a quick question for the member. There are three million temporary residents in Canada right now. Would the bill solve that problem, or is there something else that needs to be done? What suggestions does the member have?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 4 p.m.

Conservative

Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB

Mr. Speaker, I cannot believe that the Liberals brought in three million temporary residents in such a short period of time. It is absolutely bananas, insane, crazy. It broke the immigration system. The bill would not fix that. Wow, what a disaster this is.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 4:05 p.m.

La Prairie—Atateken Québec

Liberal

Jacques Ramsay LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety

Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the inimitable member for Davenport.

Our government is committed to taking all the steps necessary to keep our border secure. Bill C-12, the strengthening Canada's immigration system and borders act, is a crucial step in our ongoing commitment to keeping our communities safe, cracking down on sophisticated criminal networks and modernizing our immigration system. Today, I want to talk about aspects of this bill that will strengthen our borders even more and help us fight organized crime.

Earlier on, my colleagues seemed to suggest that an omnibus bill was a bad thing. I would respond that immigration is a complex problem that needs to be looked at in its entirety. That is why this bill takes a very broad approach, to ensure effective action.

Thanks to our $1.3‑billion border plan, we have already invested significant resources in our law enforcement agencies. Whether it is combatting the illegal trafficking of fentanyl and its precursor chemicals or other illicit drugs, fighting organized crime or stopping illegal immigration, our measures are working. According to data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, seizures of illicit fentanyl and illegal border crossings have declined significantly after peaking in 2024.

Although the tireless work of our law enforcement agencies has led to considerable progress, our efforts continue. Bill C‑12 is the latest example. It is a key step in the Government of Canada's border plan.

Thanks to these provisions, our law enforcement agencies will be able to better protect our borders, preserve the integrity of our immigration system, and combat the growing complexity of modern criminal organizations. This bill will also facilitate information sharing between our law enforcement agencies and their counterparts, improving integration and coordination in the fight against cross-border crime.

The bill gives additional powers to the Canada Border Services Agency, or CBSA, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to effectively combat this transnational organized crime. Our efforts to combat criminal networks must keep pace with the increasingly sophisticated nature of their operations. One thing this bill does is expand the CBSA's powers to inspect and detain goods destined for export in warehouses and transportation centres. That is a first. This measure will close a significant loophole that is being exploited by criminals to facilitate auto theft. We are committed to taking effective measures to curb auto theft.

At the same time, the bill also expands the role of the Canadian Coast Guard so that it can conduct security patrols and gather intelligence. Our coasts will now be protected. These new security activities will help the Coast Guard enhance collective security by conducting surveillance and intelligence-gathering missions in addition to its current operations. It will also be able to exchange information with its security, defence and intelligence partners.

Specifically, the bill would allow the Canadian Coast Guard to use its ships, helicopters, sensors, operations centres and land resources to collect, receive, share and analyze intelligence in order to strengthen our surveillance activities and our sovereignty. These actions will help protect Canada's vast coastlines and waterways, particularly in remote northern regions.

With its fleet and its wealth of maritime experience, the Canadian Coast Guard has all the tools it needs to make a significant contribution to Canada's security. It is already active from coast to coast to coast, on the Great Lakes and in the St. Lawrence Seaway.

This change will be particularly significant in the Arctic, where Canada can and must play a leadership role in a region undergoing rapid change due to growing global interests, increased maritime traffic and complex security risks.

This bill also seeks to directly combat the opioid crisis. The trafficking of illicit fentanyl and dangerous precursor chemicals in our country requires the rapid implementation of meaningful measures. Bill C-12 will enable the Minister of Health and law enforcement and border agencies to take swift action to prevent the illegal importation and use of chemical precursors as they emerge. This is a meaningful measure that will save hundreds, if not thousands, of Canadian lives.

We are also significantly strengthening Canada's anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing regime to combat the illicit financing that fuels these activities. Bill C-12 increases administrative penalties and improves information sharing between federal financial institutions to prevent bad actors from profiting from their crimes. Its purpose is to crack down on criminals and individuals who seek to exploit our country's generous immigration system by importing new forms of crime.

It is a matter of integrity and fairness. Some folks may have reservations about these measures, but I can assure the House today that Bill C-12 strikes the necessary balance between security and the protection of rights.

We are equipping our agencies with modern tools, while ensuring that these measures comply with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Bill C-12 addresses a number of immediate priorities that will have tangible and immediate effects on the safety of our communities and the integrity of our border. It is a clear, deliberate and necessary measure to protect our country. It sends a strong message that Canada will not tolerate people using our borders to engage in illegal activities. Our immigration system will be based on fairness, integrity and order.

For all these reasons, I believe this bill deserves the unanimous support of all members of the House. Voting for this bill is a vote in favour of a more secure border, a stronger and fairer immigration system and, most importantly, safer communities.

I want to reiterate that Canadians deserve to feel safe and be safe. I invite my hon. colleagues to support this bill quickly and unanimously.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 4:10 p.m.

Conservative

Jeff Kibble Conservative Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to rise on behalf of the great people of Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, on the south end of Vancouver Island.

If I may, I will take a moment to recognize a very special person, Winnie Sifert, who completed 40 years of service to the City of Langford, including as a city councillor. It was my honour to attend a park renaming in her honour in Langford.

My question is specific to part 4 and the Oceans Act. I was happy to hear the member opposite discuss that operations need to get more sophisticated. He said the Coast Guard has all the skills and equipment it needs, but it would now be tasked under the Oceans Act to conduct security and surveillance patrols. I was previously in charge of the regional joint operations centre, and I understand surveillance operations in the military intimately.

Presently, those in the Coast Guard have only navigation radars and civilian radios, and other than for predator control, they are unarmed. How do the Liberals intend to have the Coast Guard conduct surveillance missions to collect, process and disseminate secure tactical data? Will the Liberals be arming the Coast Guard to complete these missions and properly train them, per this bill?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 4:10 p.m.

Liberal

Jacques Ramsay Liberal La Prairie—Atateken, QC

Mr. Speaker, first of all, it is important to remember that the Canadian Coast Guard falls under the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, but now it will also fall under a second department in accordance with the bill. We will therefore be able to assess the budgets needed to complete operations.

Having said that, we have full confidence in the Coast Guard. It has already proven that it is capable of doing the job with the tools that it has right now. If equipment is needed, then we will certainly make sure it is provided. This is part of the investments that Canada wants to make to keep Canadians safe.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 4:15 p.m.

Bloc

Jean-Denis Garon Bloc Mirabel, QC

Mr. Speaker, Bill C‑12 is the new version of Bill C‑2, with fewer irritants.

The reason we have Bill C‑12 before us today is that there has been a huge backlash in civil society against Bill C‑2 and the privacy violations it entailed, particularly with respect to the police opening mail. This led to the introduction of Bill C‑12, which is much more balanced. Many of the irritants that bothered us, the Conservatives and civil society have been removed. That is why we are able to work on it again today.

I would like my colleague to tell me whether he thinks that this type of work, namely reintroducing a bill when the opposition parties speak for civil society, is one of the advantages of having a minority government.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 4:15 p.m.

Liberal

Jacques Ramsay Liberal La Prairie—Atateken, QC

Mr. Speaker, of course, the work done here helps improve bills. Naturally, we are listening. We in the Liberal Party of Canada are quite proud, actually. We pride ourselves on listening to civil society, putting opinions to good use and, as necessary, improving our bills.

We have not given up on the measures left out of Bill C‑12 but retained in Bill C‑2. We believe them to be necessary. We believe that we need to fight transnational gangs, illegal weapons smuggling and drug trafficking effectively. We are definitely prepared to do so in accordance with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. We are the party of the charter.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 4:15 p.m.

Liberal

Julie Dzerowicz Liberal Davenport, ON

Mr. Speaker, in my downtown riding of Davenport, in west Toronto, the stealing of cars is a very big issue. Our government has put in quite a bit of investment to tackle it. We have seen great progress.

Could the hon. member talk about how the bill would continue to help us have the tools we need to make sure we keep our communities safe and that these cars are not stolen from our homes?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 4:15 p.m.

Liberal

Jacques Ramsay Liberal La Prairie—Atateken, QC

Mr. Speaker, that is a very good question. We are currently seeing a 20% to 25% decrease in auto thefts. At the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security, we had an opportunity to hear all the stakeholders explain things to us. They told us that what was needed most was co-operation and collaboration.

Bill C‑12 will ensure that all stakeholders have all the relevant information on a need-to-know basis to more effectively fight the national scourge that is auto theft. We need to take action, and we will be there.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 4:15 p.m.

Liberal

Julie Dzerowicz Liberal Davenport, ON

Mr. Speaker, as always, it is a true pleasure for me to rise in the House to speak on behalf of the amazing residents and constituents of my constituency of Davenport. I will be speaking today to Bill C-12, 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.

Bill C-12 would make critical amendments that would keep Canadians safe and secure by providing law enforcement with the resources to disrupt increasingly complex criminal groups, by strengthening border security and by improving our immigration system while protecting privacy rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Of course, this legislation builds on a $1.3-billion investment in border security.

Before I go further, I want to recognize that we are gathered today on the traditional and unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe people.

Whenever I am examining new legislation, I often ask myself a series of questions: Who is going to benefit from the bill? How will the legislation improve our immigration programs and services for newcomers? Will it improve government services and support? In reviewing the proposed amendments for the strengthening Canada's immigration system and borders act, Bill C-12, I believe the answers are yes, yes and yes.

I believe this legislation strikes the right balance. It would improve how the government serves Canadians, newcomers and those seeking Canada's protection. The bill would also strengthen our security and safety, would support our economic growth with a more efficient and effective system, and would improve communication and co-operation among federal, provincial and territorial governments.

The measures proposed in this bill are designed to improve our immigration and asylum systems to better meet the needs of our country and those needing our protection. It fits with our commitment to a more sustainable immigration system that is aligned with our capacity to absorb, employ and house newcomers.

Canadians want our country's asylum system to uphold our proud humanitarian tradition and continue to be a beacon of hope and opportunity to the world's most vulnerable. At the same time, Canadians do not want our resources to be devoted to people who attempt to shortcut our immigration processes or abuse the generosity of our communities for their own personal gain.

The legislation before us proposes a reasonable balance to managing claims for asylum, either at the border or in Canada, and would appropriately refer claims to the Immigration and Refugee Board for a decision. The bill would also improve the management of the asylum system with enhanced efficiencies in processing claims. For example, creating a single, online application process would make applications simpler and help with information sharing across the appropriate departments and agencies. This would make sure that cases are decision-ready when they are referred to the Immigration and Refugee Board. That would benefit asylum claimants waiting to know if they are eligible for Canada's protection.

Under the legislation, the federal government would change how it manages specific asylum claims, including claims made more than one year after someone's first arrival in Canada, after June 24, 2020, and claims made by those who irregularly enter Canada, make a claim 14 or more days later and effectively avoid returning to the U.S. under the safe third country agreement. People will always be able to submit claims, which would not change with this legislation, and claims would not be dismissed. The claims would instead be referred to our fair and comprehensive removal process, which includes the ability to seek a pre-removal risk assessment. This would help reduce pressure on the asylum system and protect it against sudden increases in claims, while ensuring fair and fast consideration of claims of risk.

These new rules would streamline the claims process. This would benefit asylum claimants, who right now are waiting way too long to have their cases reviewed and decided. Some of these people may have fled their home countries to live in a democratic and free country. They may have left to seek religious freedom. They may have come to Canada to live their preferred gender or identity. If they have made it to Canada and made an asylum claim, we want their claim to be processed in a timely and fair manner.

The measures in the bill would also support a closer working relationship between the federal government and the provinces and territories. Under the current legislation, the federal government shares some information, but gaps in our legal framework mean we often have to do so on a case-by-case basis.

It means that we would update sharing provisions to provide information on immigration, citizenship and passports to clients sooner. This would help all orders of government and our domestic partners to work together to get newcomers the services they need faster. I understand that this has been a request from our partners for some time.

We know that provinces and territories deliver so many of the important, on-the-ground services that newcomers, including asylum claimants, rely upon. In collaboration with the federal government and with our support, they provide much-needed access to health care and social programs. They are an important partner in the process of welcoming and integrating newcomers. Providing current and accurate information is essential for any productive partnership.

Finally, I would like to say that the bill would improve how we would work together to better protect Canadians. At the end of the day, a main priority of Parliament and all orders of government is the safety and security of our citizens and residents.

In recent years, we have seen human smugglers and organized crime groups attempt to guide people across our borders through irregular points of entry. The legislation, if passed, would propose that those trying to shortcut our immigration process by crossing irregularly into Canada and making an asylum claim would have their claims referred to the CBSA and not the Immigration and Refugee Board.

There have been concerns raised that people are using multiple identities or different names to access benefits in Canada. This is simply not acceptable. By improving our information sharing among partners, we would help clarify the identity of anyone seeking to defraud our systems. The legislation also proposes that only hearing-ready claims would be forwarded for review by the Immigration and Refugee Board. That would give national security and law enforcement the time needed to conduct thorough background checks, confirm identities and examine any potential links to criminal history or activities.

Together, these measures would reassure Canadians that our systems are effective and that our borders are secure. That would help improve trust in our immigration system. I see clear benefits coming out of the legislation, benefits to our country's immigration system, including supporting the more efficient work of the federal government and all levels of government, and improving services for Canadians and newcomers. It would streamline decision-making, reduce efforts to bypass our migration programs and rules, and improve collaboration across all levels of government.

Rest assured, the bill is a key part of the government's forward-looking agenda. I urge my fellow hon. members from all sides of the House to join me in supporting the important legislation today.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 4:25 p.m.

Conservative

Helena Konanz Conservative Similkameen—South Okanagan—West Kootenay, BC

Mr. Speaker, I represent the Similkameen—South Okanagan—West Kootenay riding and we have one of the longest borders along the United States and, also, the most mountainous terrain. We are having difficulty, right now, getting enough RCMP officers and meeting the quota that we have right now. We are not able to meet the quota because not enough people are applying at Depot. We all know that they are not applying, so we cannot get enough for the needs we have right now.

How does the member believe that we are going to hire 1,000 more RCMP officers when we cannot get what we need right now?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 4:25 p.m.

Liberal

Julie Dzerowicz Liberal Davenport, ON

Mr. Speaker, I think that is a very valid question.

I will say that, in addition to our wanting to hire 1,000 more RCMP officers and 1,000 more CBSA officers, we have put in an additional $1.3 billion. I do think that if we could provide the right tools and the right package, if we could provide the right opportunities, we would have an easy ability to be able to fill those existing roles. It is an important job. I know that Canadians will want to step up and help protect Canadians.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 4:25 p.m.

Bloc

Luc Thériault Bloc Montcalm, QC

Mr. Speaker, as everyone knows, the debates we have here can help us develop and draft the best bill possible, but if we fail to ensure it is effective in the real world, it becomes a bad law. The Customs and Immigration Union tells us that we need somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000 more border officers to keep the borders secure.

Will my colleague join us in our efforts to make this happen and ensure that this bill rises above mere lip service?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 4:25 p.m.

Liberal

Julie Dzerowicz Liberal Davenport, ON

Mr. Speaker, we were first elected over 10 years ago. My 10-year anniversary was yesterday and it continues to be the honour of my life to represent the amazing Davenport residents. When we were first elected, the Conservatives had decreased the amount of money that was going to our border officers by about $1 billion. Over the course of a number of years, we brought that money back and, on top of that, there is $1.3 billion in additional money.

We have introduced bills like Bill C-12, and we have done it in collaboration with a number of stakeholders, including CBSA officers. This bill is formed with much of their feedback in mind. We have every intention of continuing to support them so we can ensure that, if this bill is passed, it is enforced properly.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 4:30 p.m.

Winnipeg North Manitoba

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, to pick up on the last question, the legislation is one very important aspect in terms of what the new Prime Minister has brought forward, but another important component is the budgetary issue. There is close to a $1-billion commitment and 1,000 new border security officers, not to mention the 1,000 new RCMP officers.

I am wondering if the member could provide her thoughts regarding why it is important, as a new government and Prime Minister, to provide not only legislation but also a budgetary response to the need.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 4:30 p.m.

Liberal

Julie Dzerowicz Liberal Davenport, ON

Mr. Speaker, I have been listening to the debate this afternoon. One of the things we have to remind ourselves is that it is like the whole world has completely shifted. There is a new global environment. There are now increasingly sophisticated criminal organizations. There is now a renewed international focus on irregular migration and cross-border crime. There are a lot of new things happening. In these days when there are so many changes happening around the world, we have to be very effective with the dollars we have.

I am very proud that our government, over the last 10 years, has not only invested about $1 billion in the border but has now made a number of legislative proposals to ensure the right legislation is in place to allow CBSA and RCMP officers to do their work. They have provided input into this bill. We have invested another $1.3 billion to ensure they have the resources they need. This is good value for money and we are working very closely with our international partners.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 4:30 p.m.

Conservative

Brad Redekopp Conservative Saskatoon West, SK

Mr. Speaker, it is my honour to stand here today on behalf of the citizens of Saskatoon West and speak to this bill, Bill C-12. I am going to speak mainly about the immigration aspects of this bill today.

The first thing that comes to mind when I look at this bill is to question why we are here. What is it that has caused all this to happen? The member who just spoke mentioned changes that she thought happened. In reality, they were not things imposed upon us so much as they were created by the Liberal government. There are many things happening in our immigration system, at our borders and with crime in our country that can be traced directly to actions by the Liberal government over the last 10 years.

If we go back to the previous Harper government, there were some very strong measures in place, such as mandatory minimums and consecutive police sentences. Police had the power to actually give consequences to criminals. Colleagues should know that crime was down. If they picture a V, when the Conservatives were in power before, violent crime was dropping, just like this side of the V. It was dropping significantly.

Mysteriously, when the Liberals took over, violent crime went back up. Why? It was due to all of the changes they made to the laws that were lenient on criminals. Those were some of the things that were done. It was not that they were imposed on us from an outside force. Those changes had real consequences for the people of Saskatoon West. Now here we are with the government trying to fix something that it created in the first place, so do not be fooled by what we are hearing today. This is a cleanup of a mess that was made by the government.

I want to talk about immigration. As I start, I want to just highlight something I have noticed online and in communications I have had with people, Canadian voters, which is a bit of a disturbing trend of attitude toward newcomers, immigrants, in our country. As I said, there are a lot of problems, for sure. Everybody knows that our immigration system has many problems. We have a lot of crime in our country in general. We also have problems at our borders. There are lots of problems in Canada.

Our immigration system is quite broken at the moment, for sure, but that does not mean it is the fault of newcomers to our country. I think that all of us in this room and anyone watching need to be reminded that unless someone is an indigenous person in this country, that they are an immigrant. We all come from that background. My grandparents were immigrants to this country, so I guess I would be a second-generation born in Canada, which makes me a third-generation immigrant in Canada. I am sure many of us have the same story.

It is really important to remember that what is happening in our country right now in immigration is not the fault of newcomers who have come here. It all started back in 2017 when then prime minister Justin Trudeau made his famous tweet that basically said, “Welcome to Canada”. That told people all around the world that Canada wanted everybody to come here. Guess what happened? People responded. Many people came. They responded by selling their homes and leaving their families, by leaving everything behind and coming to Canada because Canada wanted them. The prime minister himself said that Canada wanted them. In reality, former prime minister Justin Trudeau did that without having any clue as to how he was going to deal with that, how many people were going to respond and what would happen to those who responded.

I come back to the broken system that we have now. If a person is feeling anger toward immigration in our country, that anger needs to be directed where it belongs, to the Liberal government that was in power and still is in power. The Liberal government had the chance to set the rules. In some cases it chose to not make rules. It set the numbers. It decided how many millions of people could come in as temporary residents. The government invited people in peril, like people from Hong Kong, Ukraine and Sudan, to come to Canada.

In fact, just this morning I was reading a story about a family from Ukraine who has been here for a number of years through the CUAET program and now the family members are having trouble getting their visas, getting anything moving forward. In the story it says the humanitarian and compassionate stream, which is where Ukrainian people would fit in, faces waits of up to 50 years. It also says that for caregivers it is up to nine years, for the agri-food stream it is 19 years and for entrepreneurs under the start-up visa stream it is 35 years. These are ridiculous numbers. How can somebody who was invited to come to our country expect to wait 50 years to get permanent residency in our country? That is part of the brokenness that we see in this system.

Of course, the Liberal government created this mixed up immigration system. It used to be a very clean system in which we were looking for people with skills to bring to our country, in addition to family members and in addition to asylum seekers and refugee claimants. It was based on skills primarily, and now that has been changed to include all kinds of other political things in the numbers, so that people are admitted to Canada not just because of their skills but also because of other reasons that have nothing to do with their talents or their skills.

Of course we all know what has happened in our temporary resident population, whether it is temporary foreign workers or students. There were absolutely no checks on the number of students coming into our country, and as a result, people took advantage of the system. Colleges took advantage of the system. There were many unscrupulous immigration consultants who took advantage of the system.

Ultimately, regarding refugees and asylum seekers, the system collapsed. There were so many people coming in that the system just could not handle it. Even with some increases that were made by the government, we ended up with ridiculous wait times of four years or longer for asylum claimants in Canada. This is the system that the Liberals created in Canada, so anyone who feels any negativity toward immigration in our country needs to put that on the Liberal government. The Liberals are the ones who created it.

Michael Barutciski from the MacDonald-Laurier Institute said this: “The explosion in asylum claims post-Roxham is the result of two simultaneous policy decisions: (1) loosening the criteria for visa issuance and (2) allowing visa-free travel for potential asylum seekers...our quiet asylum crisis is largely a self-inflicted problem.”

Of course, right on cue, the people looking to profit from these kinds of situations marched right in. There are fake immigration consultants or immigration consultants who bent the rules to make a lot of money from the situation. Human traffickers are literally bringing people into our country to work, to make money off their backs. That is human trafficking. Employers are taking advantage of temporary workers, and people were able to set up fake colleges and make lots of money off the backs of people coming into our country. At the end of the day, it was all about money. There was a lot of money to be made through the messed up system that was created by the government.

Now here we are with Bill C-12, which is trying to fix some of this, and it would fix the big mess that was created by the government.

Similarly, border security has become a big problem in our country. Everybody remembers Roxham Road. Roxham Road should have been a wall. People should not have been able to cross at Roxham Road, but instead it was convenient, because there was a road from New York and a road from Quebec, so people started crossing at Roxham Road, and the government could have simply stopped that. It could have put up a little fence. It could have discouraged people from coming across, but instead it put RCMP and CBSA officers there and essentially asked them to help people come into Canada.

They had a strange thing to say to them: “You are not allowed to cross here, but may I help you come into Canada?” How did that make any sense? They were literally helping people, carrying their luggage and bringing them across the border. Once in Canada, they were given pretty good treatment as asylum seekers. In fact, in that area it became very common for taxis to drop people off. They would come across the road, and a whole industry popped up on the Canadian side of the border related to newcomers coming into our country.

Essentially, our RCMP and CBSA officers became “welcome to Canada” greeters, and more and more people came. This is what happens when we have a broken system.

Even on other parts of our border, there is a tremendous lack of technology. There is technology today that can scan containers and find what is in them; it can see exactly what is there, yet we have very little of this technology. We have not invested where we need to invest, and we do not have the people to do the checks that need to be done. As a result, a lot of stolen vehicles are coming into our country through container loads. There are a lot of drugs, and also the precursor chemicals that are used to make drugs, coming in unchecked, because we are doing a very poor job of checking what is coming into our country.

Of course, there are guns. There are a lot of illegal guns coming across the border that are used in crimes in Canada, and we should be checking more of those things, which we are not doing, so there is a gap in our system that has not been corrected by the government but needs to be.

There is fairly unorganized enforcement of our border. There are a lot of agencies. There is the Canada Border Services Agency, CBSA; the RCMP; the immigration department, IRCC; the Immigration and Refugee Board, IRB; and the Coast Guard, among others, that patrol and monitor our border. It is not the members, the hard-working men and women who work for these organizations, who are the problem, but there is a lot of disorganization in these organizations. There is a lack of resources and even a lack of information sharing. These groups are not really allowed, because of privacy legislation, to share information from one organization to another, so we end up with a lot of duplicated work that is needed in order to solve crimes.

These are just some of the things that are missing in the system that we currently have, which is the system that has been created and fine-tuned by the Liberal government.

Last week, there was a very funny tweet, I thought. With all the problems of drugs and all the other things that are going on at the border, such as the illegal guns coming across and even human trafficking, what the Canada Border Services Agency is focused on, or at least last week was focused on, is this: “We’re taking action to protect our economy. CBSA is investigating whether certain imports of disposable paper plates, bowls, and platters from China are being sold at unfair prices in Canada (dumped) or subsidized.” This is the priority of CBSA today, with all the other things that are happening. It is embarrassing for me as a Canadian to see that.

Of course, surveillance at the border is not happening to any significant degree. The government made a big story about buying a couple of helicopters. Well, a couple of helicopters on a 7,000-kilometre border does not do a whole lot, and there is so much more than could be done with surveillance.

What happens? Organized criminals step in, which is the really negative aspect, because they see an opportunity to make money. International crime rings and cartels are using Canada as a base of operations for them to do all their nasty things and make a lot of money off us, and not just us, but off the U.S. as well. Drug smugglers are smuggling drugs into Canada and then into other countries from here. I spoke about gun smuggling, which is a huge market that happens at our border, as well as human trafficking. We should be severely focused on curtailing and stopping all of these things.

RCMP chief superintendent and director general, serious and organized crime and border integrity, Mathieu Bertrand, said, “We are aware that they [cartels] are a source of a lot of the illicit goods coming into Canada. These organized crime groups, whether they be in Canada or abroad, are using Canada as a trans-shipment point. Those groups…are very much involved in crime impacting Canada.” I think that says it all, which is that a lot of the source of the crime comes from our lack of properly defending our border.

Of course, money laundering is another thing that happens in Canada regularly because we lack the tools and the ability to really see what is happening in that world.

As a result of all that, there is surging crime in Canada. We have heard this story many times. I spoke at the beginning about violent crime's decreasing over the Harper years, and then, in the Liberal years, it has gone right back up again because of the actions the Liberals have taken. Crime is up significantly under the Liberal government. Gang murders have doubled, and violent crime is up over 39%. The actions taken by the government have weakened the laws and effectively protected the criminal.

For example, Bill C-5 eliminated mandatory minimum sentences. As we look at the crimes that are being committed in our cities, and I see it in Saskatoon all the time, we see that there are very few consequences, if any, anymore for committing crimes. This has emboldened criminals. It has emboldened gangs to get young people involved in crime, because they know there are no consequences for committing those crimes.

This is partly because of Bill C-5 where the mandatory minimums were taken away for significant offences such as human trafficking, drug trafficking, car theft and assault with a weapon. The list goes on. These are things for which the Liberal government chose to take away mandatory sentences, and as a result, there have been increases in these kinds of crimes. I guess the Liberals wanted to put criminals first and not put Canadians first. We need to restore mandatory sentences to put consequences for criminals back into the system.

The other bill that made a big change is Bill C-75. Bill C-75 basically promoted house arrest. It essentially made it very difficult to put someone in jail. As a result, people are out on bail. That is why we talk about people getting bail instead of jail. We want to make sure that people actually go to jail and not always get bail. This is part of the catch-and-release problem that we have in our country, where people get arrested for a crime, are charged with a crime, get out on bail and can repeat an offence. We see it very often in many cities in our country.

Repeat offenders simply walk free. They do not have any consequences. As I said, it just encourages them to keep doing what they are doing. It encourages gangs to keep recruiting new members, and it does not stop new members of gangs from committing crimes. That is why we want to bring back jail, not bail. We want to make sure that, particularly for repeat offenders, there are consequences to those crimes and that the offenders actually do spend some time in jail to slow the process of crime that is happening.

I just want to mention that we often hear the term “bail reform” from the government. I want to talk about that for a minute. We have to go back to what actually happened. Bail reform happened about 10 years ago, when the Liberal government came in. It implemented bail reform, and these are things I just described. Now, all of a sudden, the Liberals have finally woken up and realized that this is not working. Canadians have been telling them that for years, and they are finally realizing it. Now the Liberals want to do so-called bail reform.

Really what the Liberals are doing is fixing the mess they made with bail reform in the first place. What we are doing now is not bail reform; it is correcting the system, taking it back to the way it was, to actually having consequences for people who are committing crimes.

Of course drugs fuel crime, and that is part of the problem at our border. As I mentioned, drugs are flowing across the border shockingly freely. This has caused a big drug problem in our country. We all see it in our cities. I see it in Saskatoon. I am sure other members see it in their own cities.

Part of that is from the permissive harm reduction regime that has been promoted by the government. In fact, from what I have seen, it creates a cycle of dependence. In many ways, it is best compared to a palliative care kind of approach to dealing with people who have addiction issues, and it is not working. Safe supply has resulted in more deaths and more crime. The number of people on the streets who are involved in illicit drug use and in crime is just going up.

Instead of encouraging drug use by providing free needles, free hard drugs and all the other government programs, Conservatives believe drug users need a recovery-based system of care. We need to be compassionate with these people. They need help. We need to move them forward on the continuum of care so that they can actually get out of the situation they are in, not just allow them to remain there.

We need to bring home safe streets, schools and communities.

Just to sum up, we are talking about this today because of the failure of the Liberal government over the last 10 years. It is now trying to fix the mess it has created. It is trying to fix the broken immigration system, where we have backlogs that have exploded, where the focus on skilled workers has been lost, where the loopholes are wide open and where we have consultants, colleges and employers taking advantage of the system we have. There have been seven immigration ministers in 10 years. That is crazy.

The government is also trying to fix the chaos at the border. It has lost control of our borders. Illegal crossings are up, and enforcement is down. There are more shipments of stolen vehicles. Drugs and precursors to drugs are coming across the borders, and firearms are coming across the borders illegally. There is a surge of crime in our country, with violent crime and gang activity rising, and the soft-on-crime laws are allowing offenders to walk free.

We have a plan to fix immigration and to speed up processing for skilled workers. We want to secure the border by closing illegal crossings and restoring order to the border. We want to crack down on crime by reintroducing mandatory jail time, ending catch-and-release and backing our police to make sure that we keep our communities safe. That is our plan.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 4:50 p.m.

The Assistant Deputy Speaker John Nater

It is my duty pursuant to Standing Order 38 to inform the House that the questions to be raised tonight at the time of adjournment are as follows: the hon. member for Saanich—Gulf Islands, International Trade; the hon. member for Elgin—St. Thomas—London South, Justice; and the hon. member for Regina—Lewvan, Housing.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 4:50 p.m.

Winnipeg North Manitoba

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, I wanted to pick up on the immigration issue because now we have had two Conservative members stand in this place and be somewhat critical of the government on immigration policy.

It was not that long ago when Russia invaded Ukraine. Canada opened its doors, and I believe the Conservative party, at that time, supported us doing that. There were approximately 300,000 people of Ukrainian heritage who came to Canada because of the war in Ukraine.

Does the member believe that the federal government, or immigration, should allow for the extension of the work permits of those people who came from Ukraine?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 4:50 p.m.

Conservative

Brad Redekopp Conservative Saskatoon West, SK

Mr. Speaker, I am encouraged that the member for Winnipeg North recognized that I was being very critical of the government, so he is listening. That is good.

With respect to the Ukrainian situation and the people who were invited to Canada from Ukraine, this is, I think, the core message. Canada said to people from Ukraine, “Come here. We will give you a safe place to stay and options”, so they came. Now, the government is saying that it does not know what to do with them. It does not know what to do, and they are going to be here, in some cases, 50 years to get the paperwork through because it did not plan this properly. Even though it knew there were going to be 300,000 people, it did not actually think there were going to be 300,000 people. That is basically what the government is saying: It does not know what to do with people. They are here, and that is great.

I think we need to be fair and compassionate with these people. We invited them to come to our country, yet the government has not made a pathway for them to process their paperwork. Now they are stuck in limbo for potentially 50 years.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 4:50 p.m.

Bloc

Rhéal Fortin Bloc Rivière-du-Nord, QC

Mr. Speaker, I would like to hear my colleague's comments on the practical implementation of these measures.

We all agree on the principle of strengthening border security. We may differ on how to achieve it, but we agree that it must be done.

However, border officers who testified before House committees repeatedly told us that there are not enough staff to carry out the necessary searches. For example, at the Port of Montreal, barely one container out of every hundred is searched.

I agree with the principles of the bill, but how are we going to implement it? Would my colleague support the government in investing more to increase border services personnel at ports and airports?

I also have a follow-up question: If his party wins the next election, can we expect additional funding to be allocated to border services?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 4:55 p.m.

Conservative

Brad Redekopp Conservative Saskatoon West, SK

Mr. Speaker, one of the problems I have seen over the years from the government is that, when there is a problem, the solution is to throw money at it. It will add $1 billion for this and $100 million for that. We hear this all the time, over and over again. If there is a problem, the solution is money.

Yes, we do need more money. To hire more border guards takes more money, this is true. I would be in support of doing what we need to get our security up to where it needs to be, but that has to also come with the ability to train and hire people. That is not just about money. There are other factors at play there.

We also have to ensure that the laws in place are actually helping to achieve the goals we are trying to achieve. Having laws is great, but if we are letting offenders out on bail all the time, that does not help.

We need to have a cohesive system. We need the money, the training ability and the laws to work together.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 4:55 p.m.

Conservative

Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB

Mr. Speaker, over the last very short period of time, I think it is three years, the Liberals have allowed three million temporary residents to come into the country, which is over 7% of Canada's population. We are hearing about the potential abuse of the asylum system by people who are on these visas. Their visas are expiring, and they are being counselled by unscrupulous immigration consultants to abuse the asylum system and make false asylum claims.

Can the member talk about whether he thinks the measures in the bill would be adequate enough to fix the mess the Liberals have made after the disastrous #WelcomeToCanada tweet in 2017?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 4:55 p.m.

Conservative

Brad Redekopp Conservative Saskatoon West, SK

Mr. Speaker, my colleague is very right that there has been a big mess created with temporary residence. There are over three million temporary residents in our country right now.

The bill would absolutely not solve that problem. There are fundamental issues with the way the immigration system is being run in this country. There are fundamental errors that have been made by the government in not monitoring certain numbers, for example, the number of students who were permitted to come into our country.

As a result, we have the problems that we all know about, including a lack of housing, difficulty in accessing health care and problems with jobs. Our youth unemployment rate is very high. These are all things that are connected together, and these are things that the government could have managed. It could have seen the implications and the consequences of the decisions it was making and worked together to mitigate some of those things. The government has not done that. As a result, we have this problem in our country today. No, this bill will not solve that problem.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 4:55 p.m.

Green

Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC

Mr. Speaker, probing the problem that this is an omnibus bill, most of the debate this afternoon on Bill C-12 was related to its immigration and refugee parts, but there are multiple parts on different acts. I am hoping my hon. colleague from Saskatoon West would agree with me that it would be far preferable, given the complexity of immigration and refugee issues, if the bill were to be split apart and only the committee on immigration and refugees would study the sections about immigration and refugees, not the sections on the Coast Guard, the Oceans Act, trafficking drugs, and so on. What does he think?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 4:55 p.m.

Conservative

Brad Redekopp Conservative Saskatoon West, SK

Mr. Speaker, at the end of the day, I do not think Canadians really care who studies what. They want to see fixes. They want to see changes. They want to see improvements. From a technical perspective, the member is probably correct that how we deal with it in the House should be done according to who knows what about which area, but ultimately, the government needs to propose solutions that actually fix the messes it created.

While the bill would fix some of those messes, it certainly does not fix them all, so I am looking for more from the government. Canadians are looking for more. They want to see changes and improvements that would solve the problems they are seeing every day in their lives.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 4:55 p.m.

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB

Mr. Speaker, the member sidestepped the question on Ukraine. I am a little confused as to whether or not the Conservatives actually supported Ukrainians coming from Ukraine during the war. Maybe he can provide a very succinct explanation. Did he support that number coming to Canada? I think it is a reasonable question.

The other thing is this: In the province of Manitoba, whether it be the chamber of commerce or the provincial government, many different stakeholders want to keep all the temporary workers currently in the province. I wonder if the member could provide a comment on that, if he does not know what to say about Ukraine.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 5 p.m.

Conservative

Brad Redekopp Conservative Saskatoon West, SK

Mr. Speaker, on the question of Ukraine, these are people who are fleeing war. Their houses may not even exist anymore. We invited them to come to Canada. They are here. They came here. Part of that deal, at least in their minds, was that there would be a path to permanent residency. That has not been offered by the government. I think that, yes, absolutely, those people need to be treated fairly.

With respect to temporary people in general, we need to be very careful about how we manage temporary residents in our country. We have to make sure that the policies we have in place are good for our country and for the residents we invite to our country.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 5 p.m.

Conservative

Rhonda Kirkland Conservative Oshawa, ON

Mr. Speaker, it seems to me that we need just a few more moments to touch on the fact that, as I watched this over the years, the Liberals are very good at creating chaos and then pretending, by throwing money at it, that they are fixing what they created. We are supposed to trust them after they created the problem in the first place.

I wonder if the member could touch on the matter of trust.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 5 p.m.

Conservative

Brad Redekopp Conservative Saskatoon West, SK

Mr. Speaker, my colleague said it very well. The government creates problems and then fans out money to try to solve them. Often those solutions do not happen. I think that is one of the reasons why Canadians have grown very weary of the government over the last 10 years. It is why there are such high levels of angst in our country. It is why there is a lack of trust in government in general. We all feel that. It is, I believe, because of the actions taken by the Liberal government.

It is important that we act well and make changes that are going to improve the lives of people. While the bill would do some of that, there is still much more to be done.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 5 p.m.

Conservative

James Bezan Conservative Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB

Mr. Speaker, it is always an honour to stand in this place to speak on behalf of the great people of Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman. I also speak as the shadow minister of national defence to reflect the concerns of the defence community, including the brave women and men who serve in uniform. I want to speak about some of the changes taking place because of the Liberals, as well as the lack of interest and investment in the Canadian Armed Forces.

I will be splitting my time with the great member for Oxford.

I want to give a big shout-out to the member of Parliament for Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola, the shadow minister of public safety; the member of Parliament for Calgary Nose Hill, our shadow minister of immigration; and the member for Saskatoon West, who just spoke. They have really put a lot of work into Bill C-12 on the immigration side, on public safety issues and on border security.

It is through their good work and the amount of exposure we, as Conservatives, have been able to give that we were able to mobilize citizens and civil society on Bill C-2 and look at all the violations of civil liberties being done by the Liberals. That bill was a big power grab that would erode charter rights, including the search and seizure to be done by Canada Post employees and the invasion of privacy rights online, through telecoms and banking changes. They would all violate the civil liberties of Canadians from coast to coast to coast.

The Privacy Commissioner himself said that he was never consulted by the Liberals on the drafting of Bill C-2 and had a number of concerns about it. We should never bring forward bills that erode the civil liberties of law-abiding Canadians, and that is what the Liberals continue to do time and time again. They go after people, like law-abiding firearms owners, rather than going after the gun smugglers and those using guns in illicit crime. They always do the easy thing and make it sound like they are doing something, but at the end of the day, all they are doing is targeting law-abiding Canadians.

On Bill C-12, as Conservatives, we will do our homework. We will continue to look through this bill to make sure that Canadians' rights are protected, that the Liberals are not bringing forward any sneaky new laws trying to breach the rights of Canadians through this bill, especially civil liberties and privacy rights. We are concerned that there are things in here that are not going to do anything to improve immigration, improve public safety or strengthen our borders.

There is nothing in the bill on bail reform. There is nothing in the bill to give the Canada Border Services Agency the ability to police the entire border, not just ports of entry. There is an increase in sentencing provisions for those who are either smuggling in guns or trafficking fentanyl, and for other crimes that are being committed by transnational organizations. With the Liberals, house arrest is still allowed for some of the most serious crimes and offences, including for those who have breached the border.

I am going to spend the rest of my time talking about the Canadian Coast Guard, which is part 4 of the bill. We support the great people at the Canadian Coast Guard for the work they have been doing for a long time. We believe we should expand their national security and defence mandate. We do support the idea of bringing them in under national defence, but we want to make sure it is being done for the right reasons and that the Coast Guard is given the right tools to do the job that we are going to be asking of it.

We are concerned that the Liberals are only doing this for creative accounting purposes to try to increase their spending to meet the NATO 2% target, which they have to do in the next five months. Here we are in the middle of October, and we still do not have a plan or a budget from the Liberals on how they are going to get to that level. The estimates that we have to date show we are going to spend somewhere around $44 billion on national defence. In reality, to hit the 2% target, the Liberals are going to have to spend $61 billion. Where is that money coming from? What are they going to spend that money on?

We only have five months left, and we know that the Department of National Defence and Public Services and Procurement Canada have always had a hell of a time trying to spend money before the end of the year, and this money cannot just be shovelled out the door. There needs to be a plan on how that is done, and we do not think that is going to happen. That is why we will see some creative accounting through bringing the Coast Guard in under national defence. We are going to get some extra spending but not necessarily any new defence capabilities for Canada.

We would like to see, on every Coast Guard vessel, new sensors and weapon systems, so not only could the personnel do the surveillance that would be asked of them under Bill C-12, but they could also defend themselves if need be. As my colleague from Cowichan—Malahat—Langford said earlier today, the only things that are currently on Coast Guard vessels that have any fire power are shotguns for personnel use to protect themselves in case they run up against any predators.

Thinking about icebreaking ships in the Arctic and polar bears, they have a few shotguns with banger shells in them to scare off the polar bears. They have another rifle that shoots beanbags so that they can throw a rope and tether to another ship or come alongside another ship for those purposes. However, there is no actual capability to defend themselves if need be. As the bill says, we would give them some security patrol capabilities, or responsibilities without any new capability. That is something we are really concerned about.

I want to make sure that Canadians and the House understand that the Canadian Coast Guard to date has no interdiction or enforcement capabilities or mandate. Right now, if the Coast Guard vessel operators encounter somebody fishing illegally, they have to contact the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to bring on one of its enforcement officers to make the arrest and levy the fines. We know that if they encountered somebody in our waters who was smuggling guns or involved in human trafficking, they would have to bring on board RCMP officers to make the arrest. They do not have any of those available at sea.

The current Coast Guard budget is about $2.4 billion to date. It has been able to include, in the defence allocation for NATO in the last fiscal year, only $560 million out of that $2.4-billion budget. Again, with a stroke of the pen, the Prime Minister is trying to take money from the Coast Guard and move it under the Department of National Defence without actually meeting the NATO requirement.

I will just read what the NATO requirement is. This is out of one of its fact sheets from June 2024, regarding the definition of NATO expenditures that has been in place since the 1950s. It states:

A major component of defence expenditure is payments for Armed Forces financed from within the Ministry of Defence budget.... They might also include parts of other forces such as Ministry of Interior troops, national police forces, coast guards etc. In such cases, expenditure is included only in proportion to the forces that are trained in military tactics, are equipped as a military force, can operate under direct military authority in deployed operations, and can, realistically, be deployed outside national territory in support of a military force.

The Canadian Coast Guard is a civilian operation that has none of those capabilities or training at this point in time, and that is why we need to make some changes.

Taking aside the creative accounting in trying to find another $20 billion, and the shell game, we look at the order in council that was done by the Prime Minister on September 2. He gave the powers, under the Public Service Rearrangement and Transfer of Duties Act, that the Coast Guard would be transferred from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans over to the Department of National Defence. That includes the Canadian Coast Guard and the Canadian Coast Guard support services group.

As we just heard from the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety, the Coast Guard would still maintain its responsibilities under the Oceans Act. Under the Oceans Act, “minister” means the minister of fisheries and oceans, and Coast Guard services are included. This is under paragraphs 41(1)(a) to 41(1)(e):

(a) services for the safe, economical and efficient movement of ships in Canadian waters through the provision of

(i) aids to navigation systems and services,

(ii) marine communications and traffic management services,

(iii) ice breaking and ice management services, and

(iv) channel maintenance;

(b) the marine component of the federal search and rescue program;

(c) response to wrecks and hazardous or dilapidated ships;

(d) marine pollution response; and

(e) the support of departments, boards and agencies of the Government of Canada through the provision of ships, aircraft and other marine services.

We now know that the Coast Guard would have two masters: the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the Department of National Defence. How is that going to work, and how do they capture all of this, with no paramilitary or border security role or mandate, out of the Oceans Act into Department of National Defence spending?

Even though, in part 4 of Bill C-12, on page 11, they would add 41(1)(f), “security, including security patrols and the collection, analysis and disclosure of information or intelligence”, the bill does not provide anything beyond that.

Conservatives support the move of the Coast Guard, but let us make sure that if the Coast Guard is under the Department of National Defence, we give it the tools, the capabilities and the training so that it can do the job that will be accounted for by the Liberals in their budget.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 5:10 p.m.

Winnipeg North Manitoba

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, interestingly enough, the member was part of a government that made cutbacks to Canada border control. If we contrast that to Canada's current Prime Minister, not only are we committed to bringing forward legislation that would help in securing our borders, but the Prime Minister and the government have also made it very clear that we are going to provide financial resources. A good example of that is 1,000 new Canada border control agents, people working in CBSA.

Does the member not agree that the contrast between the Conservatives and the Liberals is quite extensive, with the Liberals definitely showing goodwill in getting things done in protecting our borders?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 5:10 p.m.

Conservative

James Bezan Conservative Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB

Mr. Speaker, I would remind the member for Winnipeg North, who has spoken the most words in the House but says the least in every intervention he makes, that it was the Conservative government that moved CBSA officers from being civilian agents to being paramilitary. We trained and armed them.

The former deputy commissioner for operations of the Coast Guard, Chris Henderson, was at the defence committee a few weeks ago. He said that “my strong recommendation is to provide new legislation—the Canadian Coast Guard act—that would enshrine its national security role” and that the Coast Guard “should be given a law enforcement mandate to protect Canada's interests any time and anywhere in our huge expanse of maritime territory.”

The Liberals can talk about the 1,000 new border agents, which need to be given control over the entire border, but let us make sure we turn Coast Guard officials and agents into actual peace officers so that they can do the job of protecting Canada.

Mr. Speaker, I would remind the member for Winnipeg North, who has spoken the most words in the House but says the least in every intervention he makes, that it was the Conservative government that moved CBSA officers from being civilian agents to being paramilitary. We trained and armed them.

The former deputy commissioner for operations of the Coast Guard, Chris Henderson, was at the defence committee a few weeks ago. He said that “my strong recommendation is to provide new legislation—the Canadian Coast Guard act—that would enshrine its national security role” and that the Coast Guard “should be given a law enforcement mandate to protect Canada's interests any time and anywhere in our huge expanse of maritime territory.”

The Liberals can talk about the 1,000 new border agents, which need to be given control over the entire border, but let us make sure we turn Coast Guard officials and agents into actual peace officers so that they can do the job of protecting Canada.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 5:10 p.m.

Bloc

Jean-Denis Garon Bloc Mirabel, QC

Mr. Speaker, we all agree that we need better controls at the border and that this requires many new measures.

Bill C‑12 is the new version of Bill C‑2, which created a significant backlash in civil society because many people outside Parliament and in the opposition believed that, in an attempt to strengthen border protections, the government would be infringing on certain rights and trampling on the privacy of many people. It seemed a bit contradictory.

Earlier, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety told us that the government removed from the bill many of the elements that civil society and the opposition found unacceptable in order to table Bill C‑12, on which there is a broader consensus. At the same time, we are being told that all the other measures that were unacceptable are not being removed, that the government is still interested in them and that the government is ultimately going to come back to Parliament with these measures, such as allowing the police to open mail.

Could my colleague please explain which measures were in Bill C‑2 but are not in Bill C‑12 and which ones he would like to see again in another bill?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 5:15 p.m.

Conservative

James Bezan Conservative Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB

Mr. Speaker, in Bill C-2, giving the power to employees of Canada Post to seize and search mail without a warrant is a complete violation of our charter rights. Everybody is entitled to jurisprudence, and that was undermined by the Liberals. In Bill C-2, they were also going after the seizure of information through Internet service providers and telecom companies, which we know is also in violation of privacy rights. Finally, under Bill C-2, the Liberals want to limit the use of cash to under $10,000 a year. Undermining our legal tender in this country is ridiculous.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 5:15 p.m.

Conservative

Pat Kelly Conservative Calgary Crowfoot, AB

Mr. Speaker, is the member concerned that our NATO allies will see right through the accounting trickery of shifting a budget for the Coast Guard from a civilian budget to the Canadian Armed Forces without actually improving or enhancing our defence preparedness?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 5:15 p.m.

Conservative

James Bezan Conservative Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB

Mr. Speaker, there is no doubt in my mind that the Liberals are strictly making this change to the Oceans Act in Bill C-12 to make sure they have the ability to declare that they have now given the security and border control mandate to the Coast Guard, which should be counted toward the 2% and now the 5%. They will not fool anyone at NATO with this trickery, as my colleague said. At the end of the day, according to their own definition, they have to have the ability to provide military tactical capabilities, which the Coast Guard currently does not have.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 5:15 p.m.

Conservative

Arpan Khanna Conservative Oxford, ON

Mr. Speaker, yesterday we marked a very dark milestone in Canada's history: 10 years of the Liberals. It is a very dark time. We used to have a country that was safe and secure, the envy of the world. It was a country that worked for Canadians, that protected Canadians.

The Liberals might say that they have a new government. I know they are heckling right now, but they might think that this is a brand new government. It is not. It has the same Liberal members of Parliament, the same cabinet ministers and the same failed Liberal policies.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 5:15 p.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh!

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 5:15 p.m.

Conservative

Arpan Khanna Conservative Oxford, ON

Mr. Speaker, I know they are not happy with what I am saying, but their policies are what hurt Canadians every single day.

Under the Liberals' watch, we have had the fastest-shrinking economy, in which Canadians are now lining up at food banks. Crime, chaos and drugs are running rampant right across our country. There is a record amount of crime. Drugs are now being sold on our streets. Our kids are losing their lives.

Under their watch, in 10 years, 50,000 Canadians have lost their lives to drug overdoses, which is more than were lost in the Second World War. We have a homelessness crisis. Encampments are popping up in my riding in Oxford County and across our country from coast to coast to coast. Canadians are suffering from the Liberals' failed policies.

We had one of the best immigration programs in the world. It was the envy of the world. We brought in the brightest and the best, people who could achieve their full potential, who filled major needs in our country and were able to raise their family. However, under the Liberals' watch, they broke that too. They broke our immigration system, and then they started hijacking our institutions. They started censoring Canadians. They started telling Canadians what they could do, where they could go, what they could say and what they could see. It became all about control.

When the Liberals first brought in Bill C-2, they talked about public safety and immigration, but it was another attempt to attack Canadians' freedoms and privacy. The Liberals wanted to attack Canadians' way of life. It is because of the Conservatives, other parties and Canadians who raised their voices, who objected and said no to the Liberals' policies, that we have Bill C-12 in Parliament today.

I am a proud son of immigrants. My parents chose Canada in the early 1980s. They came for that Canadian dream. They worked hard and played by the rules. They were able to earn a decent living and raise a family under their watch. However, we do not have that system anymore. The Liberals have broken that system in almost all respects.

Let us take a look at the asylum system. We have over 300,000 folks lined up to get asylum. Many cases are bogus and fake asylum claims. It is a system that is now full of fraud and abuse, with an average wait time of almost 44 months to be processed in our country. This all started because of the Liberals' actions.

Members might remember that it was the government that put out a famous tweet when Trump was voted in the first time, which said that everybody is welcome. Can members guess what happened?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 5:15 p.m.

An hon. member

Oh, oh!

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 5:15 p.m.

Conservative

Arpan Khanna Conservative Oxford, ON

Mr. Speaker, they think that is the best tweet ever. However, that tweet brought in over 100,000 illegal border crossers to Roxham Road. It put pressure on our system. Many of those cases were bogus, but we cannot fix stupid. That was a dumb move by the government and a dumb move by the former prime minister.

The Liberals are making policy based on tweets. That is how they run the government. Their failures have led to the trouble we are seeing today. I find it ironic when the Liberals put policy forward saying that they are going to fix the system, that it is a new government, but it is their own doing. They did this. They broke it.

This is going to continue, sadly. We have seen it at the border as well, the Canada-U.S. border, one of the longest borders, an important hub for economics and security. Some $2 billion in trade crosses the border every single day. We have a massive economic opportunity. Most Canadians live 100 kilometres away from the border, so it is an important transportational and logistical hub for us, and we need a system that works for both Canada and the U.S. We can have strong economic ties.

On security, it is even more important to keep Canadians safe. Under the Liberals' watch, we have had record numbers of crime, some of the highest. Gun crime and homicides have gone up. If we look at the border, we have seen a massive rise in guns being smuggled in. While the Liberals might believe that lawful, law-abiding firearms owners are the problem, they are not. I have been a firearms owner for over 15 years. I love going to the range. I am a sport shooter. Folks like me, farmers and hunters are not the problem. The problem is the Liberals' weak, open-border policies.

Toronto police and law enforcement across our country have made it clear that 90% of the guns that come into our country are illegal guns. Criminals are not using guns from lawful gun owners. They are smuggling them in through the border. Those guns are now in our communities. They are being used for organized crime. They are being used to kill children. If we cannot secure the border and stop that from happening, we are going to keep losing Canadians.

We now have cartels operating in our country, seven, under the Liberals' watch, under their soft-on-crime and open border policies. They have failed to secure our border. We have seven cartels that are illegally moving around drugs, laundering money and pushing guns, yet the Liberals have the audacity to stand up in the House and say they are going to fix the problem. They are the problem. It is them and their failed policies.

It continues. Drugs keep being pushed in. Oxford County is on the 401 and 403, and it has become, sadly, a hub for drugs being brought into our community. I was talking with a family member who lost a loved one, a son, because he got addicted to drugs, illegal drugs that were brought into our community through the 401 and 403 corridors. They have had real-life consequences because of the Liberals' failures.

Human trafficking is another huge part of the crime we are seeing in southwestern Ontario. Again, the minister responsible for public safety just puts his hands up and says that he is not going to enforce anything at the border. He was asked about hiring more CBSA officers. He said it was not his job.

We know what the Liberals do. They keep over-promising. They keep recycling the same photo ops. They keep announcing that they are going to hire new personnel, but when the minister was asked how many he had hired so far, the answer was zero. They have not hired any frontline officers. When asked when he would do it and why he had not done it, he put his hands up and said that it was not his responsibility. Well, whose responsibility is it? He is the minister responsible. He owes it to every single Canadian to do his job.

Sadly, it is the Liberals who have broken our system. Canada's Conservatives will always stand for law-abiding Canadians. We will invest in securing our borders. We will ensure that repeat violent offenders who commit crimes are locked up and put behind bars, and we will make sure that we fix the broken immigration system so that all Canadians can achieve their full potential.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 5:25 p.m.

Winnipeg North Manitoba

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite did it all while reflecting on the Conservative tough-on-crime policy and amplified the idea that Canada is broken. I would say to the member opposite that Canada is, in fact, not broken. We continue to work with provinces to deal with issues like bail reform, because it is a shared responsibility.

The hon. member sits right behind the leader of the official opposition, and the leader of the official opposition did something despicable over the last week. He called RCMP officers, in particular the head of the RCMP, “despicable”.

The RCMP is an institution that is recognized around the world as positive. Does the member believe that the leader of the Conservative Party should apologize?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 5:25 p.m.

Conservative

Arpan Khanna Conservative Oxford, ON

Mr. Speaker, it is the Liberals' policies that have destroyed almost every single aspect of our country today. It is their failures, mismanagement, negligence and incompetence that have led our country to be in the state it is in today.

I am proud to say that my jail not bail act has the support of police officers and law enforcement from all levels. I am very excited that we are going to keep this conversation going.

We will always stand with law enforcement on this side of the House.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 5:25 p.m.

Conservative

Pat Kelly Conservative Calgary Crowfoot, AB

Mr. Speaker, during his speech, my colleague made reference to the tweet that resulted in the conflation of economic migrants and asylum seekers. When he mentioned this tweet, which single-handedly broke the asylum system, he was heckled by the Liberal benches. One member in the Liberal benches called it the best tweet ever, so it would seem that the Liberal government has learned nothing, certainly the members on its benches.

I thought I should bring it to this member's attention to see if he had any comments on it.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 5:25 p.m.

Conservative

Arpan Khanna Conservative Oxford, ON

Mr. Speaker, it is this type of behaviour that has caused the crisis we see today.

The Liberals are making policy on Twitter and are making policy on a paper napkin, but it has real consequences for Canadians. The 100,000 folks coming across our border put pressure on our system, and it broke a system that was once the best in the world and actually helped those who are being persecuted.

What do we get with the Liberals? They heckle and mudsling and try to distract, deny and obstruct. That is the Liberal way, and in the last 10 years, that is the way they have been doing things. It will change under a Conservative government when that happens.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 5:30 p.m.

Bloc

Rhéal Fortin Bloc Rivière-du-Nord, QC

Mr. Speaker, I raised the issue of investments earlier. There is a shortage of personnel to carry out public safety inspections at ports and airports. I am very interested in this issue. Implementing these provisions also presents a number of other challenges.

I wonder if my colleague can enlighten me. In his opinion, what measures should be put in place to strengthen border security, without necessarily passing a bunch of new legislation, but with a focus on concrete action to make it work?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 5:30 p.m.

Conservative

Arpan Khanna Conservative Oxford, ON

Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague raised a great point. The Liberal government is wasting over $700 million in a gun-grab scam. That money should be put toward frontline officers at our borders and in the RCMP. Let us put the money where the boots are on the ground and where we can actually enforce and protect Canadians.

The Liberals, in the past, have put money in bureaucracy and have put money in nice office towers in Ottawa. That money should be put on the ground, where people can do their jobs. We need more scanners, CBSA officers and security.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 5:30 p.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh!

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 5:30 p.m.

Conservative

Arpan Khanna Conservative Oxford, ON

Mr. Speaker, they are heckling again. They are heckling because they cannot handle the truth. It is their fault and we are going to fix it.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 5:30 p.m.

Brampton North—Caledon Ontario

Liberal

Ruby Sahota LiberalSecretary of State (Combatting Crime)

Mr. Speaker, I want to start by sharing a recent experience I had when I went to a Canada Post mailing facility. The Liberal government, in 2019, was the first government ever to put scanners in place at our mailing and courier facilities. This has resulted in many weapons and drugs being seized that were coming into our country through the postal centre I went to. What our government did there was done at many ports as well, and we will continue to invest.

I am so happy to stand today to talk about Bill C-12, because this bill would strengthen Canada's immigration system and borders act. It is a crucial piece of legislation that would address the evolving and complex challenges of crime that our country faces. This bill is about protecting Canadians, securing our borders and equipping our law enforcement agencies with the modern tools they need to combat sophisticated criminal networks.

As hon. members will recall, this bill builds upon Bill C-2 and has been introduced so that we can accelerate key legislative changes. These changes are focused on four primary areas that would significantly bolster our fight against crime. Under Bill C-12, we would secure our borders against illicit goods, combat transnational organized crime, disrupt illicit financing and enhance information sharing between law enforcement agencies.

Our borders are the first line of defence against illegal goods and criminal activity. Bill C-12 introduces key amendments to the Customs Act that would modernize our border security framework. Under these amendments, the Canada Border Services Agency officers would be given new authority to access warehouses and transportation hubs to inspect goods that are being exported. This would close a critical gap in our enforcement and would prevent criminals from using Canada as a launching point for their illegal activities.

The Customs Act would be amended in order to obligate transporters and warehouse operators to provide access to their premises to allow for export inspections by CBSA officers. Furthermore, amendments would require owners and operators of certain ports of entry to provide facilities for export inspections, just as they currently do for imports. These changes would strengthen the CBSA's ability to detect and seize contraband for export, including illicit goods such as fentanyl and stolen vehicles.

The bill would also further expand our maritime security. The Oceans Act would be amended to allow the Canadian Coast Guard to conduct security patrols and intelligence operations. This would strengthen our sovereignty and surveillance capabilities, particularly in remote regions like the Arctic, to better detect threats to our country.

Finally, Bill C-12 would further our efforts to tackle auto theft by targeting vulnerabilities in the export process. This bill would help curb the flow of stolen Canadian vehicles out of our country.

I forgot to mention at the beginning of my speech that I will be sharing my time with the member for Trois-Rivières.

International organized crime networks pose one of the most significant threats to public safety in Canada. Bill C-12 directly targets these groups in several ways.

First, it aims to stop the flow of fentanyl. The bill would amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act to accelerate the scheduling of precursor chemicals. This would give the Minister of Health the power to rapidly control chemicals used to produce illicit drugs, allowing law enforcement and border agencies to act swiftly and shut down illegal manufacturing.

Second, Bill C-12 includes measures that would disrupt illicit financing and money laundering. It would increase maximum penalties for violations of Canada's anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing regime. Money laundering supports and perpetuates criminal activity by allowing criminals, such as fentanyl traffickers, to benefit from their illicit activities. Strong and effective anti-money laundering controls are, therefore, a critical component of a secure Canada-U.S. border. This bill proposes a comprehensive set of amendments to help ensure businesses and professionals are effective in detecting and deterring the money laundering and organized criminal networks that support and perpetuate fentanyl trafficking and other economically motivated crimes.

Bill C-12 also aims to improve the capacity of law enforcement to respond to complex criminal challenges. It would enhance the RCMP's ability to share information on registered sex offenders with domestic and international law enforcement partners. Currently, registered Canadian sex offenders are required to report any international travel 14 days prior to their departure. Once reported, the RCMP conducts a risk assessment and provides notification to the destination country that the individual is travelling to, when warranted. As currently written, the threshold for sharing this information is high. Adjusting the legislative threshold would enhance the RCMP's ability to share this information with key law enforcement or government partners, including the United States, to prevent or investigate crimes of a sexual nature. Addressing these issues would strengthen the RCMP's ability to protect public safety both within Canada and abroad.

We owe it to Canadians to do all that we can to keep them and their families safe. The government has taken and continues to take action, and we know this legislation would help us to further reduce crime. Bill C-12 is a proactive response to modern crime, providing border agents and police with the tools they need to disrupt criminal networks. By passing this legislation, we will be strengthening our borders and protecting our communities.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 5:35 p.m.

Conservative

Ned Kuruc Conservative Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON

Mr. Speaker, we have heard a lot from the Liberal speakers today. A simple question is whether they are talking to Canadians in their ridings or are they stuck in this echo chamber where they believe that by talking to themselves, they will find the answers.

I was in the member's riding yesterday and over 1,000 people from Brampton came out to the crime town hall, and they have had enough. They lined up out the door to give their testimonies and complaints. They are sick of extortion, guns, crime, drugs and fentanyl, as the member mentioned. All the Liberals have given us lip service.

Is the member actually speaking to people in her city?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 5:40 p.m.

Liberal

Ruby Sahota Liberal Brampton North—Caledon, ON

Mr. Speaker, we brought forward several pieces of legislation that address crime. It is exactly because I am speaking to people in my community. I would ask the same of the member who was in Brampton the other day. One of the big issues we are seeing is organized crime committing extortions, home invasions and auto theft. This bill would help support those in law enforcement and give them the tools they need.

The reason we needed to amend the previous bill that was tabled is that the Conservatives fed into TikTok rumours and misinformation and did not allow us to bring forward lawful access, which would further help solve and investigate a lot of these serious crimes. That is what law enforcement is asking for.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 5:40 p.m.

Bloc

Gabriel Ste-Marie Bloc Joliette—Manawan, QC

Mr. Speaker, in order for customs officers to be able to do their jobs properly, more officers need to be hired. The union says that the Canada Border Services Agency is short between 2,000 and 3,000 officers.

During the last election campaign, the Liberal Party platform said that it would hire 1,000 additional RCMP officers and 1,000 CBSA officers. The 1,000 RCMP officers were mentioned in the throne speech, but the 1,000 CBSA officers were not. Let me repeat that the union has said that it needs between 2,000 and 3,000 officers.

Will the government commit to hiring them?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 5:40 p.m.

Liberal

Ruby Sahota Liberal Brampton North—Caledon, ON

Mr. Speaker, I have heard the union refer to this number. It is not a number that I was made aware of ahead of time. Of course, there are vacancies. We look forward and have every intention of filling vacancies for positions that are important. The 1,000 new officers would be above and beyond any current existing vacancies.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 5:40 p.m.

Winnipeg North Manitoba

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, to pick up on the question that was just posed, what I like about the legislation is that the new Prime Minister along with our new minister have done a fantastic job of presenting a comprehensive approach to dealing with the issue. I congratulate her on her appointment to cabinet. Not only do we have this legislation, but there are budgetary commitments for RCMP officers and border control officers.

Could she provide her perspective as to why it was important to have a holistic approach to deal with this critical issue?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 5:40 p.m.

Liberal

Ruby Sahota Liberal Brampton North—Caledon, ON

Mr. Speaker, when I travelled throughout the summer talking to members of law enforcement across the country, they made it very clear that of course when we bring in new officers, those officers will need resources, tools and systems in place.

I was really happy to see the finance minister announce today that the upcoming budget will have further investments on cracking down on financing crime. That is very important. We are facing astronomical losses through cybercrime and crime in the finance sector. Those investments will be coming forward in the budget along with these investments for the new officers in the RCMP and CBSA.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 5:40 p.m.

Conservative

Jeff Kibble Conservative Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite mentioned security patrols and intelligence operations, yet the Coast Guard does not have the equipment and capability for that. It will take a significant amount of time for a cultural shift and to retrofit military-style equipment and systems.

Do the Liberals intend to equip and arm the Coast Guard to meet the mandate and tasking they are giving to it in this bill?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 5:40 p.m.

Liberal

Ruby Sahota Liberal Brampton North—Caledon, ON

Mr. Speaker, absolutely. That was a great question. This government is in place to do things differently, to do big things. That is why we have historic investments at our border and in our defence capabilities. This is one part of that piece of the puzzle.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 5:45 p.m.

Trois-Rivières Québec

Liberal

Caroline Desrochers LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure

Mr. Speaker, before I begin, I would like to acknowledge that we are gathered on the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe people.

I rise today to speak to how the legislative changes proposed in Bill C‑12 will continue to uphold our humanitarian tradition and due process, while focusing resources on those in need and improving confidence in our asylum system. Canadians expect a robust, efficient and responsive immigration system.

The changes we are proposing would strengthen and streamline Canada's asylum and immigration systems. They include new rules on which asylum seekers may be referred to the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, or IRB, as well as on how claims are received, processed and adjudicated.

Under this act, the federal government will no longer refer the following claims to the IRB: claims made more than a year after a person first arrived after June 24, 2020, and claims made 14 days or more after a person enters Canada illegally between border crossings.

The changes are intended to help protect our system from a sudden influx of applications, as well as from people who want to use the asylum system to extend their stay in Canada when other mechanisms fail. Let us be clear: Canada's asylum system is not a shortcut. We do not want to use this bill to turn away people who have a well-founded fear for their safety if they were returned to their country of origin. In these cases, applications would be referred to the removal process, which includes the possibility of requesting a pre-removal risk assessment, also known as a PRRA.

People can request a PRRA when they believe they have a well-founded fear of being returned to a situation where they would be exposed to persecution, torture or other serious harm, for example. This safeguard ensures that changes to our asylum system do not undermine our commitment to protecting the world's most vulnerable people.

The PRRA complies with Canada's obligations under international human rights and refugee conventions. It is a well-established mechanism that operates within a broader system today, offering individuals who are facing removal the opportunity to demonstrate that they would be at risk of persecution or harm if they were returned.

A request for a risk assessment may reveal information, such as conditions in their country of origin or personal circumstances, that makes their return dangerous. These may include, for example, political and economic upheavals, armed conflicts, or a country's changing social dynamics.

Similarly, personal circumstances, such as visibility in activism or family dynamics, can increase the risk of harm if these people return to their country. Risk assessments ensure that these factors are thoroughly examined before a removal order is issued. They are carried out by trained officers who carefully assess the credibility and significance of the evidence presented. It is a rigorous process, based on a thorough understanding of risk and refugee law.

The importance of such a process cannot be overstated. Without it, we would lack an essential safety net and there would be a risk of irreversible harm to individuals.

Canada's pre-removal risk assessment process gives people a fair opportunity to present evidence while ensuring that each case is reviewed thoroughly. This process is supported by a large amount of detailed data on conditions in the country and by agents trained to assess risk with a high degree of expertise and sensitivity to individual circumstances. This approach highlights the importance of the pre-removal risk assessment process in maintaining Canada's strong tradition of refugee protection.

The PRRA process also prevents legislative changes to our asylum system from inadvertently exposing people to harm. It is a safety net that lets decision-makers modernize and strengthen various aspects of our immigration framework, knowing that a loophole exists.

By simplifying initial asylum decisions, reducing backlogs and modernizing pathways to protection, the PRRA is an essential safeguard that gives us the confidence we need to innovate responsibly.

It is important to keep in mind that the PRRA is not a tool for delaying legal removals. Rather, it ensures that every individual is reviewed based on the most recent information and circumstances to take full account of any risks they face and to avoid putting anyone in danger.

All of us here in the House and in the Senate have a duty to ensure that Canada's immigration and asylum system mirrors our values of compassion and fairness, while meeting the needs of a changing global context and addressing the pressures confronting Canadians today.

The pre-removal risk assessment process reflects this balance. It reassures Canadians that, while we are taking urgent and necessary steps to strengthen our immigration system, we are doing so without compromising our commitment to protecting human life and dignity.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 5:50 p.m.

Conservative

Marc Dalton Conservative Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC

Mr. Speaker, I just finished reading, over the past couple of hours, emails from people in my constituency, and elsewhere, who are concerned about their rights and freedoms being eroded. They are concerned that the bills the Liberals are bringing forward are being used to suppress their rights and also increase the power of the state. This was brought forward during the debate on Bill C‑2; Conservatives are also concerned about this bill.

Can the Liberal parliamentary secretary speak to the fact that law-abiding Canadians feel like they are being criminalized and that the Liberals are not standing up against real criminals?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 5:50 p.m.

Liberal

Caroline Desrochers Liberal Trois-Rivières, QC

Mr. Speaker, perhaps my colleague could have taken the time to read Bill C‑12. We understand the situation very well, and we have been listening to Canadians. We took certain things out of the bill for the moment, things that require further consideration and study. This will result in a better thought-out and more thorough bill.

However, there are some things that Canadians expect us to put in place right away. That is what we are doing with this bill. Canadians expect our streets to be safer, our Coast Guard to have the responsibility it deserves and our immigration system to be used properly.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 5:50 p.m.

Winnipeg North Manitoba

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the comments from my colleague; they were well-thought out. The question I have for her is more about a process issue. A lot of the questions and comments we hear from the opposition, particularly from the Bloc, have been fairly supportive about wanting to have more dialogue on the issue. Going through second reading into committee, members are afforded all sorts of opportunities to ask questions, debate, listen to stakeholders and so forth.

Can the member provide her thoughts on how important it is that legislation of this nature actually passes through the system?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 5:50 p.m.

Liberal

Caroline Desrochers Liberal Trois-Rivières, QC

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal Party is the party that listens to people, that listens to consensus, and is not afraid of going back to a project and making sure it is as strong as possible. That is why we are moving forward with Bill C-12 and removing the part that members across the aisle have asked us to study further, which is what we are doing, and we are moving forward with the project that brought consensus across the aisle with other parties. We need to implement this as soon as possible.

The other side continues to talk about crime. We are putting forward many projects to deal with crime and we keep getting blocked by our colleagues who say it is their biggest issue, but they are not at the table to make it better.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 5:55 p.m.

Conservative

Frank Caputo Conservative Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola, BC

Mr. Speaker, it is always a pleasure to rise on behalf of the people of Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola. I thank my colleague across the way for her intervention. She talked about blocking things on crime.

Earlier this morning, we had second reading of a bill on intimate partner violence, the most groundbreaking change in intimate partner violence that this House has ever seen, and the Liberals will not signal support for it. Bailey McCourt's family was watching and was appalled by the behaviour of the Liberals. I know that because they told me.

How, on one hand, can the member say they are listening to Canadians and, on the other hand, do something that is so blatantly contrary to Canadians' interests?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 5:55 p.m.

Liberal

Caroline Desrochers Liberal Trois-Rivières, QC

Mr. Speaker, contrary to what the opposition continues to say, as it continues to put forward slogans, we are actually taking action.

We were elected to take action, and we have taken action. We will continue to take action to protect Canadians, to protect our streets and to protect against gender-based violence. We are doing that.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 5:55 p.m.

Liberal

Arielle Kayabaga Liberal London West, ON

Mr. Speaker, I am very happy to rise on this bill and talk about what our government is working on.

The Prime Minister has already outlined seven priorities for our government, and one of them is being able to attract the best talent in the world to help build our economy while keeping our immigration levels in a sustainable way. Today, I rise to speak on that and to support Bill C-12, the proposed strengthening Canada's immigration system and borders act. This bill is about getting that balance right. It would strengthen our immigration and asylum systems, improve information sharing and ensure that our borders are ready for the realities of a changing world.

Immigration has for so long been part of our country's story. It has been part of our past and our present; it will continue to be part of our future. It fuels our workforce, builds our communities and keep our economy growing, but as the world changes, we need systems that keep pace; we need systems that are fair, fast and firm.

We live in a time when migration patterns are shifting. Conflicts are driving displacement, and technology is changing how people move across borders. Fraud has become more sophisticated. Organized crime and human trafficking networks have become more active. However, Bill C-12 would ensure that Canada's systems stay strong, credible and compassionate, and protect both our humanitarian obligations and our national interests.

The first set of reforms would modernize Canada's asylum system, making it faster, fairer and more transparent. Right now, multiple departments often handle the same files, duplicating work and creating backlogs. Bill C-12 would fix those issues by creating a single intake system for asylum claims, which means that we would have less red tape, faster decisions and no more confusion about who is responsible for what in getting through these systems.

Under the new system, only hearing-ready cases would go before the Immigration and Refugee Board, which means background checks and identity verification would be completed first. This would reduce unnecessary delays and ensure that decisions are based on full information for the people who are making those decisions. The bill would also provide the board authority to remove abandoned and incomplete claims. If someone stops responding or no longer wishes to pursue their case, officials could close the case and focus on those who truly need protection. Bill C-12 would repeal outdated measures, like designated country of origin regime, a policy that no longer reflects the realities of modern migration. Together, these changes would create a faster, more complete and efficient asylum system that would protect the integrity of the process and at the same time uphold Canada's humanitarian tradition.

The bill would strengthen the integrity of our borders and make it clear that those who deliberately delay filing a claim or who try to reset the clock by re-entering Canada would not be able to bypass our laws. It would introduce new eligibility rules; for example, claims filed more than a year after arrival may be deemed ineligible, and those who cross irregularly between ports of entry or avoid the safe third country agreement would not be referred to the Immigration and Refugee Board. It would protect our asylum system from being overwhelmed and would allow Canada to focus resources on people who genuinely come here looking for protection. It is about protecting and compassion with order.

We, as a country, will remain open to those who are most vulnerable. Our borders will remain open to those who are truly fleeing persecution around the world. That is who we have been and that is who we will continue to be, but we must do so in a way that keeps our borders more secure and processes very credible.

Bill C-12 would bring our immigration system into the modern age of data and technology. For too long, different departments and provinces have worked in silos, and information gaps have slowed down processing, creating unnecessary duplication and adding unnecessary costs. Bill C-12 would enable secure, modern information sharing across federal departments, provinces and territories and trusted partners with strong privacy safeguards built in.

This would mean that newcomers could access housing, health care and settlement programs much sooner. It would mean that law enforcement and border officials could better detect fraud and identity theft. It would also mean fewer delays for people waiting to build their lives here in Canada.

All privacy protections would remain robust. The framework was reviewed by the Department of Justice and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner. Every agreement will be written, every safeguard explicit and every disclosure accountable under the law.

Bill C-12 would give the government tools to respond to major or unforeseen challenges, whether that means a humanitarian crisis, a surge in irregular migration or even a global emergency, as we have, in the past, experienced. It would allow immigration documents like visas, electronic travel authorizations and permits to be temporarily suspended or cancelled only when it is within the public interest, for example in cases of widespread fraud or security threats. This would not be an overreach; it is about remaining robust in protecting Canadians and remaining prepared.

We will ensure that Canada can act quickly and responsibly when a situation demands it. These powers would be exercised with transparency, oversight and respect for due process.

We have to act now because the pressures are real. The world has seen record levels of displacement. In 2023 alone, more than 110 million people were forcibly displaced worldwide. Irregular migration has increased, and the systems we built 20 years ago were not designed for the scale or speed we are seeing today. If we do not modernize, we risk losing both control and compassion.

Canadians have an expectation of their government to manage immigration responsibly, and that is exactly what we are going to do. We are going to uphold fairness for newcomers and confidence for citizens, and we are sure that Bill C-12 is going to accomplish exactly that. It would replace outdated frameworks with a smarter, more adaptive model, one that serves people and protects Canada's borders with integrity.

It is fair to say there are concerns about how these reforms would work in practice. Advocates have asked that we preserve strong pathways for people facing new risks after arrival. Those voices completely matter and we are listening. The committee review will be an important part of that process where we will listen, take up amendments and the advice we are hearing from experts and make sure this bill is ready and prepared to do exactly what the spirit behind it is.

Let us be clear. Bill C-12 would not weaken Canada's tradition of protection. It would strengthen it by ensuring the system is credible, efficient and able to deliver on its promises. A broken system helps absolutely no one in Canada, not claimants, not Canadians and not those who need urgent protections. A strong system, however, serves everyone better.

Immigration is not only a humanitarian issue in Canada; it is an economic one. Our economy has often depended on attracting skilled workers, entrepreneurs and families that contribute to our communities. However, when the system is backlogged, confidence drops and opportunities are lost along the way. Bill C-12 would ensure that the immigration system continues to be a driver of growth for everyone involved, while at the same time protecting the integrity that makes Canada's approach the envy of the world.

For employers, it means predictability. For newcomers, it means clarity. For Canadians, it means confidence that immigration remains both fair and beneficial. This is not just about processing applications or updating databases, but about modern governance and a government that learns, adapts and delivers for its people. Bill C-12 embodies that principle. It would make government work smarter, focusing resources on what matters most, removing duplication and strengthening our accountability. It reflects a new way of governing, one that combines compassion with discipline and policy with delivery.

To conclude, Bill C-12 is about making our system work better for people. It would make asylum claim processing faster and more efficient, it would strengthen coordination across all departments, it would improve the integrity of our borders and it would uphold what defines us as Canadians. I know that in this House, many colleagues came to this country to become Canadians and are able to serve the communities that have hosted them and given them a second chance at life because of our system and because Canadians trust our immigration system.

How much better is it that we all work together in this House to strengthen the system that many of us, including me, are so proud of? It is a system that works and allows a child who was a refugee surviving a genocide to become a member of Parliament in this House. That is what we are talking about.

Canadians are good people. Canadians are compassionate people, and they want this system to work. The polarization around immigration is not beneficial for Canada. Canadians want us members of Parliament from all parties to work together to address issues when we see them, and I think this bill would do exactly that. It would uphold what defines us as Canadians.

This is a thoughtful and forward-looking bill that would manage immigration in a way that supports our economy and protects those who seek safety here and, at the same time, in a way that upholds our values and who we are as a country. It is about building a system that Canadians can trust and newcomers can count on. I invite the many members of this House who I know have been beneficiaries of the system to stand up for it, to work together to fix it, to stop talking down Canadians and our institutions, and to believe in this country, which many of us have called home for many years.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 6:05 p.m.

Conservative

Vincent Ho Conservative Richmond Hill South, ON

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are pushing their so-called strengthening Canada's immigration system and borders act, yet illegal border crossings have surged under their watch, and the system has never been more out of control. Federal health care spending for asylum claimants has now ballooned to nearly half a billion dollars a year, covering vision care, home care and assistive devices, benefits that millions of hard-working Canadians are not even covered for. Meanwhile, hard-working and law-abiding families in Richmond Hill cannot find a family doctor and are waiting months for basic treatment.

Canadians are compassionate, but they also expect fairness. Why does the Liberal government believe that illegal border crossers deserve gold-plated health care that Canadian citizens themselves do not even receive? When will this unfairness finally end and when will the Liberals finally put Canadians first?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 6:10 p.m.

Liberal

Arielle Kayabaga Liberal London West, ON

Mr. Speaker, I am not sure if the member opposite was listening to my speech. I do not think he was, because it looked like he was reading a question he prepared way before I made it.

Maybe I can ask the member opposite why he is so intent on attacking our systems. Recently, he put forward a motion to deal with DEI, for example. Perhaps he can start with DEI on his side of the aisle. When he works on that system, he can come back and tell the rest of Canada how we can deal with DEI.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 6:10 p.m.

Bloc

Luc Thériault Bloc Montcalm, QC

Mr. Speaker, in her speech, my colleague said that this bill would do what it needs to do and that, among other things, it would ensure the integrity of the border. Good intentions aside, a bill is only good insofar as it can be effective on the ground.

We are reportedly 2,000 to 3,000 border officers short of the number we would need to keep the border secure. Will her government act now to ensure that the resources needed for this bill to be effective are coordinated before its passage?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 6:10 p.m.

Liberal

Arielle Kayabaga Liberal London West, ON

Mr. Speaker, that is a very good question. I have listened carefully to most of the speeches by the Bloc Québécois members, and I believe that they largely agree with us that we need to work to make this system better.

I was in Windsor last week to announce additional measures to hire more border officers across Canada. The Prime Minister is very focused on that.

I think that if my colleague has other points he wants to raise to move this bill forward effectively, that could also be done in committee, which would allow us to move forward.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 6:10 p.m.

Winnipeg North Manitoba

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the many words that my hon. colleague put on the record.

The question I have for her is about recognizing that, through time, there is a need to make changes. Whether it was during the pandemic or in other situations, such as with the demand from post-secondary institutions to have more international students, at times there is a need to bring forward legislation. We have a Prime Minister who was just elected back in April. He made a solemn commitment to bringing in many of the changes we are bringing in today and have brought in in days prior.

I am wondering if the member could provide her thoughts on how this legislation is a reflection of what the Prime Minister has been talking about.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 6:10 p.m.

Liberal

Arielle Kayabaga Liberal London West, ON

Mr. Speaker, this is an excellent question, because it dives deep into what I was talking about.

The many systems in this country that we trust and believe in, like the immigration system, evolve with time, and we have to be willing to evolve with them. This bill addresses an issue that we have seen change over time.

The member talked about the pandemic and different issues we have experienced, including with international students. This is something we have to continue to monitor. That is why we are here and why we were elected. We must legislate these bills and make sure they are up date and can evolve with time.

I talked about technology and how technology plays a role in this new bill. It is just another things showing that we have to grow and adapt to what is happening in the external world around us while keeping Canada as strong as it needs to be.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 6:10 p.m.

Conservative

Jeff Kibble Conservative Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite stated that Bill C-12 does not weaken our system of protection. In the spirit of the Blue Jays in game seven and the “three strikes and you're out” rule, I will ask my question for a third time. Will the Liberals equip, train and arm the Coast Guard to meet the new mandate in the bill, or will they change the mandate?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 6:10 p.m.

Liberal

Arielle Kayabaga Liberal London West, ON

Mr. Speaker, I know the member was in the room when I was making my speech, because I saw him standing a couple of times with his notes. He had his notes prepared before I made my speech.

In my speech, if he had listened intently, and in the answer I just gave to my colleague from the Bloc Québécois, I talked about the fact that we have increased the number of border agents. We are investing in hiring more. There will be more information for the member opposite through budget 2025 on November 4.

We are a government that is committed to hiring law enforcement to meet the needs we are asking of them. If we are going to ask them to do something, we are going to invest in them and make sure they have the right resources, the right tools and the personnel they need for doing that.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 6:15 p.m.

The Deputy Speaker Tom Kmiec

Before I go back to questions and comments, I will just remind all members who are back from a constituency week that we cannot refer to the presence of a member or lack thereof in the House. Whether a member was in the House during a speech or not, we cannot make reference to it.

The member for Rivière‑du‑Nord.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 6:15 p.m.

Bloc

Rhéal Fortin Bloc Rivière-du-Nord, QC

Mr. Speaker, it is clear that Bill C‑12 is basically Bill C‑2 with minor improvements. For one thing, the government has removed the infamous provision that allowed mail to be searched without a warrant from a judge.

Does my colleague agree with us that it was a good idea to remove that provision? If so, why did her government initially propose to allow mail searches without a warrant?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 6:15 p.m.

Liberal

Arielle Kayabaga Liberal London West, ON

Mr. Speaker, I can share a story with the member.

I am sorry. I will address my colleague in French.

What I wanted to say is that I had an opportunity a few weeks ago to speak with a member of the RCMP in my riding. He told me that he once worked in a community where there were no identified cases of fentanyl use. A week after a single package arrived, however, fentanyl was everywhere. By the time the RCMP member left the community, there were about 800 cases of fentanyl use. This shows that a robust mail screening system could have prevented these 800 cases in the small community where he was posted.

We initially presented that proposal because there was demand for it. Now, however, we are introducing a bill that proposes something else. That is not to say that we have lost all confidence. We have confidence that our law enforcement officers can reach their own conclusions about the work that needs to be done. As I said earlier, this kind of collaboration is how we can keep protecting our systems here in Canada.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 6:15 p.m.

Liberal

Tim Watchorn Liberal Les Pays-d'en-Haut, QC

Mr. Speaker, I would like to know why it is important to introduce the elements we are proposing in Bill C‑12 rather than in Bill C‑2, which was introduced initially.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 6:15 p.m.

Liberal

Arielle Kayabaga Liberal London West, ON

Mr. Speaker, as I explained in my speech just now, we were asked to review our approach by stakeholders, and it was in light of the information they supplied that we split this bill. The spirit and idea of wanting to protect our borders are still there.

Last week, as I was saying, I was in Windsor to echo the announcement by the Prime Minister regarding the hiring of 1,000 new officers to work at the borders and ensure Canada's security. We said we would do that during the election campaign and we will continue to do that.

This bill is before us today so that we can discuss it. We will go to committee so that people can discuss it further, and we will reach a consensus that will result in a good bill that our workers want and that they will be able to have.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 6:15 p.m.

Conservative

Sukhman Gill Conservative Abbotsford—South Langley, BC

Mr. Speaker, I want to start by saying I will be splitting my time with the member for Similkameen—South Okanagan—West Kootenay.

It is always a privilege to stand in the House representing the wonderful people of Abbotsford—South Langley. Today, I rise to address many serious issues affecting my community, something I wish I did not have to keep doing over and over again.

Bill C-12 fails to adequately address several key issues within our immigration system and at our borders. While the public safety minister claims that the legislation will make Canada safer, the bill ultimately falls short on delivering on those promises. In my community of Abbotsford—South Langley, a major border crossing and hot spot for illicit drugs and arms smuggling, this failure is very real with real consequences.

I have stood in this chamber numerous times to raise concerns about extortion and the rising wave of gun violence that is occurring, terrorizing our neighbourhoods and communities. We are calling for stronger border security, yet the Liberals have turned a blind eye, ignoring the urgent need to secure our borders, toughen crime laws and prioritize the safety of victims over the interests of gun smugglers, gangsters and violent criminals. My community members should not have to live in fear wondering if they will be the next victim of a drive-by shooting, or worry that their children might be hit with a stray bullet while sleeping in their bedroom or playing at the park.

Securing Canada's borders and being tough on crime means giving our citizens peace of mind that illegal firearms and harmful drugs are not flooding our streets. Why do the Liberals not understand these basic measures? The Liberals' track record says it all. They are not serious about securing our borders or keeping Canadians safe. According to Health Canada and the latest figures, there were a total of 49,000 opioid deaths reported between January 2016 and June 2024. Many were due to drug ingredients trafficked from China and Mexico.

The Washington Post reported in December 2023 that fentanyl super labs in Canada are producing mass amounts of drugs as well. The super labs that police are finding in Canada differ because they are synthesizing the drug with chemicals sourced primarily from China. In Langley, British Columbia, in my own community, police recently uncovered a super lab containing enough fentanyl and materials to kill 95 million people. Langley authorities also reported on how this super lab was capable of producing multiple kilograms of fentanyl on a weekly basis, yet this bill still lacks mandatory prison sentences for fentanyl traffickers. This is just disgraceful.

To make matters worse, with so many lives lost, the Liberals continue to push for safe consumption sites near schools. Conservatives urged the Liberals at the health committee to shut down fentanyl consumption sites located close to schools and children for their safety. However, the Liberals and the Liberal health minister refused to rule out approving even more sites near schools and day cares, despite admitting these locations have become hot spots for rampant fentanyl use.

In my riding, the Liberals are planning to slap a safe consumption site right across the street from a school. I have spoken with many parents, such as the parents from the Abbotsford Traditional School and those in the PAC that is also responsible for the school. They are genuinely concerned for their children's safety. They want to know what is happening in our communities. It is troubling. I find myself asking, alongside them, the same question, as this is truly concerning for our communities and children. Is this the Canada our children should be brought up in?

If that was not bad enough, the Liberals' own public safety minister admits he will not even do his job to keep Canada safe. He has stated that he is not responsible for hiring a thousand new CBSA agents. Why are Canadians paying him? His role is to protect Canadians by securing our borders, and right now, he is failing at that. We are not expecting him to do the job interviews himself, but we expect him to follow through, do his job and hire agents accordingly. The fact is that fewer than a hundred agents have been hired. This is simply unacceptable.

To make matters worse, gun crime under the Liberal government has risen by 116% over the past nine years, and the Toronto Police Association reports that 85% of gun crimes involve illegal firearms trafficked from the United States, yet the Liberal government will still allow some of the worst criminals to receive house arrest. How exactly is this supposed to make Canadians feel safe?

Canadian agencies have identified 350 organized crime rings inside our country, including 63 linked to international groups from China and Mexico. The Liberal government allowed multiple ISIS terrorists into Canada, including one who was caught desecrating a body abroad and who was later charged with planning attacks in Canada.

In 2022, a senior Iranian official was banned from entering Canada due to human rights abuses and terrorism, yet several investigations into Iranian agents on Canadian soil remain open. We know the government has lost 600 foreign nationals with criminal records, and over 400 of those evading the government are convicted of serious criminality right here in Canada. The government has openly admitted it has lost track of how many people are living in Canada illegally.

In my own riding, a sergeant from the Abbotsford Police Department reported that in my community there have been 60 incidents involving border jumpers on just one road alone. It is obvious that in my community there is an urgent need for border security and that it remains insecure, yet this bill fails to adequately address these concerns and serves as nothing more than Liberal empty promises.

Conservatives are focused on making sure we prioritize Canadians' safety. Conservatives forced the Liberals to retreat from Bill C-2, which threatened Canadians' freedoms and privacy, as we believe wholeheartedly that law-abiding Canadians should never be made to pay for the government's failures on borders and immigration.

We will continue to defend Canadians' privacy and demand that the Liberals become tough on crime, end their soft-on-crime sentencing for serious violent repeat offenders, put a stop to drug trafficking that kills a record number of Canadians, secure our porous borders that risk this country's very own fabric and put criminals behind bars where they belong.

It is my duty to stand up for my constituents and to hold the government accountable. I will continue to fight for meaningful action to restore the safety every Canadian deserves. The minister opposite may claim the border is secure, but it is easy to say that when the evidence and statistics my colleagues and I continue to raise are ignored.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 6:25 p.m.

Winnipeg North Manitoba

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, Bill C-12, a substantial piece of legislation that would make our borders secure, is complemented by literally hundreds of millions of dollars of commitments, increases in the number of Canada border control officers and increases in the number of RCMP officers.

The member spent a great deal of his time talking about the need for bail reform. The good news is that bail reform will also be coming very soon.

The issue I have with the member and the Conservative caucus is that they have this persistence in not allowing things to get to the committee stage, specifically when dealing with crime-related issues. I am wondering if he can explain to those who might be following the debate why the Conservative Party is so resistant to allowing things to go to committee in a timely fashion, where Canadians and stakeholders could give direct input to members, who can continue to debate it at committee.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 6:25 p.m.

Conservative

Sukhman Gill Conservative Abbotsford—South Langley, BC

Mr. Speaker, the truth is that Canadians are worse off now than ever. There is extortion happening in my community in Surrey, British Columbia, as well as in Abbotsford. It is happening repeatedly. The crime rates are higher now than ever. We need to make sure we can take care of our communities now and that we are bringing forward legislation that is not the watered down legislation of the Liberals. Conservatives are bringing forward the “three strikes and you're out” rule, which is what we need to implement safety on our streets and in our communities.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 6:25 p.m.

Bloc

Luc Thériault Bloc Montcalm, QC

Mr. Speaker, the Standing Committee on Health spent a year working on the toxic drug crisis. All the experts said that cracking down on clandestine labs was absolutely crucial. One way to do this is to take action on the precursors, in other words, the substances used to make illicit drugs.

Part 2 of Bill C‑12 gives the Minister of Health the authority to better regulate these precursors. I would like to hear my colleague's thoughts on part 2 of the bill.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 6:25 p.m.

Conservative

Sukhman Gill Conservative Abbotsford—South Langley, BC

Mr. Speaker, the truth is that the health minister has allowed drugs to be poured into our country. In my home riding alone, I can give the example of how there is going to be another safe supply housing site that is going to be opened up across from a school, which is going to allow illicit drugs to be smuggled around the area. This is what we see as concerning. This is what we see as the whole problem. We should not allow these safe consumption sites in our communities or in Canada overall.

What Conservatives are going to do is eliminate all of these challenges that the government is putting forward and make sure that we can take drugs out of the picture for everyone.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 6:30 p.m.

Conservative

Frank Caputo Conservative Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola, BC

Mr. Speaker, it is always a pleasure to rise on behalf of the people of Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola.

My colleague, the member for Winnipeg North, just talked about how Conservatives do not want crime legislation to go to committee, which is completely misguided. However, I find it quite rich that, earlier today, I spoke to a bill on intimate partner violence, which would bring the greatest change for intimate partner violence that the House has ever seen. In fact, the aunt of an intimate partner who was murdered saw the member's conduct, and I am paraphrasing, but she was disgusted by what was said and the notion of the Liberal argument on this point also made by the parliamentary secretary.

How can the Liberals say on the one hand that Conservatives do not want things to go to committee, but on the other hand, stand against a bill on intimate partner violence?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 6:30 p.m.

Conservative

Sukhman Gill Conservative Abbotsford—South Langley, BC

Mr. Speaker, my colleague is absolutely right. On this side of the House, we are really concerned. Families are reaching out to us concerned, now more than ever, as we are affected by intimate partner violence and by these big drug dens that are affecting our communities.

As of now, we want to make sure that we can be here to raise the voices of the people of our communities, because the government is just giving us big scenarios and big-mouth words, as the Liberals always do. They never deliver what the people from our community need.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 20th, 2025 / 6:30 p.m.

Conservative

Helena Konanz Conservative Similkameen—South Okanagan—West Kootenay, BC

Mr. Speaker, I rise again on behalf of the people of Similkameen—South Okanagan—West Kootenay to speak to Bill C-12, , an act respecting certain measures relating to the security of Canada's borders and the integrity of the Canadian immigration system.

This bill is of critical importance to my constituents, especially those living in border communities along the B.C.-Washington State line. We have six crossings: Osoyoos, Midway, Rossland, Grand Forks, Cawston and Rock Creek. This is a very mountainous terrain and one of the longest sections of border between Canada and the United States.

Our entire riding is on the front lines of serious challenges: cross-border crime, drug trafficking and illegal weapons smuggling. Crime rates in communities throughout the riding of Similkameen—South Okanagan—West Kootenay have soared in the past decade. Sadly, the federal government has been slow to respond. Conservatives have long pushed for concrete measures to strengthen border security and disrupt criminal networks. For years, the Trudeau Liberals chose to look the other way.

Bill C-12 is an improvement, but only because Conservatives and Canadians pushed back against the original version, Bill C-2. I received so many emails about Bill C-2 from people who were extremely concerned about Liberal overreach again. As Conservatives, we have argued that this had much less to do with strong borders and, of course, much more to do with government overreach.

Let us be clear. If the Liberals had passed Bill C-2 unopposed, they would have granted themselves sweeping powers, including letting Canada Post open my private mail and other people's without a warrant, allowing warrantless access to Canadians' personal data, and forcing tech companies to re-engineer their platforms for easier government surveillance. Those proposals were not about protecting our borders. They were about infringing on law-abiding Canadians' privacy. That is a victory for Canadians and for democracy, but vigilance is still required.

Let us examine the government's track record. Since 2015, there has been a 632% increase in U.S. border patrol encounters involving people illegally crossing from the U.S. into Canada, many of whom are linked to drug and firearms trafficking. In Canada, 350 organized crime groups have been identified, yet instead of targeting gangs and smugglers, the Liberals have spent millions harassing licensed, law-abiding firearms owners with arbitrary bans that do nothing to make our communities safer. Meanwhile, gun crime is up 116% and 85% of gun offences involve illegal firearms from the United States from that porous border for the last decade.

Our border is dangerously understaffed. Mark Weber, national president of the Customs and Immigration Union, says the CBSA is short 2,000 frontline officers. As well, while the public safety minister keeps reannouncing plans to hire 1,000 agents, when asked why none have been hired yet, he said that he was not responsible for hiring. If he is not responsible for hiring, who is? What is the point of a minister who cannot deliver on his own promises? Even if hiring were to begin today, the CBSA is treading water.

Thanks to sharp questioning from my colleague, the member for Oshawa, we learned from Mr. Weber that the agency trains just 600 officers per year, exactly the same as the attrition rate, when one does the math. In Mr. Weber's words, “I don't know how we're going to get our numbers up”.

What about hiring 1,000 RCMP officers? The border communities in my riding do not have enough RCMP officers, due to a lack of people applying at Depot. How is the government planning on bringing 1,000 more, when we cannot even address the needs we currently have?

If the government truly wants to support border enforcement, here is one easy step: Please renew the lease of the Penticton Shooting Sports Association, which is in my riding. This facility has 400 members and has provided firearms training for law enforcement for 40 years. It is often the only option in southern British Columbia. The RCMP wrote a public letter supporting the club, and the Liberal member for Kelowna recently called in a public letter for its lease to be renewed.

The lease expires in a matter of months. We are asking the Liberal government to find a way for this 40-year-old club to survive. This can be a bipartisan, common-sense decision. Do not shut down critical RCMP, CBSA and prison guard training infrastructure. Support this very important community club.

Now I want to draw attention to a key section of the legislation, section 2, which would amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act to give the Minister of Health a faster process to restrict precursor chemicals like deadly fentanyl. That is so overdue, but granting the power is not enough. Will the minister use it? Will she act quickly enough? People are dying on a daily basis in our communities.

Just this month, at the health committee, I asked why the health minister will not revoke the Health Canada exemption that enabled a pilot program of hard-drug decriminalization in B.C. Premier Eby has now called the policy a mistake, and a Liberal MP recently admitted that “it was a terrible policy decision.” The exemption clearly states that the minister can end the program at any time. When asked why she has not, she deflected, suggesting that B.C. must request it. Let me be clear: British Columbians want it ended immediately.

A member from across the aisle just told a story about an envelope full of fentanyl that was distributed throughout her community, and said to think of all of the people who were hurt by it because Canada Post could not open the envelope. I want to know how many MPs in this room would like to join the pilot program and have fentanyl decriminalized in their hometown. The experiment has gone horribly wrong. It has increased drug availability and public disorder while failing to connect addicts with real treatment. Why do members think no other provinces have joined the program?

The minister should act today and end the program immediately.

In closing, Bill C-12 is a major improvement over its original form, but only because Conservatives held the government to account. There is more work to do, and we will continue to push for common-sense changes, such as strengthening our borders, protecting civil liberties, targeting real criminal threats and giving our border communities the tools they need to stay safe.

The House resumed from October 20 consideration of the motion that Bill C-12, 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, be read the second time and referred to a committee.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 10:15 a.m.

Liberal

Aslam Rana Liberal Hamilton Centre, ON

Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by acknowledging that we are gathered today on the traditional and unceded territory of the Algonquin and Anishinabe people.

I am pleased to rise in the chamber to speak about the ways we can and must improve Canada's asylum system through the legislative amendments proposed in Bill C-12.

Canada's immigration system has long been a source of pride and a key driver of economic growth. As global migration patterns evolve due to conflicts and crises, the government is committed to restoring balance and trust by building a more flexible and responsive system that safely manages the flow of people entering the country. The bill is an important and timely opportunity to address the mounting challenges Canada faces at our borders. I will go through some of these challenges and how the legislative changes in the bill would guide us toward a more secure and productive future.

The first challenge facing many countries is the sharp rise in the number of people seeking asylum. Millions of people continue to flee conflict, persecution and instability, driving one of the most significant global migration shifts in modern history. Migration patterns are also evolving as people move across borders and oceans in search of safety and opportunity. Canada continues to be a destination of choice for those looking to build a better future.

In 2022, Canada processed over 91,000 asylum claims. That number rose to over 143,000 in 2023 and to over 171,000 in 2024, nearly doubling in just two years. Our system has been strained by this increase. It has caused lengthy processing time and backlogs, as well as prolonged uncertainty for claimants.

The bill puts forward amendments to improve the efficiency of asylum claim processing so that claimants would receive the fast, fair and final decisions they deserve. The proposed changes touch multiple parts of the process, from initial entry to timelines for decisions and follow-up actions. The focus is on the streamlining of operations while maintaining fairness and security.

To start with, the bill proposes using a single online application for all claims. Right now, applications can be different depending on where the claim is made, whether that is at an airport, a land border office or an immigration office in Canada. A single online application would allow information to be shared more easily across Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada; the Canada Border Services Agency; and the decision-making body, the Immigration and Refugee Board. The change would make the process more efficient for everyone.

Next, we propose to enhance due diligence and reduce backlogs by making sure a claim is hearing-ready before it is referred to the Immigration and Refugee Board to schedule a hearing. Ensuring that only hearing-ready files are referred to the board would allow cases to be scheduled more confidently, reducing the need to postpone or follow up on incomplete files. The change would also strengthen program integrity by minimizing the back and forth between organizations.

We also propose to improve the system by making it easier for the Immigration and Refugee Board to remove incomplete or unresponsive claims from caseload inventories. According to the bill, the board's refugee protection division would have the authority to determine that an application has been abandoned when a claimant fails to comply with certain requirements. It already has the authority to deem an asylum claim abandoned after it has been referred to it. It would now also be able to deem the claim abandoned if the requirements are not met before referral, such as in the case of submitting an incomplete application or failing to respond to requests.

Claimants would still have the opportunity to explain why their claim should not be abandoned. The right would be enshrined in the legislation. Similarly, we propose to give the minister the authority to determine that a claim is withdrawn, following the request by a claimant or their representative. Today, it needs to be referred to the Immigration and Refugee Board for a separate withdrawal process.

To assist with faster decision-making, we propose to officially transfer scheduling authority to the Immigration and Refugee Board. We would also mandate that in-Canada asylum claims can be adjudicated by the board only while the claimant is physically present in Canada. Likewise, admissibility hearings could also be held only while a person is here in Canada. These changes would help protect against fraud, reduce the need for postponements and maximize the availability of resources.

The bill next addresses how to mitigate sudden increases in asylum claims and reduce pressure on the asylum system, while deterring those who may look to misuse the system. Canada's asylum system is already under significant strain, and we need to protect against potential future surges and alleviate the backlog. The new provisions would provide protection for those in need, while discouraging claims from people seeking to use the asylum system to get around immigration rules or to extend their temporary stay in Canada.

That starts with creating an ineligibility rule for the claims that are not made within a reasonable timeline. The legislative changes would make claims made more than a year after the claimant first arrives in Canada ineligible to be referred to the Immigration and Refugee Board. This measure would apply to anyone who entered the country after June 24, 2020, including people in Canada on a work or study permit. It is meant to discourage misuse of the asylum system by those seeking a shortcut around regular immigration processes.

There are several practical reasons for the amendment. The one-year time limit was chosen because a significant majority of people make a claim within their first year of being in Canada. The use of a one-year period is also a clear and easily communicated timeline for asylum seekers to understand the period in which their claim may be found eligible. The amendment would capture the claims of anyone who entered Canada after June 24, 2020, and it would apply whether the person has current valid status or has renewed their status, whether their status has expired or whether they were issued a new permit because the one-year starting point for the eligibility will be their first entry into Canada.

While irregular border crossings have dropped significantly since the Safe Third Country Agreement was expanded in 2023, we still want to make a targeted legislative amendment. Under this change, foreign nationals who cross irregularly into Canada from the U.S. and make an asylum claim after 14 days would no longer have their claim referred to the Immigration and Refugee Board.

Crossing into Canada between official border crossings is illegal and dangerous. We always urge people to use safe, regular pathways to enter our country, and always at ports of entry. People whose claims are found ineligible under the new rules would be able to apply for a pre-removal risk assessment to ensure that they are not being returned to a country or a situation where they would face persecution or serious harm.

A third challenge Canada needs to be better equipped to face is another major world event like the COVID-19 pandemic. When that started, people put their travel plans on hold, but Canada's inventory of applications continued to grow. The current laws allow us to act in certain cases with individual documents, but not on a large scale in response to wide-ranging emergencies.

We do not have the ability to cancel, suspend or change large numbers of immigration documents, which limits our management and response to unpredictable scenarios when needed. The legislation would allow the government to act on a large scale for immigration documents, like temporary resident visas, eTAs and permits. The government could also pause acceptance of new applications and suspend or cancel applications in our inventory when it is in the public interest to do so. Giving Canada more control over its immigration documents would allow us to respond to exceptional events in ways that protect Canadians and our public resources.

A well-managed and efficient asylum system does more than uphold our international obligations; it ensures protection for the world's most vulnerable people while helping Canada maintain stability and compassion in an increasingly unpredictable world. The government is committed to strengthening Canadians' trust in the integrity of our immigration system. We do that by making sure our system remains fair and compassionate for those who are seeking our protection, while being effective, orderly and reliable for the country as a whole.

The measures in Bill C-12 would help reinforce program integrity, speed up processing and offer greater clarity and certainty to people fleeing conflict and persecution when they need it most. We would be strengthening the system to reflect these realities and to prepare for the challenges of tomorrow.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 10:25 a.m.

Winnipeg North Manitoba

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my colleague's thoughts and expressions on the whole asylum issue. I think it is worthy of note that, whether it is with respect to the asylum issues in 2012 or those today, there is a time when we need to look at ways we can improve upon the system, and that is exactly what the legislation would do. It recognizes the need for change because of things that have taken place. Whether with respect to the pandemic or the wave of international students, there are some serious issues. By passing the legislation, we would be reforming the system.

I wonder whether my colleague can provide his thoughts on just how important it is that we pass the legislation because of the types of changes we need in immigration today.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 10:25 a.m.

Liberal

Aslam Rana Liberal Hamilton Centre, ON

Mr. Speaker, we are committed to ensuring that our asylum system is efficient and flexible in the face of global crises.

Let me be clear: Canada's asylum system is not a shortcut. That is why we introduced the measures: to reduce pressure on our system and protect it from a sudden rise in claims.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 10:25 a.m.

Conservative

Jeremy Patzer Conservative Swift Current—Grasslands—Kindersley, SK

Mr. Speaker, I could not help but notice that, although we are debating the border bill today, the government already tabled a bill earlier in the current Parliament and has already had to basically withdraw it and present a new bill because it messed up the first one so badly.

I know that my colleague is newer to Parliament. I wonder how he feels so far about his own government's messing up so badly that, here in Parliament, Bill C-12 is already a redo of one of the bills it had already tabled.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 10:25 a.m.

Liberal

Aslam Rana Liberal Hamilton Centre, ON

Mr. Speaker, we introduced Bill C-12, the strengthening Canada's immigration system and borders act, to strengthen our borders and keep Canadians safe. The legislation would act on our government's commitment to ensuring that border and law enforcement officers have the tools they need to protect our communities. This includes measures to combat transnational organized crime and to protect the integrity of our immigration system, stop the flow of illegal fentanyl and weapons, and crack down on money laundering.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 10:25 a.m.

Bloc

Xavier Barsalou-Duval Bloc Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC

Mr. Speaker, I have a quick question for my colleague opposite about asylum seekers. We agree that Bill C‑12 is a step in the right direction. It will help improve the system.

However, let us look at the past 10 years. The Liberals came to power in 2015, and it is now 2025. They have been in power for 10 years. During that time, the number of asylum seekers and the number of people crossing the border illegally has skyrocketed.

Is my colleague proud of his government's record? In Quebec, resources are stretched thin. The Government of Quebec has repeatedly said that it is overwhelmed; it is no longer able to teach French to all these people and integrate them.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 10:30 a.m.

Liberal

Aslam Rana Liberal Hamilton Centre, ON

Mr. Speaker, there is no ban on asylum claims. There is no ban at all.

While some individuals will be ineligible to claim asylum in certain specific circumstances, there are still safeguards in place to make sure legitimate claims are properly reviewed. Individuals will still have access to the pre-removal risk assessment. This process prevents people from being sent back to a country where they would face risks, such as persecution, torture or other harms.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 10:30 a.m.

Green

Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC

Mr. Speaker, I wonder if my hon. colleague for Hamilton Centre could provide any insight. I have asked previous Liberals speaking to Bill C-12 whether Bill C-2 is going to be withdrawn.

On the Order Paper, we now have two bills that are nearly identical. Both are unacceptable. Are there plans to withdraw Bill C-2?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 10:30 a.m.

Liberal

Aslam Rana Liberal Hamilton Centre, ON

Mr. Speaker, we are not taking that bill out. We are strengthening and further moving toward Bill C-12. There are some changes being made to Bill C-2, and we are moving toward Bill C-12.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 10:30 a.m.

Conservative

Greg McLean Conservative Calgary Centre, AB

Mr. Speaker, I welcome my colleague to the House of Commons. This is the first time I have had a chance to hear him in debate.

I heard his speech, and then I heard every one of his responses, which were actually from his speech. This is called Q and A, questions and answers, where we actually engage to show how well we know the bill and what we want to do with it. This bill is a replacement for a bill that is already being withdrawn by the government. It is coming back to us, effectively asking what the Conservatives want.

Would the member submit that perhaps his government is putting words on paper for him to read in the House that are not going anywhere, that are just a waste of time? Does the member know how much it costs Canadian taxpayers to waste time in the House and to waste time putting bills on paper?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 10:30 a.m.

Liberal

Aslam Rana Liberal Hamilton Centre, ON

Mr. Speaker, Canadians gave the government a mandate to get things done, to put them first.

That is why we are moving forward with strong legislative changes to support border and law enforcement officers, to enhance the integrity of our immigration system and to keep Canadians safe through Bill C-12. We are confident that this bill will deliver.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 10:30 a.m.

Liberal

Arielle Kayabaga Liberal London West, ON

Mr. Speaker, it is important for the new member to know that, in the House, he has privileges as a new member of Parliament. He can speak, and he can also ask the opposition why their members are repeating the same lines 120-some times during question period for 45 minutes.

Perhaps the member wants to tell us why he feels Bill C-12 is really important for the people who elected him on April 28, asking him to represent them.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 10:30 a.m.

Liberal

Aslam Rana Liberal Hamilton Centre, ON

Mr. Speaker, the five provisions that remain in Bill C-2 are still extremely important.

Law enforcement has been calling for years for the lawful access and information provisions that are essential to keeping Canadians safe. Canada is the only country among its Five Eyes partners that does not have lawful access legislation. We must address this gap.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 10:30 a.m.

Bloc

Andréanne Larouche Bloc Shefford, QC

Mr. Speaker, I want to come back to a previous question. It has been pointed out that Bill C‑2 had already been introduced. This is one of the bills that people were asking me about because they had concerns.

Was it these concerns or other factors that motivated this change? How did we go from Bill C‑2 to this new version, Bill C‑12, and what was the main reason for this change?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 10:30 a.m.

Liberal

Aslam Rana Liberal Hamilton Centre, ON

Mr. Speaker, this bill will strengthen the integrity of our asylum system, and claimants will have access to the pre-removal risk assessment that will take into consideration their situation to ensure those who need refugee protection will have access to it.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 10:35 a.m.

NDP

Alexandre Boulerice NDP Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC

Mr. Speaker, I wonder how come the Liberals have been talking and acting like Conservatives since they came to power. Asylum seekers and refugees are human beings who are entitled to dignity, respect, and a transparent and honest process.

Can my colleague assure us that Bill C-12 complies with the international conventions that protect the rights of refugees and that Canada has committed to upholding?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 10:35 a.m.

Liberal

Aslam Rana Liberal Hamilton Centre, ON

Mr. Speaker, yes, we are taking significant steps to preserve the integrity of our immigration system while upholding our humanitarian commitment. As global migration patterns evolve, Canadians expect a strong, efficient and responsive immigration system. That is why we introduced the changes to ensure our immigration system can respond to the challenges that we face today.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 10:35 a.m.

Liberal

Michael Coteau Liberal Scarborough—Woburn, ON

Mr. Speaker, the immigration system is an important aspect of building a strong country. I am an immigrant. I came here from the U.K. when I was four years old, almost five years old. I would like to ask the member, why is building a strong immigration system so essential in this country?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 10:35 a.m.

Liberal

Aslam Rana Liberal Hamilton Centre, ON

Mr. Speaker, we will keep working across all parties to ensure we are responding to the calls from police and law experts, but first we will work alongside all parties to build Bill C-12 to ensure we are delivering for Canadians and upholding our commitment to secure our borders, enhance the integrity of our immigration system and crack down on organized crime. A strong—

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 10:35 a.m.

The Deputy Speaker Tom Kmiec

Resuming debate, the hon. member for Essex.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 10:35 a.m.

Conservative

Chris Lewis Conservative Essex, ON

Mr. Speaker, it is always an honour to rise on behalf of the amazing folks of the riding of Essex. I will be sharing my time this morning with the member for Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill.

I do not get a lot of opportunities to speak in the House because we have so many more Conservative members, but every time I do get a chance to speak, I always want to give all praise, honour and glory to our Lord and Saviour.

I would like to begin by expressing my sincere gratitude to the dedicated men and women of the Canada Border Services Agency. These officers are the front line of our national security. Their work is demanding, and their commitment is unwavering. For all they do, they deserve clear policies, proper resources and respect, not vague directives and unchecked government powers.

As the member of Parliament for Essex, I represent a riding that sits at the heart of one of Canada's most vital economic corridors, the Detroit-Windsor border. In Essex, we understand the importance of secure borders. We live it every day. We also understand the opportunities and the challenges that come with living next to the border. That is why I stand today to speak to Bill C-12.

This legislation claims that it would enhance border enforcement and streamline immigration processes, but as someone who represents a border community, I must ask this: Would this bill truly serve the interests of Canadians, especially those of us living at the border? In its current form, the answer is no.

Conservatives have long called for improvements to border security and our broken immigration system. Bill C-12 may be a starting point, but it requires significant amendments. It must include clearer definitions of ministerial powers and ensure that exporters are not burdened with added compliance costs.

We know that economic prosperity and responsible immigration go hand in hand. When one system fails, the other suffers. That is why we support efforts to modernize enforcement and crack down on organized crime, fentanyl trafficking and immigration fraud. These are real threats, and we are glad the government has recognized them, but we must be vigilant in how these reforms are implemented.

Let us be honest. The immigration system did not break itself. It was broken by years of Liberal mismanagement. The backlog of applications, the lack of transparency and the inconsistent enforcement all stem from a government that has failed to plan, failed to listen and failed to act. Now, with Bill C-12, the Liberals are scrambling to fix the very system they dismantled, but instead of thoughtful reform, they are reaching for sweeping powers and vague regulations. That is not leadership; it is damage control.

We must acknowledge that this bill has serious shortcomings that must be addressed before it is allowed to impact the lives of Canadians. Conservatives believe in strong borders. We believe not only in protecting Canadians from illegal activity, trafficking and threats to public safety, but also in accountability, transparency and respect for individual rights.

My office regularly hears from constituents about the real-world impacts of federal decisions, such as delays at the Ambassador Bridge, astronomical fees on exports and frustrations with immigration and enforcement. Bill C-12 would grant sweeping new powers to the government, which would only add to these frustrations, with limited parliamentary oversight. That should concern every Canadian, especially those of us in border communities.

It is deeply ironic that the Liberals show little concern about violent repeat offenders who remain in Canada after receiving lighter sentences than their crimes deserve, yet they seek the power to cancel or suspend valid visas of permanent residents who have followed due process and contribute meaningfully to our country. The bill also fails to outline how new regulations would be enforced. This raises a troubling question: Is this legislation simply a way for the government to claim it is fixing the immigration system it broke without taking real action?

Conservatives believe in responsible immigration that prioritizes economic needs and family reunification. We support measures that streamline processing, reduce backlogs and help newcomers integrate successfully, but we oppose policies that put power in the hands of ministers without proper oversight. Furthermore, Bill C-12 contains provisions that could unintentionally harm Canadian exporters. There are implications of increased processing times, additional expenses and vague inspection requirements that could disrupt trade and burden businesses.

The people of Essex, and all Canadians, cannot afford to suffer the consequences of Liberal missteps, and the bill would impose further financial responsibilities on exporters by requiring them to upgrade their facilities to comply with the new CBSA inspection regulations. That is an unfair and unnecessary burden, especially during a time of financial uncertainty when every dollar matters, both for businesses and for individual Canadians, and especially when considering the Statistics Canada Q3 report for this year, which found that, following tariff announcements, exports to the U.S. dropped 15.7% and imports fell 10.8%. This clearly shows that businesses are facing mounting costs, increased input prices and uncertainty due to shifting border policies.

We cannot add to the pressures faced by Canadian businesses with more unclear border directives. Consider our greenhouse growers, who rely on timely border crossings to deliver fresh produce to markets in Michigan and Ohio. Any delay, whether due to increased inspections, unclear regulations or bureaucratic bottlenecks can mean lost revenue, spoiled goods and broken contracts. Our auto parts manufacturers, which are part of a tightly integrated supply chain with Detroit's automotive industry, depend on predictable and efficient border operations. More frequent inspections could slow down export processing across all sectors, not just for the high-risk goods the bill aims to target.

The new requirements for inspection facilities and associated delays could also increase warehousing costs, with the greatest impact falling on small and medium-sized exporters, 35% of which reported to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business in May of this year that they already experience border delays, with the average time spent at border crossings being up to two hours. These are real consequences for real people. If Bill C-12 introduces new compliance burdens or slows down processing, it could further jeopardize jobs and investment in our region at a time when hard-working Canadians are already struggling to provide for their families.

Conservatives agree that Canada's borders must be safe and secure, but we must also protect the economic backbone of our country: our exporters, our manufacturers and logistics providers. This is something our government should already know. A report from the Standing Committee on International Trade during the 44th Parliament identified regulatory complexity and inefficiencies at the border as major barriers to Canadian exporters. The report even recommended that inspection protocols should be streamlined to avoid further harming trade. That is why the bill needs amendments to prevent unintended harm to Canadian businesses.

Bill C-12 also touches on information sharing and surveillance powers. It is important to introduce tools that help law enforcement do their jobs, but we must be cautious about infringing on privacy rights. Canadians deserve to know how their data is being used, who has it and what safeguards are in place. Transparency must be a cornerstone of any security policy.

Conservatives have a clear vision for border security and immigration. We support investing in border infrastructure to reduce wait times and improve efficiency. We advocate for strong partnerships with our U.S. counterparts, especially in regions like Windsor-Detroit, where co-operation is essential. We believe in empowering local law enforcement and border officers with the tools and training they need, not just more paperwork.

That is why I urge the House to scrutinize the bill carefully, consult with stakeholders in border ridings like Essex and make the necessary amendments. Let us hear from our farmers, our truckers, our customs officers and our local mayors to ensure this legislation reflects the realities on the ground, not just the theories in Ottawa.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 10:45 a.m.

Liberal

Arielle Kayabaga Liberal London West, ON

Mr. Speaker, I have listened, over the last couple of weeks, to Conservatives talk about the importance of protecting our borders and the work that law enforcement does every single day. We are putting forward a bill that would do exactly that.

I am curious to know how my hon. colleague opposite feels about the comments that his leader has made about the RCMP.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 10:45 a.m.

Conservative

Chris Lewis Conservative Essex, ON

Mr. Speaker, at the end of the day, it goes like this. I used to be the shadow minister for labour, and I met with many labour organizations for two years. I would suggest to the hon. member that the RCMP and the CBSA need a whole bunch of funding; they need a whole bunch of support and help. They are very upset and confused and need direction, and that has to come from the government.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 10:45 a.m.

Conservative

Costas Menegakis Conservative Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON

Mr. Speaker, that was a very thorough and informed speech.

I have a question. We have a Liberal government that has been in power in this chamber and governing the country for the past 10 years. It is now 10 years later, and the government is pretending, in my opinion, to be serious about border security.

I wonder if the member feels that after the government's first attempt with Bill C-2, Bill C-12 shows that the government is finally taking this seriously and is looking at improving security for our country, especially with the illegal guns coming across the border.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 10:45 a.m.

Conservative

Chris Lewis Conservative Essex, ON

Mr. Speaker, I am so darn proud of the Essex and Windsor region and the Chatham-Kent region, but one thing I am not proud about is that we have the busiest corridor, from Windsor through to Montreal, of human trafficking.

We need to do a whole lot more at our borders to protect our borders. That is not even talking about handguns, which, quite frankly, are the reason we have so much crime in Canada. It is not due to legal firearm owners; it is due to the illegal guns that are smuggled in.

At the end of the day, it is about the lack of direction from the Liberal government after 10 years.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 10:45 a.m.

Bloc

Xavier Barsalou-Duval Bloc Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC

Mr. Speaker, I am sure my colleague knows what I am going to say because this has come up a number of times in the House.

Currently in Quebec, roughly 200,000 asylum seekers are waiting for their case to be processed. That represents roughly 40% of the total number of asylum seekers in Canada, while Quebec makes up roughly 20% of the Canadian population. In other words, the number of asylum seekers in Quebec is twice our demographic weight.

We know that this bill deals with the treatment of asylum seekers. Does my colleague think that the provinces should also help and take on their share of asylum seekers, instead of letting Quebec carry that burden?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 10:50 a.m.

Conservative

Chris Lewis Conservative Essex, ON

Mr. Speaker, this is where I am at. I see veterans sitting on the streets of Windsor who do not have a home, do not have any food, have no place to live, have no clothes, quite frankly, but have served this country. We have to finally put Canada first. Regardless of wherever the asylum seekers need to go, what I am really focused on are the folks of southwestern Ontario and, of course, all Canadians. We have to take care of our own house before we can take care of everyone else.

I will always stand with the veteran who is laying on the street and has served this country, yet has nothing.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 10:50 a.m.

Conservative

Costas Menegakis Conservative Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to stand today to speak to Bill C-12.

I hope all colleagues in this chamber had an amazing Thanksgiving. I enjoyed the week in my riding, but I am back in Ottawa to continue the important work we do here on behalf of Canadians from coast to coast to coast.

We are debating this bill today because this is the Liberals' second attempt in the same Parliament. Their first attempt would have allowed for a massive, sweeping violation of every law-abiding Canadian's individual freedom and privacy. In fact, that bill, which has not been withdrawn, as we found out from a Liberal member this morning, and is still on the Order Paper, would allow Canada Post to open any mail, including letters, without a warrant. It would ban cash payments and donations over $10,000. It would allow for warrantless access to personal information. It could compel electronic service providers to re-engineer their platforms to help CSIS and the police access information, and it would allow the government to supply financial institutions with Canadians' personal information, apparently in an attempt to resolve money laundering and terrorist financing. These are Canadians' hard-earned rights that the Liberal government seems to not want to respect.

The Liberals tried to pass a power grab to access Canadians' personal information from service providers like banks and telecom companies without needing a warrant, and worse, they did not consult the Privacy Commissioner. It was only due to Conservative pressure that the Liberals backed down, it appears, with the introduction of Bill C-12. The Conservatives will always stand up for Canadians' individual freedoms and privacy. They are fundamental tenets of a democratic nation.

This new bill continues with the same old Liberal soft-on-crime policies that are causing crime and chaos in our communities. Liberal bail is still very much alive and well for those who traffic guns across our border and terrorize our communities. There are still no mandatory prison times for fentanyl traffickers. Astonishingly, there are still no mandatory prison times for gangsters who use guns to commit crimes.

In the last month alone in one of the municipalities in my riding, Richmond Hill, we saw two brutal executions in broad daylight on quiet residential streets, one of them with a firearm. The Liberals have let thousands of guns flood across our border that are used to commit crimes in our communities.

I think members of the Liberal government need to rethink the way they are trying to fool Canadians. Everything is not a political issue. The decisions we make in this House affect real people. In making the announcement the Liberals made on December 5, 2024, as they do every year the day before the anniversary of the Polytechnique massacre, to say they were banning firearms, they tried to capitalize on that anniversary for political gain. That does not resolve the problem, I say to my fellow colleagues across the aisle. Illegal guns are coming across the border. It is not law-abiding Canadian citizens, hunters or sport shooters who perpetrate these crimes. It is not people with licensed firearms who commit these crimes. People who commit these crimes purchase guns from the back of a car, the back of a Honda, at the mall or in some aisle somewhere, for $600 or $700.

The Liberals are not serious about resolving the issue, and in Richmond Hill, in the last 30 days, there were two murders in broad daylight, one with an illegal gun that came across the border, which the Liberal announcements every year in the early part of December have not been able to resolve and will continue not to resolve. Instead of taking real action and implementing real consequences for those smuggling guns at our borders, the Liberals want to waste millions of dollars buying back guns from highly vetted legal firearms owners. This would do nothing and has done nothing to reduce crime in our communities.

Criminals are laughing at the Canadian government. When they get arrested by our hard-working law enforcement officers, under this bill, they would still be let out on bail, sometimes hours later, as we are told by police forces across the country. They would then go out and brutalize our communities over and over again.

When criminals are convicted, Liberal hug-a-thug policies allow many of these criminals to serve their sentences from the comfort of their own home. Wow. What a big penalty. We need jail, not Liberal bail for violent offenders, and only Conservatives will bring safe streets back to our communities.

This bill also touches upon immigration and, more specifically, our asylum system. Let me be clear. Over the last 10 years, the Liberal government has systematically dismantled our immigration system and obliterated our asylum system. Back in the days of Prime Minister Harper, when I had the honour of serving as the parliamentary secretary to the minister of citizenship and immigration, our asylum system was well respected around the world and operated with swiftness, integrity and fairness. In 2014, there were fewer than 10,000 asylum claims pending. Today, there are hundreds of thousands, due to the Liberals' failed policies.

Why has the government, for years, put asylum seekers, including many who make false claims, in hotels at taxpayers' expense? Canadians right across our country would love to hear the answer to that question. Why has the Liberal government, for years, given asylum seekers a more generous health care plan than the one Canadians receive? Numerous constituents in my riding would love the level of coverage given to asylum seekers. How is this fair to Canadian taxpayers and the Canadian people? This is billions of dollars allocated away from other services and infrastructure.

It is unacceptable that the Liberals, by their inaction and rhetoric, facilitated the flow of asylum seekers coming to Canada through other G7 countries. I would argue, as many people would, that the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany are safe, peaceful and democratic countries with functioning asylum systems. When individuals enter Canada through a G7 country, it makes a mockery of our system and undermines our commitment to processing genuine refugees efficiently. These are people who need help.

Canada's once well-perceived, respected and functional immigration system has been ruined by 10 years of abysmal Liberal policy. Millions upon millions of immigrants arrived through all channels without the proper health care, housing or jobs to support them. The Liberals' bringing in millions of new immigrants with not enough jobs available means that youth unemployment is at a staggering high. The Liberals' bringing in millions of new immigrants without the necessary health care capacity means that costs go up and wait times get longer. The Liberals' bringing in millions of new immigrants without the proper housing drives up housing costs, making housing unaffordable.

Both Canadians and immigrants suffer due to these policies. We cannot blame immigrants for the Liberals' failures.

Functionally, our system has lost most, if not all, of its integrity. There is very little enforcement of departures and very little tracking of individuals in the system, and the asylum claim backlog is mountainous. Furthermore, the reports of individuals with serious criminal convictions being let into the country under the government's watch represent a threat to public safety and raise questions about the thoroughness of all background checks being completed.

In closing, the seventh immigration minister in 10 years has offered no solutions. This bill would continue to clog up our immigration system and push the problems down the road. Luckily, Conservatives will end this chaos, fix our once proud immigration system, add more CBSA officers, end and reform the temporary foreign worker program and build an immigration system that Canadians can be proud of once again.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 11 a.m.

Pontiac—Kitigan Zibi Québec

Liberal

Sophie Chatel LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food

Mr. Speaker, my colleague referred to law enforcement officers. I would remind him that just steps away from this very chamber stands a memorial honouring RCMP officers who gave their lives to protect Canadians. What does my colleague think of the shameful comments made by his leader about the very officers who gave their lives for this country?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 11 a.m.

Conservative

Costas Menegakis Conservative Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON

Mr. Speaker, of course the Liberals are going to try to deflect from the debate in the House. We are talking about Bill C-12, which is a changeup from Bill C-2. We are talking about people being murdered in the streets. My colleague may not have heard what I said, but let me tell her that there have been two murders in my community in the last 30 days.

It is shameful that the government wants to politicize issues it should be focusing on: keeping these criminals off the streets, keeping illegal guns off our streets and keeping criminals in jail where they belong. Enough of this Liberal cover-up and continuing to support the Liberals' bail instead of jail policies. Every single Canadian across this country expects people who commit crimes in this country to spend time in prison.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 11 a.m.

Conservative

Connie Cody Conservative Cambridge, ON

Mr. Speaker, after Conservatives forced the Liberals to back down from Bill C-2 for overstepping Canadians' freedoms and privacy, they have now returned with Bill C-12. Would my colleague not agree that Parliament must carefully scrutinize this revised legislation to ensure that nothing has been added that could once again put the privacy rights of law-abiding Canadians at risk?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 11 a.m.

Conservative

Costas Menegakis Conservative Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON

Mr. Speaker, I agree 100%. Legislation needs to be debated in this House and amendments should be taken seriously. The Liberal government has a record of ignoring amendments and ignoring good ideas when they come from other elected members in this House who happen to not be from its party.

This is what the House is all about. This is the House of democracy. The voice of every Canadian is represented here by one of the members who have the opportunity to sit in these chairs. Absolutely, legislation needs to be discussed and debated here and made better for Canada and Canadians.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 11 a.m.

Bloc

Xavier Barsalou-Duval Bloc Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC

Mr. Speaker, I am going to ask the same question I asked another colleague from the same party earlier, since I did not receive an answer. The question was simple, actually.

Among other things, the bill deals with border restrictions in order to address situations where asylum seekers are abusing the system. We know that some people are applying for asylum when they perhaps should not be. This would reduce the volume and ensure that cases are processed more efficiently.

The problem is that Quebec receives approximately 200,000 asylum seekers, or nearly 40% of the Canadian total, while our population represents only 20% of the country's population.

I would like to know whether my colleague believes that other Canadian provinces should do their part and accept a fair share of the number of asylum seekers Canada receives, based on their population.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 11:05 a.m.

Conservative

Costas Menegakis Conservative Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON

Mr. Speaker, I was born and raised in Quebec. I am proud to say that I was born in the great city of Montreal.

My response to the hon. member's question is simply that the 200,000 asylum seekers, growing by tens of thousands under the Liberal government, have created this problem in Quebec. I agree with my colleague that it is not fair to Quebec. It is not fair to any province in Canada to have to deal with this monstrous problem that has been created by the incompetent Liberal government.

Now, 10 years later, the Liberals are trying to magically bring in legislation as if they have finally found a solution. Had they listened to us 10 years ago, we would not have the problem we are facing today in Quebec, Ontario or any province across this country.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 11:05 a.m.

Liberal

Sukh Dhaliwal Liberal Surrey Newton, BC

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of Bill C-12, the strengthening Canada’s immigration system and borders act. This legislation would protect Canadians, secure our borders and uphold the integrity of our immigration system. I am proud to support this legislation, which would help keep Canadians safe.

There is no greater priority for our government than keeping our communities safe and our economy thriving. Our economy cannot thrive if we do not take strong measures to combat crime and ensure that our border is safe and secure.

We live in a time of evolving global threats. Transnational criminal organizations, rising auto theft networks and the flow of illegal drugs continue to devastate families and our communities. We also face new migration pressures driven by conflict, climate change and economic instability. Bill C-12 would respond to these realities with a balanced approach. It would equip our law enforcement agencies with modern tools to protect Canadians, while safeguarding their rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Before I go further, I note that I will be sharing my time with the member for Pickering—Brooklin.

Bill C-12 is built around two pillars. These are securing our borders and combatting organized crime, illegal fentanyl and illicit financing.

Under the first pillar, amendments to the Customs Act would empower the CBSA to examine and detain goods leaving Canada. This new authority would help officers intercept stolen vehicles, firearms and narcotics before they leave our ports. Across Canada, and especially in urban regions, auto theft is fuelling transnational organized crime. Criminals are exploiting export loopholes and shipping stolen cars overseas. Bill C-12 would close those gaps and give the CBSA the tools to act firmly.

The bill would also amend the Oceans Act to grant the Canadian Coast Guard a security mandate. This would allow the Coast Guard to patrol our coastal waters, collect and share intelligence and work hand in hand with the RCMP and CBSA. For the first time, our maritime borders would be integrated into our broader national security strategy.

Bill C-12 would further enable the RCMP to share information on registered sex offenders with domestic and international partners, strengthening community safety and aligning Canada with its allies.

Within our immigration system, Bill C-12 would make important reforms to ensure fairness and integrity. It would streamline asylum claim processing, prevent misuse and strengthen information sharing with the provinces and territories. The new measures would help manage sudden surges in claims while ensuring that those genuinely in need of protection continue to receive it.

I want to be clear that there would be no ban on asylum claims. People found ineligible under specific circumstances would still have access to a pre-removal risk assessment to ensure that they are not returned to danger. This strikes the right balance between compassion and credibility.

The second pillar of Bill C-12 directly targets organized crime and the illegal drug trade. Amending the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act would allow the government to rapidly control new precursor chemicals used in the production of drugs such as fentanyl. This flexibility would allow law enforcement agencies to act faster and prevent dangerous substances from entering our communities. In my home province of British Columbia, the opioid crisis has taken a devastating toll. Stopping the supply of illegal fentanyl before it reaches our streets is a crucial step in saving lives.

Bill C-12 also strengthens Canada’s defences against money laundering and terrorist financing through amendments to the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act. It increases penalties for financial crimes and adds the director of FINTRAC to the Financial Institutions Supervisory Committee to improve oversight and collaboration. By cutting off the flow of dirty money, we would make it harder for organized crime to thrive. These measures would make a tangible difference in people’s lives.

Since the start of this year, the CBSA has seized more than 2.7 million grams of cocaine, 2,500 grams of fentanyl, 662 firearms and nearly $30 million in currency. This results in lives being saved and communities being protected.

Bill C-12 is the product of listening to law enforcement, provincial partners and Canadians who want a government that is both compassionate and firm. We listened to the concerns of stakeholders and colleagues in the House on Bill C-2. That is why we have introduced Bill C-12, which is tailored specifically to border security and combatting transnational organized crime, illegal fentanyl and illicit financing to ensure the safety of Canadians.

Bill C-12 does not cover bail reform, but the Prime Minister announced this past Thursday that our government will soon be tabling legislation to introduce amendments to the Criminal Code regarding reverse-onus bail for major crimes. This bill shows Canadians that their government is serious about security, serious about fairness and serious about protecting the values that define us. It modernizes our systems, respects privacy protections and ensures that our law enforcement and security agencies have the authority they need without compromising the rights of individuals.

In Surrey Newton and communities throughout the country, these issues are deeply felt. Residents want to know that stolen vehicles are not disappearing across the border. Parents want their children to be safe from fentanyl. Newcomers want to see a system that is efficient, fair and worthy of their trust. Bill C-12 delivers on all those priorities. A secure Canada is a strong Canada. This legislation keeps Canadians safe, reinforces public confidence and ensures that Canada remains a place where opportunity and safety go hand in hand.

I urge all members of Parliament to support this bill. Together, let us strengthen our borders, protect our communities and build a safer, more secure future for all Canadians.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 11:15 a.m.

Conservative

Brad Redekopp Conservative Saskatoon West, SK

Mr. Speaker, the member is probably aware that, at the moment, there are about 600 foreign nationals in Canada who are due to be deported but cannot be tracked down by the CBSA. Clearly, the Liberal government has failed in its ability to keep track of foreign nationals like this, people with criminal records who should be deported. It is unable to find them. It does not know how to locate them. It is a clear failure of the government.

How is this bill going to fix that? Does the member have any confidence when he is speaking to Canadian citizens and Canadian voters that this is going to work, given the failures the government has seen, which he has been a part of for the last 10 years?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 11:15 a.m.

Liberal

Sukh Dhaliwal Liberal Surrey Newton, BC

Mr. Speaker, I have worked with the hon. member for Saskatoon West on the immigration committee in the past. We both understand that we need immigration.

At the same time, we have to curb these criminals and the people who are trying to come to our country illegally. That is why we are putting Bill C-12 together, giving our CBSA officers and RCMP officers more tools and resources to deal with the situation. That is why, last week, we announced 1,000 new RCMP officers and 1,000 new CBSA officers to deal with these situations.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 11:15 a.m.

Liberal

Michael Coteau Liberal Scarborough—Woburn, ON

Mr. Speaker, in my community of Scarborough—Woburn, border protection is an important aspect. I am quite happy that the government has looked for ways to enhance our border security.

Has the hon. member had conversations in his community about border security? What does the bill mean for the people he represents in his riding?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 11:15 a.m.

Liberal

Sukh Dhaliwal Liberal Surrey Newton, BC

Mr. Speaker, whether it is in Scarborough or in Surrey, people are concerned about security. Surrey is a border city when it comes to the U.S. border. This is exactly what they were asking for to strengthen our borders and make sure that CBSA officers have the tools and resources to deal with this, whether it is illegal firearms or drugs that are flowing into our country. They would be able to search those warehouses where they are stored and loaded.

Giving them those powers would make it better for people in Scarborough, as well as in Surrey.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 11:15 a.m.

Liberal

Michael Coteau Liberal Scarborough—Woburn, ON

Mr. Speaker, I know there are going to be some enhancements to border security and additional RCMP officers. For the member's province, I am sure this would have a very positive impact. I know that, for Ontario, it would be quite good.

Could the hon. member talk about some of those enhancements, like the new police officers, and how he thinks they would impact border security in Canada?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 11:15 a.m.

Liberal

Sukh Dhaliwal Liberal Surrey Newton, BC

Mr. Speaker, last week, I, along with the parliamentary secretary, were able to announce 1,000 new police officers. Out of that, 150 police officers would be assigned to financial crime. That is a major issue that we are seeing in Surrey and other communities: cases of extortion and theft. These 150 new police officers would be able to deal with those issues effectively and make our communities safe.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 11:15 a.m.

Conservative

Sandra Cobena Conservative Newmarket—Aurora, ON

Mr. Speaker, I would like the hon. member to comment on why the Liberal government refuses to shut down consumption sites that are close to schools.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 11:20 a.m.

Liberal

Sukh Dhaliwal Liberal Surrey Newton, BC

Mr. Speaker, these consumption sites are working in my community of Surrey. I can tell the member that, since they came in, they have made a big difference in the lives of people. We will continue to support those—

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 11:20 a.m.

The Deputy Speaker Tom Kmiec

Resuming debate, the hon. member for Pickering—Brooklin.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 11:20 a.m.

Liberal

Juanita Nathan Liberal Pickering—Brooklin, ON

Mr. Speaker, today the House is debating important legislation: Bill C-12, the strengthening Canada's immigration system and borders act. Bill C-12 would strengthen our country's security by proposing changes to support border security and immigration, to fight transnational organized crime and to disrupt illicit financing. We urgently need to update many of our laws if we want to be able to address the complex security challenges our country is currently facing.

With Bill C-12, CBSA officers would have the capacity to inspect exported goods in warehouses and transportation hubs. Owners and operators of certain ports of entry and exit would be required to provide facilities for export inspections just as they currently do for imports. These changes would strengthen the CBSA's ability to detect and seize contraband for export, including illicit goods such as fentanyl and stolen vehicles.

Canada's coasts also face new security risks. That is why this bill would allow the Canadian Coast Guard to conduct security patrols. It would also be able to collect, analyze and share information for security purposes. Canada strictly controls synthetic drugs and the precursor chemicals used to produce them. Unfortunately, the illicit drug market is constantly evolving in an attempt to evade these controls. Bill C-12 would ensure the Minister of Health can rapidly control the precursor chemicals used to produce illicit drugs, including fentanyl.

Border security and immigration are top priorities for the Liberal government. Notably, this bill would also help us enhance the integrity and fairness of our immigration system. Canada's asylum system exists to protect people who are fleeing persecution or risks to their life or safety in their home country. The strengthening Canada's immigration system and borders act would, among other things, improve how we receive, process and decide on asylum claims to make the system faster and easier to navigate.

The amendments contained in Bill C-12 would also help law enforcement respond more effectively to evolving border security challenges. Border security requires a coordinated effort across the entire government, as information from various federal institutions may be required to thoroughly assess the situation.

Federal departments and agencies need to work together to share information in order to understand and respond to demands and to keep people safe. For that reason, Bill C-12 would enhance the ability of the RCMP to share information on registered sex offenders with domestic and international partners.

It would improve how IRCC shares information so that federal, provincial and territorial partners can make timely, accurate decisions to ensure the integrity and better delivery of public services. IRCC already shares applicant information with its domestic partners in limited circumstances, but this bill would create clear and direct legal authorities to allow for proactive and systematic information sharing and to reduce administrative burdens.

Any new use or disclosure of personal information under these new authorities would follow existing privacy laws, policies and best practices. Additionally, the proposed measures would strengthen Canada's anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing regime, including through stronger anti-money laundering penalties. It is well known that money laundering supports crimes like human trafficking, fentanyl trafficking, fraud, theft and other economic crimes. This is why we need new tools to keep pace with increasingly sophisticated criminal threats and techniques.

The measures contained in the bill would strengthen businesses' compliance to anti-money laundering obligations, including through a 40-times increase in administrative penalties. This would ensure non-compliance is not treated as the cost of doing business.

The bill would enable FINTRAC to exchange supervisory information on federally regulated financial institutions with other members of the financial institutions supervisory committee, and it would add the director of FINTRAC to this committee.

Because international organized crime networks represent the biggest threat to our country's security, we have already taken several important measures. First, our government established the integrated money laundering intelligence partnership with Canada's largest banks, which is enhancing our capacity to develop and use financial intelligence to combat fentanyl trafficking and other organized crime.

Second, we have listed seven transnational organized crime groups as terrorist entities under the Criminal Code. Listing is an important tool that supports criminal investigations and strengthens the RCMP's ability to prevent and disrupt criminal activities. We continue to monitor this and will add more to the list as needed.

Finally, Canada appointed its first fentanyl czar, who serves as the main interlocutor between the Canadian and U.S. governments for enhancing our collaboration in combatting fentanyl. While less than 1% of illicit fentanyl seized in the U.S. is linked to Canada, we are working to ensure fewer drugs and their precursor chemicals cross our shared border. To increase our illegal fentanyl detection abilities, we are training and deploying new border detector dog teams that specialize in fentanyl detection.

We have also taken into account stakeholders' concerns and have introduced Bill C-12 to advance these legislative priorities as quickly as possible. Bill C-12 draws on elements of Bill C-2 that are designed to combat transnational organized crime and those who seek to exploit our immigration system. This streamlined bill would balance the need to protect our borders with concerns about Canadians' privacy.

Bill C-12 would complement ongoing efforts to secure our border from coast to coast to coast and keep Canadians safe. We must act with urgency on all these issues. Now is the time to update our laws to continue to address increasing and more complex security challenges. I wish to reassure this House that there is no greater priority for our government than to keep Canadians and our communities safe. That is why we are taking strong measures to combat crime and ensure our border remains safe and secure.

I hope that my hon. colleagues from all sides of the House will join me today in supporting Bill C-12.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 11:25 a.m.

Liberal

Michael Coteau Liberal Scarborough—Woburn, ON

Mr. Speaker, this country has been built by immigrants. Outside the indigenous community, we are all from immigrants at some point in time. Immigration is part of our past; it is part of who we are today, and it will be a big part of who we are in the future.

I know that constituents in Pickering—Brooklin share many different immigration stories. How important is it to get the immigration file right in this country, and what does that mean to the member?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 11:30 a.m.

Liberal

Juanita Nathan Liberal Pickering—Brooklin, ON

Mr. Speaker, as my colleague said, immigration is an integral part of our system. We have all been immigrants at some point in time, and Pickering—Brooklin is vastly made up of immigrants from all countries across the world. It is important that we get this right, and we have to spend time and debate the bill. I am hoping that all members of the House will understand how important it is for asylum claimants and immigrants to come to this country, and we are taking significant steps to preserve the integrity of our immigration system while upholding humanitarian commitments.

Without immigration, families cannot come together, and grandparents are not able to visit their grandchildren and be part of the milestones in their lives, so it is important for us to have an immigration system that—

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 11:30 a.m.

The Deputy Speaker Tom Kmiec

Questions and comments, the hon. member for Scarborough—Woburn.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 11:30 a.m.

Liberal

Michael Coteau Liberal Scarborough—Woburn, ON

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member talked a bit about some of the pieces that will have an impact on businesses and our border and will enhance our system overall, with more compliance issues.

Would the member care to expand on some of those pieces that will be important for building a stronger border and immigration system in Canada?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 11:30 a.m.

Liberal

Juanita Nathan Liberal Pickering—Brooklin, ON

Mr. Speaker, definitely. The 1,000 RCMP officers are an important piece in this big puzzle that we are trying to solve as we mitigate our border security. The dog teams are a very important part.

The reason I am saying this is that even if 1% of fentanyl is crossing Canadian borders, it is still a big deal for Canadians. Even though we are 10% of the U.S. population, that 1% represents a huge problem in our communities and for businesses.

As a former youth worker and a community worker, I know how this affects our communities in our everyday lives. We must do everything we can to protect our borders. We have to mend fences before we can start building.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 11:30 a.m.

Conservative

Jagsharan Singh Mahal Conservative Edmonton Southeast, AB

Mr. Speaker, among other things, there are frailties in the proposed Liberal Bill C-12, and I want to ask a question of the member who is taking part in this debate about the bill.

There is no answer to the safe supply of fentanyl. It is still going to continue, which poses a threat of AMR, something being studied at a committee I am currently working on.

There is no minimum mandatory sentence for traffickers in regard to fentanyl. There is no minimum sentence for gangsters.

How would you respond to those questions on what is lacking in the Liberals' proposed Bill C-12?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 11:30 a.m.

The Deputy Speaker Tom Kmiec

Just as a reminder, we do not use “you”. Members speak through the Speaker.

The hon. member for Pickering—Brooklin.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 11:30 a.m.

Liberal

Juanita Nathan Liberal Pickering—Brooklin, ON

Mr. Speaker, this is why we introduce a bill. It goes through first and second readings, and then it goes to committee, which debates it and adds or takes away whatever is needed so that all Canadians can be protected.

It is important to note why Bill C-12 is even here. All of this was actually part of Bill C-2. I want to ask my hon. colleague whether Conservatives will be supporting making the bill better and having it go through.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 11:30 a.m.

Conservative

David Bexte Conservative Bow River, AB

Mr. Speaker, I am thankful for the opportunity to speak to Bill C-12 today.

Conservatives have forced the Liberals to back down from Bill C-2. That bill would have given the government broad powers to access Canadians' personal information from banks, telecoms and other service providers without a warrant. The Privacy Commissioner confirmed that the Liberals did not consult him before proposing these sweeping powers.

Law-abiding Canadians should not lose their freedoms because of the Liberals' overreach. Now the Liberals have introduced Bill C-12. Conservatives will examine the legislation carefully. We need to ensure that it does not infringe on Canadians' privacy rights. We will hold the government accountable to protect individual freedoms and ensure transparency in how it exercises its power.

Bill C-12 is a broad omnibus bill. It includes changes to border security, crime prevention, privacy laws and immigration. For example, it amends the Customs Act to allow the CBSA to use facilities free of charge for enforcement. That is good for the budget.

Bill C-12 also amends the Oceans Act. It enables the Canadian Coast Guard to conduct security patrols and share information with law enforcement and intelligence partners. It increases penalties for money-laundering violations and expands FINTRAC's authority. That is laudable. However, it also allows for more information sharing between government departments, raising serious concerns about privacy protections. We will not allow the Liberals to quietly erode Canadians' rights in the name of administrative efficiency.

Some of the most troubling parts of Bill C-2 have been removed, such as part 4, which allowed Canada Post to open any mail, including letters, without a warrant, as well as part 11, which banned cash payments and donations over $10,000. Those were egregious overreaches. It was due to pressure from the Conservatives that, thankfully, those parts were removed. However, my Conservative colleagues and I believe this still falls short on many issues facing everyday Canadians.

For example, crime is rising across Canada. Since 2015, violent crime has increased by 37% in my home province of Alberta. Nationally, homicides are up nearly 28%. Gang-related homicides have risen 78%. Firearms-related violent offences have more than doubled, rising 116%. Extortion is up a whopping 400% in Alberta, and sexual assaults have increased by 75%. These are alarming trends. The Liberals' soft-on-crime policies are making our communities less safe.

Bill C-75, passed in 2019, introduced a principle of restraint on the granting of bail and prioritized early release for offenders in lieu of public safety. This has led to catch-and-release practices for serious criminals, including those trafficking fentanyl and firearms. Bill C-5, passed in 2022, repealed mandatory prison sentences for crimes involving firearms and reinstated house arrest for serious offences, such as sexual assault, kidnapping and human trafficking.

These changes send the wrong message to Canadians and put people at risk. Conservatives proposed Bill C-325 to reverse those changes and strengthen sentencing. The Liberals and the NDP voted against it.

While Bill C-12 does well in filling in an important loophole by banning precursors of fentanyl, it fails to address sentencing for fentanyl dealers. Tougher penalties for traffickers and producers are essential if we are serious about stopping the spread of this and other deadly drugs.

The fentanyl crisis demands urgent action. From January 2016 to June 2024, over 49,000 Canadians died from apparent opioid toxicity. Nearly 80% of those deaths involved fentanyl. Emergency visits for fentanyl poisoning have more than doubled since 2018. This is unacceptable. Earlier this year, the Prime Minister downplayed the opioid crisis during a campaign stop in Kelowna, calling it only a “challenge”. That is deeply offensive to the families of the more than 49,000 Canadians who have died from overdoses in under 10 years.

We are seeing the impact in communities across the country. Just this week, in Medicine Hat, police and ALERT carried out a major drug bust, seizing 598 grams of fentanyl, as well as other illicit drugs and cash. That amount of fentanyl alone represents nearly 300,000 fatal doses.

Across Canada, fentanyl superlabs are producing massive quantities of this deadly drug, and police in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec have seized tens of kilograms of fentanyl and thousands of kilograms of precursor chemicals. These operations often include stockpiles of weapons and explosives and pose a serious threat to public safety, yet the government's response still falls short. Without tougher sentences and stronger enforcement, fentanyl will continue to devastate families and communities.

The Liberals have also refused to back down from supporting safe consumption sites near schools. My Conservative colleague from Riding Mountain called on the government to shut down these sites near children. The health minister suggested more might be approved, even after admitting that these locations often become hot spots for fentanyl use.

Law-abiding Canadians deserve better. They deserve strong protections for privacy and freedom. They deserve laws that keep our communities safe and hold criminals accountable. They deserve a government that takes the drug crisis seriously, not one that shrugs it off as a mere challenge.

Bill C-12 also touches on immigration and asylum, areas where Canadians' compassion has been abused by the government. Canadians are generous and fair-minded, but that must never be taken for granted or exploited.

The Liberals have exploited Canadians for the past decade on this matter. A decade ago, Canada's asylum system was in control. The backlog accounted for fewer than 10,000 cases. Today, that number has exploded into the hundreds of thousands, and many of these claims are bogus. This is unacceptable.

Let me be clear that it is wrong to jump the line. It is unfair to take advantage of a system that was built to protect people fleeing real persecution. There are Nigerian Christians who face death for their faith. There are Ukrainians fleeing war. In decades past, Canada opened its doors to Vietnamese boat people escaping communism. These are the people our asylum system should protect.

My own father fled Communist East Germany with nothing but his hands, his family and the hope that Alberta would be a place where his children could live freely and safely. He came to Canada the fair and legal way. He never cut corners or skipped the line.

When false claims flood the system, it is real refugees and hard-working Canadians who pay the price. Our housing crisis worsens. Emergency rooms are overwhelmed. Many Canadians still do not have a family doctor. Classrooms are overcrowded. Teachers are struggling and students are falling behind. All across the country, essential services are stretched beyond capacity, and we need a system that protects the most vulnerable, not one that rewards abuse.

Our asylum system was designed to help those fleeing persecution, in accordance with the 1951 UN refugee convention. It was never intended to become a back door for economic migration, but that is exactly what is happening under the Liberal government.

Social media posts are now encouraging temporary residents to claim asylum as a way to stay in Canada after their student visas or work permits expire. This is a dangerous trend. It undermines the credibility, the capability and the fabric of our immigration system and hurts those who truly need Canada's protection.

Bill C-12, in parts 5 through 8, proposes several changes to our immigration and refugee system, but these changes do not go nearly far enough. The bill would largely shift responsibility away from the government and onto the courts, and it would permit certain actions through regulation instead of legislating clear, enforceable rules. Without strong enforcement mechanisms, meaningful change will not follow.

The bill also includes a proposed change to the safe third country agreement, but it fails to explain how or when it will be negotiated with the United States. In the meantime, Canada continues to accept asylum claims from G7 countries that are safe, democratic and fully capable of protecting their own citizens.

The Liberal government's record on immigration and refugee integrity is clear: The backlog has soared, the rules are weak and the system is being abused.

Conservatives believe in a compassionate and rules-based immigration system, one that prioritizes those most at risk, treats Canadians and newcomers with respect and restores integrity to the asylum process. Future performance is best demonstrated by past behaviour, and the Liberal government has not shown us anything promising in the last 10 years. Only Conservatives will stand up for Canadians' individual freedoms, their safety and the integrity of the systems that make this country strong.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 11:45 a.m.

Liberal

Michael Coteau Liberal Scarborough—Woburn, ON

Mr. Speaker, the member brought up several concerns about asylum seekers. Some pretty substantial changes are being proposed in this bill in order to strengthen our asylum processing system. Is the member prepared to join Canadians in supporting a bill that would bring more integrity to the asylum system here in Canada, yes or no?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 11:45 a.m.

Conservative

David Bexte Conservative Bow River, AB

Mr. Speaker, this is exactly what Canadians are expecting, but they do not trust that the government is going to follow through on accountability and responsibility measures to ensure that is the outcome that will be achieved.

We are absolutely in support of stronger mechanisms, stronger controls and better accountability. I hope that a committee will be able to address enforcement and get those institutions corrected.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 11:45 a.m.

Conservative

Greg McLean Conservative Calgary Centre, AB

Mr. Speaker, one thing my colleague mentioned in his speech was the social media posts that advertised how people could get into Canada through the asylum process. Does the member think the government has designed a system that is so easy to manipulate that there are advertisements on social media? Who might be profiting from that system?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 11:45 a.m.

Conservative

David Bexte Conservative Bow River, AB

Mr. Speaker, it is really disturbing to see this kind of thing. I hazard to speculate on where the sources might be, but it is very obvious that a lot of agencies and people will benefit from advertising this kind of behaviour and will profit from this kind of behaviour. I would not want to say that this was deliberate, but we need to establish a system that ensures abuse like this does not take place and cannot be tolerated.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 11:45 a.m.

Winnipeg North Manitoba

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, I wonder if the member would apply the same principles to 2012, when the leader of the Conservative Party was around the caucus table and thousands of Hungarians were coming into Canada, 95% of whom did not have legitimate asylum claims. In fact, that is what led the Conservatives to reform the system back then. Fast-forward to today, when we have things such as the pandemic and the international student issue, which has been driven in good part by post-secondary institutions in the private and public sectors and by the provinces.

Would the member not agree that at times there is a need to make changes? Today, he has an opportunity to make a change by allowing Bill C-12 to go forward. Would the member not agree this is the responsible thing to do because at times there is a need for change, like today?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 11:45 a.m.

Conservative

David Bexte Conservative Bow River, AB

Mr. Speaker, I will not agree with my colleague. We do not believe that the changes would go far enough. Yes, change needs to happen, but the bill would not go far enough.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 11:45 a.m.

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB

What would you do differently?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 11:45 a.m.

Conservative

David Bexte Conservative Bow River, AB

I would do more.

Mr. Speaker, I would keep the Crown accountable. I would keep the bureaucracy accountable. We would keep the system working for the benefit of the people and would ensure fair treatment of refugees and that people fleeing persecution and abuse worldwide have a safe haven in Canada.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 11:45 a.m.

Conservative

Michael Ma Conservative Markham—Unionville, ON

Mr. Speaker, during his speech, my colleague mentioned the opening of private citizens' mail without a warrant. Perhaps he can explain to fellow Canadians what that would mean to them regarding violations of privacy.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 11:45 a.m.

Conservative

David Bexte Conservative Bow River, AB

Mr. Speaker, mail is one of the most sacrosanct private communication methods we have in society. There is a presumption of privacy in our mail, and the bar must be exceedingly high to have a judicial review on any attempt or ability of the government to interfere with it or surveil it.

I am very concerned. Any weakening of privacy conditions is problematic and prone to abuse.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 11:50 a.m.

Green

Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC

Mr. Speaker, I welcome my hon. colleague to the House. This is the first chance I have had to address the new member for Bow River. I will miss his predecessor. We always had a good time in this place.

I just want to correct one aspect of my hon. colleague's speech. This is certainly not a point of order; it is debate, but he did say that only the Conservative Party will stand up. I just want to make it very clear that the Green Party also vigorously opposes Bill C-2, which is still on the Order Paper, and Bill C-12. Somehow, the Liberal members of this place have claimed they built on Bill C-2 to come up with Bill C-12. They subtracted some parts of Bill C-2 that were offensive, but not all parts that are offensive, and the legislation is substantially the same.

I double-checked our parliamentary procedure, but I wonder if the hon. member for Bow River thinks that both bills should be in front of this place at the same time.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 11:50 a.m.

Conservative

David Bexte Conservative Bow River, AB

Mr. Speaker, I am not a scholar of the Standing Orders. I understand that two items cannot be debated at the same time, but from that perspective, I cannot comment.

I would like to thank the member for correcting me on the notion that Conservatives are the only ones who stand for the right thing to do. Every member of the House has the potential to cross the aisle and join the Conservative Party.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 11:50 a.m.

Mark Gerretsen

They would not take me.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 11:50 a.m.

Conservative

David Bexte Conservative Bow River, AB

Well, Mr. Speaker, there may be some we would have to be more selective with, just like a very good asylum system.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 11:50 a.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh!

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 11:50 a.m.

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the candid answer. Let me give the member a real challenge.

The leader of the Conservative Party attacked the RCMP last week. What he said was despicable. If we reflect on the institution of the RCMP, it is world-class and recognized around the world, yet the leader of the official opposition said the things he said, disrespecting the RCMP. We even have Conservatives challenging him on what he said.

Does the member believe, as I do, that the RCMP deserves the respect of all members of this House and that the Leader of the Opposition owes an apology to Canadians for what he said last week, which was so disrespectful toward the RCMP?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 11:50 a.m.

Conservative

David Bexte Conservative Bow River, AB

Mr. Speaker, the RCMP indeed had a reputation globally of being absolutely top-shelf, but like any institution, it is subject to the potential of management weaknesses—

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 11:50 a.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh!

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 11:50 a.m.

Conservative

David Bexte Conservative Bow River, AB

Mr. Speaker, there are very good analogies all over government and all over private industry, but we have seen management weakness in previous governments and even in the most recent Parliament. That is what has brought us to this place today.

I think all of us could ask for the best performance possible from our institutions globally.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 11:50 a.m.

Conservative

Glen Motz Conservative Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner, AB

Mr. Speaker, let us get back on track to the topic at hand.

In Bill C-2, there was a failure to group the different topics that were in it. Bill C-12 is a step in the right direction; however, serious amendments are required to the bill.

Can you just highlight, in your opinion, some of the more poignant issues that Bill C-12 needs amendments for? We are hopeful that the government will listen to the amendments that Conservatives intend to bring forward.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 11:50 a.m.

The Deputy Speaker Tom Kmiec

I would remind the member for Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner not to use “you”. He must speak through the Speaker, so “the member” is the way it should be worded.

The member for Bow River.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 11:50 a.m.

Conservative

David Bexte Conservative Bow River, AB

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question from my esteemed colleague, whom I highly respect.

Bill C-12 is going in the right direction. It has merit, but on the reinforcement of accountability measures and the punishment and treatment of people abusing the system who are outright criminals, we need to ensure there is no more bail and that we fully follow through on all of these things. Otherwise, society will never step back.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 11:55 a.m.

Bloc

Xavier Barsalou-Duval Bloc Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC

Mr. Speaker, today, the House is debating Bill C-12, a reincarnation of Bill C-2. Bill C‑2 sparked a great deal of criticism regarding privacy rights, so the government was forced to go back and make revisions. It has returned with a new version of Bill C‑2, now called Bill C‑12.

The main difference we see is the removal of the controversial elements of Bill C‑2 involving invasion of privacy, most of which were found in part 4 of the bill. They would have allowed Canada Post and customs officers to open people's mail. These provisions drew heavy criticism.

Generally speaking, we in the Bloc Québécois were already open to working on Bill C‑2, sending it to committee, and working collaboratively on moving it forward. With Bill C‑12, we have even more reason to want to see this bill advance. We are keeping an open mind and are willing to work with all members of the House and with the witnesses who will testify in committee. I will not have the opportunity to sit on that committee, but I wish I could.

Without going into a comprehensive analysis of the bill, I will nonetheless raise a number of points that merit our attention. The first is part 1, which makes amendments to the Customs Act to expand customs officers' law enforcement powers, including access to facilities. It is that access to facilities that I wish to discuss.

Often, when CBSA officers inspect goods, they are goods coming into the country. Goods leaving the country, however, are usually not inspected, and this causes all sorts of problems, as the media recently reported. These include auto theft, a crime that is plaguing Ontario, Quebec and, presumably, the rest of Canada as well. Resources are an issue, of course, but there is also the matter of facilities for doing the work, especially in rail yards. If they want to pull a rail car out for examination, for example, they need a place to put it. There will now be an obligation to provide facilities so customs officers can do their job. Without facilities, without dedicated areas for the inspection of goods, this was becoming problematic.

One of the problems raised by customs officers was that they needed to get a warrant every time they wanted to open a container. The process was becoming difficult, complicated and time-consuming. The bill includes measures that would make it easier for them to open containers as needed and inspect the goods inside without the many authorizations required in the past. We see that as something positive.

However, this provision raises the challenge of resources. We can provide customs officers with all the extra authority, infrastructure and facilities we like, but if there are not enough officers to do the work, we have a problem. The Liberals, incidentally, made that promise during the last election campaign. They promised 1,000 more customs officers and 1,000 more RCMP officers. Although one of these two promises—the one concerning the RCMP—made its way into the Speech from the Throne, we are still waiting to see whether it had any tangible impact on RCMP staffing.

As for the CBSA, the wait continues.

Also, will the 1,000 additional employees mentioned in the government's election promise be enough? The answer is no. The Customs and Immigration Union says that 2,000 to 3,000 people are needed. The election promise covers one-third, and we do not even know whether the government is really going to try to keep the promise, because we have no indication that it is really going to give the CBSA what it needs to do a reasonable job.

We know that it takes resources to secure the borders and deal with illegal immigration, arms trafficking, drug trafficking and auto theft. Unfortunately, that is not in the bill, because bills do not prescribe the hiring of staff. If it could be done, however, perhaps it should be, to ensure that this government hires the necessary staff to do the work that needs to be done at our borders.

Another point that we would like to address with respect to this bill is part 4, which amends the Oceans Act to allow a minister other than the Minister of Fisheries to be responsible for the Coast Guard. Essentially, this would transfer the Coast Guard from the Department of Fisheries to the Department of National Defence. We completely agree with that. Transferring the Coast Guard to the Department of National Defence was actually in the Bloc Québécois's election platform.

From an accounting standpoint, it would make it possible to increase defence spending, enabling Canada to fulfill some of its commitments in that area and enhancing coordination between the two services. We know that the Coast Guard is not armed, and this occasionally limits its scope of intervention. Placing it under the Department of Defence would, at a minimum, enhance coordination and information sharing with the Department of Defence, particularly when it comes to interventions that require the presence of National Defence or individuals who are better equipped to face a possible threat. For that reason, we think part 4 is very positive.

I will now turn to part 7. Obviously, I will not go through all the sections. Part 7 of the bill grants more powers to immigration officers to suspend, vary or cancel a visa or document under conditions to be prescribed in regulations. Immigration officers will be given more powers to suspend or vary visas, but the details will be prescribed in regulations. That is all interesting, but we would have preferred to see more details. Bills always provide more certainty than regulations do. Governments always want to have more flexibility, but we do not necessarily agree. We will see how this goes.

The bill also adds an interesting provision that would allow the minister to personally suspend, refuse to process or cancel permanent or temporary resident visas, work permits, electronic travel authorizations or study permits.

We think that is quite interesting, because we know that there have been many allegations of fraud in relation to permits and visas. The problem is that if people obtained documents, visas or resident status fraudulently, we should not simply allow them to run loose without taking any action. We should not just say that now that they have a visa, there is nothing we can do. That is more or less what is happening now. With these kinds of powers, the minister will be able to share information with Public Safety and cancel these fraudulent visas and permits so that the government can take the kind of action that is long overdue. We applaud this step, though we wonder why it was not taken sooner.

We now turn to part 8, which is the most substantial part of the bill and the one that has got the most people talking. I think this is the part that will probably have the greatest impact. Part 8 addresses the Bloc Québécois's concerns regarding the safe third country agreement.

Under this agreement, a person wishing to claim asylum must do so in the first safe country they reach after leaving the country where they were in danger. However, we know that what often happened at Roxham Road was that people were leaving the United States and coming to Canada to file a claim for refugee protection because they believed that they had a better chance of being allowed to enter Canada or that they would receive better treatment in Canada. That led to a large influx of asylum seekers that Quebec had to take in, since Roxham Road is in Quebec.

We found that problematic because we felt that if someone were really in a life-threatening situation, they would not cherry-pick the country they want to settle in. They would go to the first country they could move to to be safe, and this is perfectly legitimate. We felt that this was a problem, but part 8 closes some loopholes. With the safe third country agreement, if a person could come to Canada and hide here for 14 days, they would not have to go back to the United States or another country and could file their claim in Canada.

The new measure in the bill means that people will be sent back to their country after the 14 days. That means it is in their best interest to turn themselves in to the authorities quickly rather than go into hiding. We see that as a fairly positive thing. For the first 14 days, a person caught during that period would simply be sent back to the United States. Obviously, Canada does not have extradition agreements with all countries. This would not apply in those cases. Furthermore, people whose lives are in danger could still report that.

Will this bill fix all the problems? No. Will it help solve some of them? Yes, absolutely. We wish the government had listened to us much sooner, because we know that Quebec—

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 12:05 p.m.

The Assistant Deputy Speaker John Nater

I must interrupt the hon. member. His time has expired.

The hon. Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 12:05 p.m.

Winnipeg North Manitoba

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate how the Bloc's approach to Bill C-12 very much recognizes the need for the change. I think, as immigration has generally flowed over the last number of years, at times we need to make a change. I know that the Province of Manitoba did what it could to assist the Province of Quebec with some of the asylum claims.

When we look at the legislation as a whole, and I posed a related question to one of the member's colleagues, we see that many of the issues that have been raised in the debate are, I think, worth having more discussion on to get answers to some of the specific questions being posed.

My question for the member is this: Would he not agree that a wonderful forum for that is at the committee stage, given that everyone is in principle supporting the legislation?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 12:05 p.m.

Bloc

Xavier Barsalou-Duval Bloc Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC

Mr. Speaker, I agree that the study by the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security will probably improve the bill and help us to understand it better. Witnesses will come and tell us what needs to be done differently. However, the question we need to ask is this: Why did it take so long before something was done? The government has been in power for 10 years. We have been complaining about this situation, about the government's lax approach at our borders, for years.

Every time we raised the issue and proposed measures like the ones now set out in this bill, the government called us every name in the book, claiming that we were being unwelcoming. However, Quebec currently takes in 40% of asylum seekers in Canada, even though it represents only 20% of the country's population. That amounts to twice its demographic weight. This is a serious problem.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 12:05 p.m.

Conservative

Brad Vis Conservative Mission—Matsqui—Abbotsford, BC

Mr. Speaker, I would like the Bloc Québécois member to clarify his party's stand on part 7(a) of the bill's summary, which reads as follows:

...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;

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 12:05 p.m.

Bloc

Xavier Barsalou-Duval Bloc Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC

Mr. Speaker, I cannot really comment specifically on part 7(a). Earlier, I spoke in general about part 7, which the Bloc Québécois saw as a positive because it seeks to combat certain fraudulent claims that might have been made or certain massive claims that might be made to bog down the system.

If the bill prevents fraudulent claims and attempts to bog down the system, then I think that is a good thing. Obviously, we will see whether further amendments are needed after hearing what the witnesses have to say in committee. After asking many of his colleagues the same question today, what I would have liked my Conservative colleague to tell me is whether the Conservatives agree that we need a fair distribution of asylum seekers across the country.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 12:05 p.m.

Bloc

Mario Simard Bloc Jonquière, QC

Mr. Speaker, the member clearly showed that the government has been slow to act, particularly with regard to part 8, which deals with temporary migrants.

As my colleague rightly pointed out, during the previous Parliament, when the Bloc Québécois highlighted the issues with foreign students and asylum seekers, the government did terrible damage to our reputation. We were called all sorts of names.

When we made sensible proposals on immigration, the Liberal government took such an ideological stance that it could not listen to us, and now it realizes that our proposals were just common sense, to quote another opposition leader.

I would like to hear my colleague's opinion on that.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 12:10 p.m.

Bloc

Xavier Barsalou-Duval Bloc Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC

Mr. Speaker, the real problem is that asylum seekers are supposed to be people who are coming here because they fear for their safety, because they are in danger in their own country.

However, we have seen that the asylum process increasingly became a completely separate immigration stream used to get around the regular immigration process. This was tolerated by the government and suited its purposes. When we spoke out about this situation, members on the other side of the House called us every name in the book. It was very problematic.

What is unfortunate is that we could have resolved this situation 10 years ago. Everything in this bill, or most of it, helps to address the problem. The system became bogged down and all sorts of crises were created, including the housing crisis, the homelessness crisis and the public service crisis, just because this government did not want to deal with the problems.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 12:10 p.m.

Conservative

Brad Vis Conservative Mission—Matsqui—Abbotsford, BC

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise today on Bill C-12.

Bill C-12 touches upon immigration and border security, issues that matter deeply to the great people of Mission—Matsqui—Abbotsford.

The bill is actually a direct result of Conservative leadership, our commitment to holding the government accountable and our pushing back against some of the divisiveness we saw in Bill C-2. Let us not forget that, after the election, Canadians were very clear with everyone across Parliament that we needed to work together and that they wanted to see leadership from the Conservative Party to put the best interests of Canadians forward. I think that what we are seeing here today, which is actually quite historical in the context of government legislation, shows to Canadians that, while we are willing to compromise, we are also standing firm in our principles about what is acceptable and what is not acceptable.

We supported the tax cuts the Liberals put forward. We supported measures to improve interprovincial trade, and today, we are supporting some long-standing measures in Bill C-12 that would improve public safety.

The bill before us today covers everything from border measures and money-laundering rules to sweeping surveillance powers buried deep within it. Excuse me. That was in the previous bill. In the previous bill, there were provisions on Canada Post and sweeping new surveillance powers. These are not included in the legislation, which many Canadians are thankful for. In fact, many of my constituents wrote to me, explaining that they did not want me to support a bill with such measures.

In the new bill, in what we can see today, there are measures for the Canada Border Services Agency that would grant authority to inspect outgoing shipments in the same way that border services agents inspect imports. That is an important change. Canada has long monitored what comes into the country but not always what leaves. These new powers could help stop illegal exports, arms trafficking or the flow of fentanyl precursors across our borders.

According to Health Canada, between January 2016 and June 2024, more than 49,000 Canadians lost their lives to the opioid toxicity crisis. In the first half of 2024 alone, fentanyl was involved in nearly 80% of accidental opioid deaths, a 39% increase since national tracking began. In the last two years alone, police have dismantled major fentanyl labs in Langley, Falkland and the Hatzic valley in my own riding.

Strengthening CBSA's ability to track and intercept illegal exports, particularly precursor chemicals used in fentanyl production, is a necessary step if we are serious about disrupting the flow of deadly opioids, which are taking lives unnecessarily in our country.

The bill would also amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act to allow the Minister of Health to quickly schedule new precursor chemicals used in fentanyl production. Conservatives support this because we have been calling for tougher and faster action in response to the opioid crisis for years. These are warranted powers for the minister. It would also give law enforcement officers clarity and legal protection while handling controlled substances during investigations, which makes sense from an operational perspective.

The bill would expand the Coast Guard's authority to share information with security and intelligence partners, and it modernizes how departments handle immigration and refugee files. It strengthens penalties for money laundering and terrorist financing by reforming FINTRAC, our national financial intelligence agency. Real reforms are needed to fix what the previous government broke, to rebuild trust in a fair, secure and efficient system.

I will note that it is a Liberal government that is fixing the problems of a previous Liberal government, but there are still problems with the bill. The Liberals have left too many details to regulation. Rather than writing clear, enforceable laws, they have chosen to permit future decisions through regulation, decisions that can be quietly changed by cabinet behind closed doors, with no parliamentary oversight. That means that the real power, in some cases, may remain in the hands of the ministers, not in the text of Canada's Criminal Code and accompanying legislation.

There is a lot of public interest in how refugee and immigration claims are being handled, and people want to know how the system is being managed responsibly. This is a pattern we have seen time and time again with the government. Whether it is how they spend, how they tax or how they regulate, the Liberals do prefer a regulatory approach over clarity, and secrecy over accountability. That is why the Conservatives will support Bill C-12 to committee, but we need to insist on a couple of things that I believe should be looked at closely when the bill is brought to the committee stage.

The first is FINTRAC. We need to ensure Canada's financial intelligence agency has the proper tools and oversight to effectively tackle money laundering, transnational crime and the illicit flow of fentanyl that undermine both our economy and our border. From this bill alone, we cannot tell if it does a good enough job. We need to study that in detail at the committee stage.

Second, we need to look very closely at the broad discretionary powers included in this bill. For example, it gives ministers wide latitude, particularly on immigration and refugee files. Committee study must examine whether these powers could be misused and how to include clear safeguards, because Canadians deserve a fair, transparent and accountable system.

Third, there is the CBSA's authority to inspect outgoing cargo. While these powers are essential for stopping criminal gangs and fentanyl traffickers, we must also ensure there is a balance. Trusted exporters, through the trusted exporter program, should not be burdened unnecessarily, and inspections must be targeted and reasonable. Again, we need to see this carefully addressed at committee.

From my first reading of the bill, I believe that by focusing on the three amendments, or things to be studied closely, we can hopefully strengthen the legislation to give our law enforcement the necessary tools to improve public safety and work toward improving trust in government institutions across our country.

In British Columbia, I have seen containers ready for export to Asia full of stolen cars. I have seen the devastating impacts of fentanyl, which is destroying lives. Billions of dollars have been laundered into Canada's economy and, in some cases, it is driving up the price of real estate and increasing crime in our community. My hope is this bill takes some measurable steps to improve all the things Canadian society sees wrong with the way our institutions handle these critical issues.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 12:15 p.m.

Liberal

Michael Coteau Liberal Scarborough—Woburn, ON

Mr. Speaker, the member said this was a historical moment, and it is a historical moment.

That is one of the most positive speeches I have heard from the opposition in a long time, with a constructive approach to building good government policies and strengthening bills. He talked about the police being effective. He talked about being very supportive of many of the measures. It is a huge contrast to what we usually hear in the House, where Conservatives are trying to disrupt and divide, not bring Canadians together.

I am very thankful for the member's speech. I think it was a positive speech. I think the member opposite has a bright future in his riding as a very positive Conservative. It is exactly what Canadians are looking for.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 12:20 p.m.

Conservative

Brad Vis Conservative Mission—Matsqui—Abbotsford, BC

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Scarborough—Woburn for his genuinely nice comments about my comportment in the House of Commons.

I will note and re-emphasize that, in this Parliament, Conservatives have heard what Canadians had to say, and we are working to improve the lives of all Canadians. We ran on a platform that included strong taxation measures. We ran on a platform to improve public safety. We ran on a platform to improve border security.

Imitation is often the best form of flattery, and I am thankful the Liberals have listened to the Conservatives and adopted many of our sound policies to improve the lives of Canadians. That is what collaboration in the House is all about.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 12:20 p.m.

Conservative

Frank Caputo Conservative Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola, BC

Mr. Speaker, it is always a pleasure to rise on behalf of the people from Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola.

I know that my colleague comes to the House with great passion and a very rich sense of a desire to do well by his constituents, and Canadians for that matter.

The bill we are debating here today is a rehashing of Bill C-2. I wonder if my colleague could comment on what he saw as the issues of Bill C-2, as well as how we got here and why.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 12:20 p.m.

Conservative

Brad Vis Conservative Mission—Matsqui—Abbotsford, BC

Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate the member for Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola on his incredible work and his adopting some of the greatest parts of Canada into his new riding, especially the Fraser Canyon.

The member has been working incredibly hard, and he was leading the charge in many respects on getting to Bill C-12. Why did we need to get to Bill C-12? Bill C-2 included provisions that would allow our law enforcement agencies to look at our Internet data, our Internet traffic and our mail without a judicial order. For many people in Canada, that was a step too far.

As I mentioned in my speech, we need to improve public trust in our institutions. Bill C-2 did not do that. Bill C-12 is a step in the right direction.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 12:20 p.m.

Bloc

Mario Simard Bloc Jonquière, QC

Mr. Speaker, we talked a little bit today about part 8 of the bill, which includes some of the demands that the Bloc Québécois has repeatedly made concerning asylum seekers. However, there is something missing from the bill, and I would like to know where my colleague and the Conservative Party stand on it.

Do the Conservatives agree that Quebec has welcomed more than its share of asylum seekers and that there should be a mechanism to ensure a better distribution of asylum seekers across Canada?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 12:20 p.m.

Conservative

Brad Vis Conservative Mission—Matsqui—Abbotsford, BC

Mr. Speaker, I think the member from the Bloc Québécois raises a very valid point on asylum seekers.

Many Liberals were celebrating 10 years of Justin Trudeau the other day. One of the worst legacies of Justin Trudeau was his policies on the border. Justin Trudeau said to the world, “Hey, come to Canada.” Frankly, we had a de facto open border policy under his reign. It destroyed public trust in immigration, and Quebec was burdened with the brunt of that.

That is why Canadians do not trust our institutions as much as they did. We were not operating under an orderly and fair system. It was a free-for-all, and people were abusing the generosity of Canadians. That has to stop. The province of Quebec, and the rest of Canada where we saw this, has legitimate concerns with the poor failures of—

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 12:20 p.m.

The Assistant Deputy Speaker John Nater

Resuming debate, the hon. member for Markham—Unionville.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 12:20 p.m.

Conservative

Michael Ma Conservative Markham—Unionville, ON

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals say that they want to secure our border, but they have filled Bill C-12 with nothing but half measures that fail to target the core issues. They will be unable to combat transnational organized crime when they value the well-being of repeat offenders over law-abiding citizens. They will be unable to get a handle on our asylum system when they value economic migrants with bogus asylum claims over legitimately vulnerable people.

The Liberal half measures in Bill C-12 stem from their continued inability to both set up and enforce disincentives against bad actors. Fundamentally, the Liberals take the maxim of the three wise monkeys to heart: See no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil. The Liberals do not see the criminals. They do not hear the vulnerable. When they choose not to see the bad actors and not to hear the downtrodden, they by all means speak half measures into being.

Let us first address how Bill C-12 would fail to secure our borders, from a crime angle. I have a simple question: Do hard drugs like fentanyl just magically appear in our country? No, of course they do not. Some group has to produce them, and some group has to distribute them. The drug dealers should not be the only central target for the legislation.

The problem is that lax Liberal laws have altered our Criminal Code to put criminals first. Law-abiding Canadians live in fear, while repeat offenders serially reoffend against Canadian society, knowing there will be no consequences for their crimes.

The Liberals cannot just paper everything over with Bill C-12 while we still live in the madness legislated into being by Bill C-5 and Bill C-75. They are building bridges to nowhere, upheld by pillars of sand. How much longer must the Conservatives bring up the failures of these two bills?

Bill C-75 forces judges to apply a principle of restraint that puts repeat offenders back on the streets. Bill C-5 repealed mandatory jail time for serious offences, like extortion with a firearm or trafficking hard drugs like fentanyl. Thus, not only are we letting criminals with many offences roam free; we are also letting the ones who have performed the most serious offences at the highest frequency roam free. This is the pro-criminal world that the Liberals have legislated into being.

How do we stop the Liberal madness? The first step is clear: Put law-abiding Canadians above the well-being of repeat offenders. When we put hard-working, law-abiding and tax-paying Canadians first, at the top of our hierarchy, the policy suite to serve them unfolds naturally. We must disincentivize the crime that harms our law-abiding society, by locking up the repeat offenders rather than letting them roam free.

It is not hard to understand how disincentives work. When a toddler touches a hot stove and burns their hand, they will learn not to touch the stove again. Through this feedback loop, the child will learn not to repeat the mistake. Human behaviour is like a river flowing down a mountain. We can either dig grooves to enhance the flow down one path, or we can build dams to block the flow down another. The Liberals have been allowing the river of crime to flow unimpeded. We Conservatives plan on setting up some more dams.

Having addressed the failure of Bill C-12 to secure our borders on the drug front, let me redirect attention to how Bill C-12 would fail to do so on the asylum front as well.

Canada's asylum system was set up to protect truly vulnerable people, like those from Hong Kong or Ukraine. We cannot resettle every economic migrant claiming asylum to get a free hotel stay. However, this is our current state of affairs. We have made the asylum route a lucrative one and have incentivized it. We give hotel rooms to people with bogus asylum claims, while hard-working Canadians struggle with housing, health care and jobs amidst a general cost of living crisis, and while legitimately vulnerable people from Hong Kong and Ukraine have been left in limbo on their path to permanent residence, despite already being in Canada.

All that Bill C-12 would accomplish is to shift the burden to the courts, which is another half measure among half measures, as the Liberals choose not to see the bad actors and choose not to hear the vulnerable.

Let me bring my Liberal colleagues the voices of the vulnerable. I was shocked to discover that on October 9, the estimated time for processing individuals under the Hong Kong pathways to permanent residence was revised to being upwards of 10 years. My constituency staff have seen the processing times for cases of applications that have been situated in the IRCC pipeline for years jump from 25 months to 48 months after the October 9 threshold. For those who submitted their application this summer, processing times went from 25 months at submission to 10 years after October 9 . In the best of cases, it is a doubling of processing, and in the worst of cases, it is a quintupling of processing. In all cases, there are lives ruined and families put in peril.

Hong Kongers are a case study of a people that has integrated into our society. They do not take handouts. They are taxpayers who contribute to the system instead of getting free hotel stays on the backs of hard-working Canadians.

The Liberals can secure our borders from their out-of-control asylum system by removing all the benefits. A single action like this would have sweeping effects, and yet the Liberals have chosen the path of half measures.

In conclusion, my message today about Bill C-12 can be expressed in two concepts: incentives and disincentives. All we have to do is to stop incentivizing behaviours we no longer wish to see and to start disincentivizing behaviours we want to end. We cannot secure our borders with half measures that dance around the core problem.

People are the actors; people do things, so to stop bad actors from doing bad things, we must build systems of incentives and disincentives around the bad actors themselves. This is only impossible to do when we actually love and esteem the bad actors above the hard-working, law-abiding and taxpaying Canadians. As it stands, structurally, Bill C-12 does not see the bad actors and does not hear the legitimately vulnerable. Bill C-12 is a bundle of half measures that would not secure our borders.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 12:30 p.m.

Winnipeg North Manitoba

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, I would like to follow up on some comments made by a Conservative who spoke previously. Before I do that, let me share a quote from a Winnipeg Free Press article referring to the leader of the Conservative Party's calling the leadership of the RCMP “despicable”. I believe that the leader of the Conservative Party needs to apologize to Canadians for the reputational harm that has been caused to the RCMP.

When I raised the question with the member for Bow River, the member said that it was just management weakness of the RCMP. He is literally doubling down on what the leader of the Conservative Party is saying. Does the member across the way agree with the leader of the Conservative Party, and with his colleague from Bow River who says it it just management weakness? Do they believe in the RCMP—

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 12:30 p.m.

The Assistant Deputy Speaker John Nater

The hon. member for Markham—Unionville has the floor.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 12:30 p.m.

Conservative

Michael Ma Conservative Markham—Unionville, ON

Mr. Speaker, my colleague just asked a question that is irrelevant to what I just talked about.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 12:30 p.m.

Conservative

Frank Caputo Conservative Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola, BC

Mr. Speaker, it is always a pleasure to rise on behalf of the people of Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola.

If we want to talk about relevance, I would remind the member for Winnipeg North that yesterday, when I introduced a bill on intimate partner violence, a bill that has been widely accepted by so many and is about as non-partisan a bill as we can get, he talked about its being “American-style” politics and performative. I question the member's talking about other people doing such things, when he did that very thing.

My colleague, on the other hand, outlined what he called half measures, areas we need to improve. I wonder whether he could expand on that.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 12:35 p.m.

Conservative

Michael Ma Conservative Markham—Unionville, ON

Mr. Speaker, the half measures are not addressing the issues—

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 12:35 p.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh!

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 12:35 p.m.

The Assistant Deputy Speaker John Nater

Order. Let us end the side conversation.

The hon. member for Markham—Unionville can resume his answer, briefly.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 12:35 p.m.

Conservative

Michael Ma Conservative Markham—Unionville, ON

Mr. Speaker, the half-measures in Bill C-12 would not address anything apart from what we already have. It would just be patching up bills that should have been repealed, Bill C-5 and Bill C-75, to truly attack the roots of the problems.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 12:35 p.m.

Liberal

Michael Coteau Liberal Scarborough—Woburn, ON

Mr. Speaker, I want to re-approach the question asked by one of the members on this side.

We think the first line of defence for mitigating crime in this country is building a relationship with law enforcement. The Leader of the Opposition clearly showed huge disrespect towards some of the top RCMP and police officials in this country.

Does the member opposite think that in order for us to move forward as a country, as a government and as members we need to have a respectful relationship with our top law enforcement?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 12:35 p.m.

Conservative

Michael Ma Conservative Markham—Unionville, ON

Mr. Speaker, the root of the problem is at the bill level and the policy level. The execution of bills is dependent on the proper set of policies that the government will have to table in order to fix all our issues. Right now, Bill C-12 is not addressing them.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 12:35 p.m.

Conservative

Eric Melillo Conservative Kenora—Kiiwetinoong, ON

Mr. Speaker, the bill is being brought forward at a time when the Liberals are trying to address a lot of failures that are a result of their 10 years in government.

I am wondering whether the member wants to speak more to the Liberal failure to address crime and to the policies they brought forward that have made crime worse.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 12:35 p.m.

Conservative

Michael Ma Conservative Markham—Unionville, ON

Mr. Speaker, the bill, as I said earlier, would do only half the job. It should be addressing the fundamentals of fixing up the borders, fixing up the Criminal Code and repealing Bill C-75 and Bill C-5 to really discourage criminal acts. We need to fix all these issues fundamentally, not just do a half-assed job.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 12:35 p.m.

The Assistant Deputy Speaker John Nater

I will just caution members about language in this place. Certain words would be considered unparliamentary.

Resuming debate, the hon. member for Niagara South.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 12:35 p.m.

Conservative

Fred Davies Conservative Niagara South, ON

Mr. Speaker, I am very happy to participate in the debate on this split border bill, Bill C-12.

My riding of Niagara South is a border riding. The town of Fort Erie borders the city of Buffalo. The connection between Canada and the United States in my riding runs deep in our DNA. Everyone I know in every part of my riding has ties to western New York. Crossing the Peace Bridge was like simply crossing the street. Relationships and, indeed, every aspect of our region are, or were, tied to something or someone in the Buffalo or Niagara Falls, New York area. We cheered for the Sabres, of course, unless the Leafs were in town, in which case the KeyBank Center in Buffalo was often filled with a majority of Canadians. We were part of the Bills Mafia and lined up to cross the bridge to tailgate with our American friends.

We do not so much anymore. I am incredibly saddened by the current issues we are facing: trade disputes, tariffs and the strain and stress those are placing on literally thousands of people employed in my riding because we are a border community. Our cross-border business ties have become part of the very bone structure of Niagara South. Niagara South is a great example of what can be built with strong trade links and binational and international commerce.

I spent a lifetime in the local business community helping people grow their enterprises, commercialize their products and find markets in and outside Canada. We have struggled over the past 10 years with the brain drain of ideas flowing south to where capital is more readily available. Recent market machinations mean that our already-weakened innovation sector is at even greater risk. We are in a kind of economic purgatory right now. We have caved to Donald Trump after a decade of missed opportunities, failed industrial and innovation policy and declining productivity. We are now watching the Stellantis deal literally implode before our eyes, losing a long-term key investment and 3,000 jobs. This is a massive failure. There are repercussions to our trade failure, which the Prime Minister said is a rupture. It is an interesting case study in economic impotence.

Canadians want solutions, but the government has proposed none. The silence on the file, outside of platitudes and bold but meaningless political hyperbole, tells me that the guy who said he could deal with Trump is appeasing him or simply hoping to wait him out. The guy who said he would engage in nation-building projects simply announced old ones.

In my riding, the Peace Bridge is one of the most critical border crossings in Canada, facilitating over $50 billion in trade every year. Tourism from our American friends also drove our local economy.

An issue that came up during the election relates again, to the Peace Bridge in Fort Erie. Transport Canada invested $5 million, and the Peace Bridge authority also invested $5 million, to build new infrastructure to scan commercial vehicles leaving Canada. This is called the Peace Bridge pre-arrival readiness evaluation project, or PARE.

Multi-energy portal technology exists to scan the contents of trailers, containers and vehicles while the vehicle continues to move at around 10 kilometres an hour through the scanning lanes. It identifies what is actually inside these vehicles. We know that only a small percentage of containers in the major ports in Canada are actually inspected. This is why thousands of stolen cars are being exported to distant criminal markets.

This MEP technology is universally used in southern U.S. ports of entry and exit and can provide a full inventory of contents within a minute or two. This technology is not new, but for some reason Canada has dropped the ball on this in the most egregious way. Canada and taxpayers invested $10 million to build the infrastructure for this scanning equipment at the base of the Peace Bridge on the Canadian side two years ago. Guess what. The United States government invested $30 million, literally giving us this technology here in Canada. All we had to do was build the infrastructure, and we did.

Unfortunately, Canadian bureaucracy has held this project up because we cannot seem to get the Canadian nuclear regulatory authority to green-light the technology, a technology already safely and widely deployed around the world.

For over a year now, this infrastructure has lain unused at the base of the Peace Bridge and the scanning equipment has sat in storage somewhere in Baltimore, waiting for the Canadian government to live up to its end of the bargain. This technology is pretty amazing. Using state-of-the-art scanning, we can get a full history of the trucks that cross the border, such as driving records, the track record of the company crossing, e-manifest verifications and facial recognition for matching driver identity. We get a complete data package on the vehicle in minutes. This expedites trade and safety. It lowers emissions and commercial congestion. It expedites the identification of contraband and stolen goods.

Last week, I heard a minister across say something about scanning equipment being put into the budget, but I am not sure who it was. If this technology is being considered, my question is this: What took the government so long?

The government is talking big about beefing up our security at borders. This bill is supposed to have a major role in this, but we have been standing on the shoreline of this project and missed the proverbial boat to solve one of the most pressing problems plaguing Canadians right now: the theft and export of stolen vehicles. Even ministers of the Crown are not immune to this, one having had his vehicle stolen twice. The anxiety Canadians feel over the lack of response to this epidemic is palpable. We no longer feel safe in our safe zones and neighbourhoods.

The Prime Minister was in Niagara last week reannouncing old announcements. I would bet a dollar or two that he had no idea this technology was sitting at the base of the Peace Bridge. If he really wanted to look at game-changing opportunities, he would have stood there and fixed the bureaucratic logjam. Instead, he regurgitated old announcements and called it news.

I wrote to the Minister of Public Safety, the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources and the Minister of Transport in July urging them to get involved and fast-track this technology out of the bureaucratic logjam. Four months later, it is crickets. Is it any wonder Trump is taking advantage of us? We cannot even launch a project that is already built.

What about those 1,000 new jobs at the border? We have been hearing about these extra 1,000 border officers, a high-profile announcement with zero action. I have qualified constituents who have been waiting for months after applying with no response and no callback. No one at the CBSA has an idea of how this can be done. There is simply not enough training capacity.

There are other issues facing the CBSA that need to be fixed. Suicide rates in the organization have rocked its members. We need to pay attention to the entire cultural structure before making absurd political announcements.

Finally, I need to talk about one very serious issue related to this bill. Proposed section 6 requires operators of international border crossings, like the Peace Bridge in Fort Erie and the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls, to provide existing, new or significantly expanded assets free of charge to the CBSA upon a simple request.

The Peace Bridge, unlike others in Canada, is owned by and operated through a binational authority, with no taxpayer or public funding. The operations of the bridge are managed through independent revenue streams or, in simple terms, tolls. This legislation imposes a blanket requirement on the Government of Canada to demand investment in new infrastructure without a financial contribution. This is an open-ended and serious flaw in the legislation. What it means directly is that, for non-federally owned or controlled border bridges, the only way to pay for capital expansion for federal freebies is through tolls.

There are federally owned bridges, such as Blue Water Bridge, Thousand Islands Bridge and Seaway International Bridge. Under proposed section 6, the costs would be borne by the government because it owns these border crossings, which is not the case with the Peace Bridge. This is a classic government download on the consumer and a lack of organizational understanding. Worse, it manifestly disregards the interests of local residents. The government needs to look at this unfair provision and make changes to ensure there is a level playing field. The legislation imposes a double standard.

There is so much more I could talk about regarding this bill, but time does not permit. There are serious issues to fix here. I hope the government will pay attention to the points I have raised. My riding's economy, people, businesses and jobs are inextricably linked to Canada and U.S. trade. Please let there be no absurd reannouncements of old projects. We have real problems to fix.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 12:45 p.m.

Liberal

Michael Coteau Liberal Scarborough—Woburn, ON

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government takes our borders quite seriously, especially strategic borders like Niagara and others in Ontario. There is the largest infrastructure project to build a great bridge out in Windsor. There is investment in these regions because we know it is part of our economic trade and development, and it connects us to our largest trade partner.

However, I want to talk about a serious issue: the Leader of the Opposition and his comments around law enforcement. Recently, he made a comment that really broke down the trust between law enforcement and, I believe, legislators, especially the Conservative opposition.

I want to know if the member believes that a strong relationship with our top law enforcement personnel across this country is essential for building a stronger border. It is yes or no?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 12:45 p.m.

Conservative

Fred Davies Conservative Niagara South, ON

Mr. Speaker, one of the interesting components of the member's question is that it has nothing to do with this bill.

Let us talk about law enforcement. With respect to the CBSA, we hear about the 1,000 jobs being created. I have talked to people at the CBSA and people who have applied for the jobs. There has just been no response. The people who run the CBSA just point out the actual annual turnover of officers, either through resignation or retirement. Unfortunately, lately, there has also been a series of suicides. That has impacted the ability of the CBSA to operate effectively. There is a personnel issue here.

The CBSA would hire 1,000 new employees every year, given the opportunity. That is the importance of law enforcement at our—

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 12:50 p.m.

The Assistant Deputy Speaker John Nater

Questions and comments, the hon. member for Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 12:50 p.m.

Conservative

Frank Caputo Conservative Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola, BC

Mr. Speaker, it is always a pleasure to rise on behalf of the people of Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola.

I commend the member for Scarborough—Woburn for getting so many questions in. This is wonderful. We are hearing from somebody other than the member for Winnipeg North. This is just wonderful. Debate is to be encouraged in this place, and I love seeing that. I thank the member for his heckling and interventions today.

At the end of the day, the government has promised 1,000 new border officers. Pardon me. I should not have said “officers”. It is “personnel” now, though we do not know what that means. It is clear that the CBSA does not have the capacity to turn out those 1,000 members based on its training abilities.

I wonder what my learned colleague would have to say about this ostensible disparity.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 12:50 p.m.

Conservative

Fred Davies Conservative Niagara South, ON

Mr. Speaker, at the public safety committee this morning, I was asking questions of officials of the border bridges. They were telling me about the shortfall of CBSA officers across the board. The shortage is well more than 1,000 people a year. There is just no capacity to train these people.

When the Gordie Howe International Bridge opens up shortly, the draw of existing officers to that new facility is going to be an enormous burden on our resources and our personnel. The Liberals can talk the big talk and make big announcements, but 1,000 new people is a drop in the bucket of what the CBSA needs.

I urge the government to move forward with 1,000 hires annually.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 12:50 p.m.

Bloc

Mario Simard Bloc Jonquière, QC

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal Party's comments are consistent, at least, as are those of the Conservative Party.

As I mentioned earlier, the government has repeatedly criticized the Bloc Québécois for ideological reasons because we had proposals that were aimed at tightening the rules on temporary immigration. Now I see my Liberal friends criticizing the Conservatives for their leaders's comments on security, once again, on the basis of ideology.

The question I would like to ask my colleague is this: Would it not be better to debate this calmly, with both sides, both the Liberals and the Conservatives, setting their populist ideas aside?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 12:50 p.m.

Conservative

Fred Davies Conservative Niagara South, ON

Mr. Speaker, actually, my speech was a calm debate. It was pointing out existing issues that need to be fixed.

If border-scanning equipment were deployed in the port of Montreal, the port of Vancouver, Halifax and across the board, it would instantaneously fix the export of stolen vehicles in Canada. That is how effective this equipment is. It is deployed across the entire U.S. southern border along Mexico. We have one coming to Canada.

That is real debate about the solutions we have. I would encourage the government to deploy this across the country and fix the car—

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 12:50 p.m.

The Assistant Deputy Speaker John Nater

Resuming debate, the hon. member for Saanich—Gulf Islands.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 12:50 p.m.

Green

Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to rise today to speak to Bill C-12, which is what is listed today under Government Orders. We have a very strange situation at the moment in that the bill is substantially similar, with the same title and almost all the same sections, to Bill C-2, which remains on the Order Paper. I draw attention to that as I go over the rules only because this is, to me, an unprecedented experience.

I have not been in this place forever, only since 2011, but I have never seen the government introduce two bills that are substantially the same. Sometimes, there is a private member's bill and we look at the order of precedence. As I read the rules, I think the government is within its rights to have two bills that have the same title and are substantially the same, but at the moment that it chooses one to put forward for a vote, we will know that the other one is withdrawn, because we cannot vote on two bills that are the same in the same session.

As a member of Parliament, I wonder what kind of game the government is playing with this. These are both government bills. Why is Bill C-2 still in the order of precedence, and why are we getting nonsense statements from Liberal members, who have said Bill C-12 builds on Bill C-2? That is clearly not what is happening here.

Bill C-2 is an omnibus bill whose title is about stronger borders, and it references many other pieces of legislation within it. Bill C-12 does the same. As some of my hon. Conservative colleagues have already noted, the parts that have been removed are those that were the most obviously egregious. The idea that the Canada Post Corporation Act has to be changed is in Bill C-2, but not in Bill C-12. It would allow people to open our mail in case there might be controlled substances. There are also the parts that would allow information from our Internet accounts to be accessed and shared. This is a source of real concern for Canadians from coast to coast to coast.

Bill C-2 is an omnibus bill touching on 10 different bills. I think Bill C-12 is down to touching on eight different bills now. It would change the Customs Act, the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, the Oceans Act, the Department of Citizenship and Immigration Act, the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, the Sex Offender Information Registration Act and the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act. I have not read all of them into the record.

Omnibus bills are a problem, because when we deal with subjects that may be somewhat related but are sufficiently different, they should be studied separately. They should not be put together and called an omnibus bill.

In this case, omnibus Bill C-2 attracted omnibus opposition. A broad coalition of over 200 civil society organizations put together a demand to Parliament before we resumed in September, as the original Bill C-2 was tabled in the spring. It attracted concern from civil liberties organizations, refugee protection groups and migrant protection organizations. I can mention some of the groups by name.

Specifically, over 300 organizations called for Bill C-2 to be withdrawn, including the Canadian Labour Congress, the United Church of Canada, the Migrant Rights Network, the Canadian Council for Refugees, Amnesty International, OpenMedia, Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights, Climate Action Network Canada, the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers and the Canadian Muslim Lawyers Association. They all called for a full withdrawal of Bill C-2. I have not read all of the groups' names into the record.

Now we have Bill C-12. Have these groups said the government has heard their concerns and, obviously, Bill C-2 is going to be withdrawn? No. Bill C-2, as I mentioned, is still on the Order Paper. More than that, though, removing the parts that were in Bill C-2 from Bill C-12 does not make Bill C-12 acceptable.

I am going to quote Matt Hatfield, the executive director of OpenMedia, one of the many civil society organizations concerned about this bill. This is his position on privacy rights and other aspects of the way in which Bill C-12 is still offensive. He said, “The story of this legislative package is the same today as it was on day one of Bill C-2’s introduction; it’s about pleasing President Trump”.

Like the preceding speaker from Niagara, my riding is also a border riding. Saanich—Gulf Islands is on the Salish Sea, which is an ecological region shared with Washington state. The Gulf Islands referenced in the title of my riding, Saanich—Gulf Islands, are close relatives, one might say, to the San Juan Islands. They have the same ecosystem. The same endangered whales go through both waters of the Salish Sea, and whales and salmon do not carry passports.

The indigenous people of Washington state, the Lummi Nation, are relatives to the Saanich people I am honoured to represent here in this place. They are intrinsically linked, and our borders are strong in that we respect each other's nationalities. I have to say, there are certain strains when the Mariners are playing the Jays, but never mind. Let us set that aside. In my riding, we cheer for the Jays. This is clear.

On Friday last week, we had a cross-border forum and invited into Saanich—Gulf Islands representatives from local governments, indigenous governments, NGOs and civil society groups, and we all agreed that we are still neighbours and friends. We do not like Trump's tariffs and we do not want to kowtow to him, but we want to deepen the relationships that exist between us. We would really like to get our ferry service back, by the way, between Anacortes, Washington, and Sidney, British Columbia.

We can deepen relationships, but given the strong border language and the rhetoric around this, I have to agree with the comment from OpenMedia. The language in Bill C-2 and Bill C-12 is all about pleasing Donald Trump.

What gets offended in the process? I used to practise refugee law. I was a lawyer in Halifax, and in those days, the refugees I helped were mostly ship-jumpers. With nothing more than the clothes on their back, they escaped from eastern bloc and Warsaw Pact countries, like Romania, came to Halifax Harbour and found themselves a lawyer. Generally, that was me.

I was so grateful for this. It has been mentioned a few times in debates that Canadians would hate the idea that we provided hotel rooms, which we did. I will never forget the brilliant young man who called me, probably four decades later, after I got elected, and wanted me to know how he had done in Canada once I helped him get a hotel room in Halifax and start his refugee claim. He started and ran a small construction company and had a number of sons, who are still running his construction company. He was awfully glad we had immediate help for refugees and did not require that they cross at the proper border. Sometimes, a person crosses where they can, with the clothes on their back. This is why I am proud I was a practising member of the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers. It is also absolutely opposed to what is being proposed here in Bill C-12, and remain so.

Going back to the fact that it is an omnibus bill, this means it is not going to go to the immigration committee for proper study with enough witnesses and experts brought to bear to say, “This is what is wrong with this bill, and this is how we might fix it.” The Green Party still maintains that these issues are not fixable and that both Bill C-2 and Bill C-12 should be withdrawn immediately. In the meantime, the greater likelihood is that they will not be. The Liberals have caved to what the Conservatives demanded in this place, and I thank those on the Conservatives benches who demanded it, but they are not demanding enough. Both bills should be withdrawn immediately.

Bill C-2 had egregious sections regarding the post office and the Internet, but Bill C-12 is still unacceptable. It has provisions that invade privacy and hurt refugees, with innocent people caught in the gears of what is now an increasingly Trumpian world. We do not have to accept that. We can make laws that work for Canadians and for those who legitimately need our protection. Canadians will always want to say “elbows up”, but with arms outstretched to the world.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 1 p.m.

Winnipeg North Manitoba

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, our new Prime Minister made a commitment to Canadians to secure the border and take certain actions to ensure that we stabilize immigration-related issues. I see the legislation as being very positive and encouraging. Bill C-12 will hopefully garner the support necessary to ultimately get through. It is important to Canadians.

This does not mean we give up on Bill C-2. As an example, in northern Manitoba, fentanyl in the mail really has an impact. There are many rural communities in northern Manitoba that want the government to take action on it. That action is in Bill C-2. I hope the leader of the Green Party will be more sympathetic to people in northern Manitoba—

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 1 p.m.

The Assistant Deputy Speaker John Nater

I must give time for the response.

The hon. member for Saanich—Gulf Islands.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 1 p.m.

Green

Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC

Mr. Speaker, I have a lot of concerns for the residents of northern Manitoba. They face many issues, and we should certainly pay attention to the Port of Churchill.

There are many things that need to be done, but no one needs to open our mail to protect us from fentanyl. I have talked to the Minister of Justice about this. Many accommodations could be made. Mail, unlike many other objects that may contain illegal drugs, is addressed to the person who is going to receive it. As such, one could ask the post office to set it aside, contact the recipient and ask if they mind having their letter opened or if they would like to be present when their letter is opened.

The government has just said on the record that it has not given up on Bill C-2. Mark that well.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 1:05 p.m.

Conservative

Frank Caputo Conservative Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola, BC

Mr. Speaker, it is always a pleasure to rise on behalf of the people from Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola.

I want to pick up on what the member for Winnipeg North said. There is a resounding loyalty to the mess that is Bill C-2. I still do not think he has given up on the warrant issue and on believing that Canada Post should be able to open our mail without a warrant. This is the type of verbiage we are hearing in the House when it comes to Bill C-2.

We all agree on the overall aim of having a secure border. I wonder if my hon. colleague would agree that the government really missed the mark on that and that is how we got to Bill C-12.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 1:05 p.m.

Green

Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague from Kamloops, who practises law there. Parenthetically, I think we could use more lawyers in this place. We could use people who understand how to read legislation and can say, “Ah, this seems to have something funny about it. We don't want warrantless access to our private information.”

I agree with my friend from Kamloops that it is concerning that the government has not given up on the idea of further invasions of our privacy.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 1:05 p.m.

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB

Mr. Speaker, the Green Party, through its leader, has indicated that it will not be supporting Bill C-12.

I wonder if the member could provide her thoughts on the Prime Minister's commitment to building on our border control and RCMP with 1,000 personnel in each area. Does she believe that is a positive thing?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 1:05 p.m.

Green

Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC

Mr. Speaker, yes, we certainly support the CBSA. We have felt for some time that to the extent that our border was in any way porous, it was not because of the risk of fentanyl coming from Canada into the U.S., as Mr. Trump seems to believe, but rather the opposite. In particular, it is because of other drugs, precursors of other drugs and illegal weapons coming from the U.S. into Canada. CBSA officers need to be able to take the time they need and be fully resourced to inspect things as they come to our border.

However, I will express concern briefly about the RCMP officers we are hiring. We need to look at the Mass Casualty Commission report, which recommended that our RCMP officers need more training, because" 26 weeks is not enough. The Mass Casualty Commission recommended a three-year course to ensure that RCMP officers are adequately trained to do the very challenging job they have in front of them.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 1:05 p.m.

Conservative

Blaine Calkins Conservative Ponoka—Didsbury, AB

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure for me to rise today on behalf of the residents of Ponoka—Didsbury.

After a long decade of nihilistic Liberal rule, chaos and disorder reign supreme in our streets. Criminality may be only one of the many problems Canadians face, but it is a significant one.

A survey by Abacus Data released this year, in 2025, found that 46% of Canadians ranked crime and public safety among their top concerns. This can be contrasted with an Ipsos poll taken in June 2015, the year our previous Conservative government left office, which found that 15% of Canadians ranked crime and violence among the issues on the national agenda at the time. I will let Canadians ponder those two statistics to find out just who has been a better steward of peace, safety and security in this country.

Canadians understand that the situation is untenable. After all, it is they who have had to shoulder the burden of this rise in criminality in our communities. For context, since 2015, violent crime has spiked significantly, and it is up nearly 50%. That is not all; crime of almost every category has seen an increase: Sexual assaults are up nearly 75%, homicides are up 28%, gang-related homicides and organized crime have increased by 75%, violent firearms offences with illegal guns are up 116%, extortion is up 357%, auto theft is up 46%, and trafficking is up nearly 84%. Fraud, homicide and anything we can name are all going up. I could continue, but I think my colleagues get the picture.

This upswing in violence is not a coincidence; it is a result of soft-on-crime policies and a porous border. It is the realization of the law of unintended consequences brought on by a decade of bad policy, informed by a world view that cares more about optics than it concerns itself with the real-life effects of its own self-serving ideological agenda.

We now have a so-called government that is presenting bills in the House that purport to fix this collection of self-inflicted issues that Canadians face. These are the same problems that the members across the aisle from me created. In 2015, our Conservative government oversaw a Canada that had its lowest total crime rate since 1969. Unfortunately, the last 10 years has seen this progress almost completely erased.

It is the hypocrisy of the government that it has opposed and demonized those who support our hard-on-crime agenda while now implicitly acknowledging that Conservatives were right all along.

How did we get here? In 2022, Bill C-5 was passed. In this piece of legislation, the Liberal government removed the mandatory minimums on 14 different Criminal Code offences. These were common-sense penalties on dangerous offences that were instituted and put in place by our Conservative government; these were bills that I proudly passed when I sat on the other side of the House. They include using a firearm or imitation firearm in the commission of an offence, which people do not have to go to jail for anymore in Canada, thanks to Liberals. Possession of a firearm or weapon, knowing that its possession is unauthorized, so illegal possession of a gun, for example, is another offence that people no longer have to go to jail for.

Possession of a prohibited or restricted firearm with ammunition is an offence that people do not have to go to jail for anymore. Possession of a weapon obtained by the commission of an offence, so if someone steals a gun, they do not have to go to jail. Weapons trafficking, possession for purposes of weapons trafficking and smuggling, so someone can smuggle weapons now, in this country, and not go to jail. Importing or exporting knowing it is unauthorized is another example of smuggling; someone can traffic smuggled firearms, guns, ammunition, weapons or anything we can name. Discharging a firearm with intent and discharging a firearm recklessly are offences that people no longer need to go to jail for. If someone wants to commit a robbery, they might as well do it with a gun, because they do not have to go to jail for that either in this country anymore. Did I not just say that extortion is up 357% since 2015? The mandatory minimum penalty for extortion with a firearm is gone thanks to Bill C-5 and thanks to the Liberals and the NDP, which supported them at the time.

In fact, these policies were all informed by expert opinion, yet the Liberals did not seem to care. Instead, before passing Bill C-5, they doubled down and passed Bill C-75 during their majority tenure from 2015 to 2019. The bill eased bail provisions and legislated the principle of restraint, which was codified in the Criminal Code for police and courts to ensure that criminals would be released at the earliest possible opportunity with the least amount of restrictions. Essentially, this favours release over detention; it is precisely these two bills, along with a copious number of bad decisions made, that created the revolving door in our justice system by which offenders are free to continue to terrorize communities.

While the Liberals were making life easier for criminals by passing Bill C-5 and Bill C-75, they increased their attacks on law-abiding firearms owners, who are in no way responsible for any of this crime wave. They did so with a trifecta of bills with zero public safety value. These bills include Bill C-71, which created a backdoor gun registry; the 2020 order in council, a massive list of newly restricted firearms; and Bill C-21 in 2023, which created a national freeze on the sale, purchase and transfer of handguns for law-abiding citizens and sport shooters, as well as a new prohibition on many long guns used for hunting and sport-shooting purposes. Since the passing of these bills, the government has not stopped adding firearms to the restricted list.

The Liberals have now embarked on their so-called voluntary assault-style firearms compensation program, the gun grab, which is a program to confiscate guns from law-abiding citizens. It completely misses the mark by letting criminals go free and going after people who follow the law. If implemented, this costly and ineffective gun buyback is estimated to cost at least $5 billion, even though only $742 million has been allocated to it. With that kind of money, the government could easily fund such programs as acquiring modern scanning technology at our 119 ports of entry to secure our border.

I have an example to share that I also brought up during the committee hearings on Bill C-21. In the Cayman Islands, a high-efficiency scanner was bought. Someone can drive right through it in a truck, or a sea-can can go through it. It can be put at any port of entry. It will scan a container. It is safe for anyone who happens to be going through, and it will find all manner of contraband: drugs, people, firearms and illegal weapons. Those are about $3 million U.S. apiece.

The Liberal government is going to spend $750 million to take lawfully acquired property away from Canadians. That is about $500 million U.S. If we divide that by $3 million per scanner, we could easily put 150 of these scanners at our ports of entry to make sure we scan at least 10% of all containers coming in and going out. I think most Canadians would be shocked to realize that we do not scan a single container that leaves our country.

The shocking thing about all of this is that, with the change in administration to the south, the administration has claimed that fentanyl was flowing from Canada into the United States and, as a result, was killing American citizens. We would think a prime minister in Canada would have said the flow of illegal guns across the border from the United States into Canada is killing Canadian citizens, pushed back on the American administration and stood up for law-abiding firearms owners in this country.

However, the Liberals did not do that, because they did not want to admit that it was illegal guns killing Canadians on the street. They wanted to maintain the mantra of going after law-abiding citizens. We know that because the current public safety minister said as much when he thought nobody was listening.

How does all of this relate to Bill C-12? If the last decade is any indication, the government has an issue understanding that policy work is a careful game of trade-offs. When enacting policy, we have to heed the law of unintended consequences and try to understand the downward effects a piece of legislation may have. The Liberals did not do their due diligence on crime, and I do not think they have done it on the border bill.

When Conservatives forced the Liberals to back down on Bill C-2, we did so because we understand that the policies contained in Bill C-2 have unintended consequences and unforeseen ramifications. As with Bill C-2, we believe there could be provisions in Bill C-12 that violate people's freedoms and privacy, and it is our duty to ensure that Bill C-12 receives the proper scrutiny it deserves at the committee stage to ensure Canadians do not pay for another boondoggle of unintended, or not unintended, consequences.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 1:15 p.m.

Winnipeg North Manitoba

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, when the member was reading some statistics, I did a quick search on Stats Canada to find out some information on crime issues. I found it interesting. This is from Stats Canada. The crime severity index is down 4.1%. The police-reported crime rate per 100,000 population is down by 3.6%. The violent crime severity index is down by 1%. The youth crime rate per 100,000 is down by 4.2%. The non-violent crime severity index is down by 5.7%. This is actually on Stats Canada.

Does the member recognize that stats can be used in different ways? The bottom line is that we are bringing in bail reform legislation, something the new Prime Minister has made a solemn commitment to Canadians on. I suspect it will deal with many of the issues Canadians are concerned about.

Would the member not agree, whether it is Bill C-12 or the—

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 1:15 p.m.

The Assistant Deputy Speaker John Nater

The hon. member for Ponoka—Didsbury.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 1:15 p.m.

Conservative

Blaine Calkins Conservative Ponoka—Didsbury, AB

Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, some people around here talk so much, they do not get to the point of actually asking their question. If I understand what he was asking me, it was whether we will support Bill C-12. Yes, we will support it to get it to committee, and we will do our due diligence. That is why we are having this debate in the House of Commons. I raised a number of very serious issues in my speech.

I led the rural crime task force in a previous Parliament. Rural crime is up. Dangerous and violent crime in the country is up. Police associations across the country are saying that the government has had misguided policies for the past 10 years and that it is doubling down on them in this particular Parliament.

Where is the bail bill? It has been seven months. I had the ability to draft a piece of legislation over the summer and table it, for my private member's bill.

The government, with all of its resources, cannot table a bill on bail in seven months. Why is that?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 1:20 p.m.

Conservative

Costas Menegakis Conservative Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON

Mr. Speaker, it is clear that the government has two very similar bills on the Order Paper right now: Bill C-2 and Bill C-12. The second bill is missing a few things that the first bill has, but the government has still retained the first bill on the Order Paper. We asked the Liberals this question this morning, over and over again, to get an understanding of why they would have both of these bills, which are essentially doing the same thing, on the Order Paper.

The member, by the way, gave an outstanding speech. I wonder if he could shed some light on why he thinks the Liberals have both of these live bills right now on the floor of the House.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 1:20 p.m.

Conservative

Blaine Calkins Conservative Ponoka—Didsbury, AB

Mr. Speaker, if we ever wanted to see a government that does not know what it is actually doing and what that looks like and what that manifests itself as in the House of Commons, it is this: It will table a bill and realize that it has got it wrong, and then it will table another bill in the hopes that it might have actually gotten it right.

This has been talked about. The previous speaker, the hon. member for Saanich—Gulf Islands, spoke about it as well. We now have two bills on the Order Paper that do essentially the same thing.

My confidence in the government's getting Bill C-12 right, in lieu of Bill C-2, has improved a little bit, but the reality is that we are only going to support Bill C-12 as far as getting it to committee goes, and then we will take a look.

If what I understand is true, if reasonable amendments could be made to actually strengthen the bill and make it better, we might have another conversation at third reading.

At this particular point in time, this is how incompetence looks. We have one bill, and then we have another one that does the same thing, because they did not get it right the first time.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 1:20 p.m.

Bloc

Andréanne Larouche Bloc Shefford, QC

Mr. Speaker, when we talk about border security, we are also taking about the RCMP. What does my colleague think of the attacks on the RCMP at a time when what we actually need is to increase funding and strengthen security at our borders?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 1:20 p.m.

Conservative

Blaine Calkins Conservative Ponoka—Didsbury, AB

Mr. Speaker, I would not have time to litigate the issues with former commissioner Lucki and the previous minister of public safety, who is now the member of Parliament for Scarborough Southwest. That actually played out in the public discourse. There were criticisms offered up by even the RCMP senior officers themselves about the conduct of the minister and the commissioner of the RCMP at the time. That is a conflated issue with what is going on right now.

We stand shoulder to shoulder with the frontline men and women who protect our country day to day, whether they are police officers, border services agents or correctional services officers. We need to continue to support them.

Do members know how we do that? We actually make it so that when they do their job, when they go out and risk their lives to apprehend, arrest and convict a bad guy, the bad guy stays in jail for a while. Otherwise, what is the point in a police officer risking his life to go do the job?

We need tougher laws so that when our police do the job that we have asked them to do, there are consequences.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 1:20 p.m.

Bloc

Andréanne Larouche Bloc Shefford, QC

Mr. Speaker, I rise this afternoon to speak to Bill C‑12, which deals with border security and immigration and follows on from an earlier bill, Bill C‑2. The government ultimately came back with Bill C‑12. We are now discussing this whole matter of border security and immigration against the backdrop of these two successive bills.

Of course, we will study Bill C‑12 at committee with the thoroughness we always bring to any examination of this subject. This legislation is necessary, but we want to ensure it is complete. Among other matters, we will be discussing the lack of human resources at the Canada Border Services Agency, or CBSA, and the RCMP.

The Bloc Québécois is committed to improving this bill at committee with the same goal in mind, specifically, having a border that operates efficiently, humanely, and in a way that respects people's rights. I am especially interested in this question since I grew up not far from the border with our American neighbours, I come from a region in southern Quebec and my riding is not far from the border. I am therefore going to paint a general picture of the situation. I will then look at some numbers relating to certain problems that are addressed in the bill, and I will close by saying a few words that pertain more to women and seniors, files for which I am responsible as the Bloc Québécois critic.

The first general observation we can make is that understaffing is a major issue. The Liberals promised to hire 1,000 additional RCMP officers and 1,000 additional CBSA officers. What progress has been made on that front? An announcement was made for the RCMP, but there has been no mention of the CBSA. According to the Customs and Immigration Union, they are currently short 2,000 to 3,000 officers. This means they have neither the tools nor the human resources needed to do their work effectively.

The Bloc Québécois is calling for patrols between border crossings to be authorized. That is what we are asking for. We are also calling for more operational flexibility and a real hiring plan. Regarding all of these Bloc Québécois proposals, I would like to commend the work of my colleague from Beauharnois—Salaberry—Soulanges—Huntingdon, who has been working on this bill as the public safety critic. She does a really thorough job of it and has had several meetings. Our position is well documented. It is based on facts, not disinformation.

I would now like to provide a few figures, since Bill C‑12 deals with auto theft and organized crime. Over 100,000 vehicles are stolen every year in Canada. That is a 48% increase since 2020. There is also an economic cost to all of this: Claims totalled $1.5 billion in 2023.

I have had lunch with insurance company officials, and I can say that this is a real problem. They want us to deal with the situation. Interpol finds more than 200 stolen vehicles a week. In Quebec, there was a 57% increase in thefts between 2021 and 2023. The CBSA is often unable to inspect trains because it lacks the necessary infrastructure. Bill C‑12 fixes that with mandatory access to warehouses and train yards. The Bloc Québécois wants to see this implemented. It may be helpful, but it will be somewhat ineffective if all the necessary staff and resources are not in place. I think that with these figures, we are showing our Liberal colleagues that crime is on the rise. There is no denying that.

Fentanyl is also a problem, but let us approach it from a public health perspective. This is no trivial matter: There were 42,000 opioid-related deaths between 2016 and 2023, and 70% of those deaths involved fentanyl. The minister has the power to quickly add chemical precursors to the list of prohibited substances. That cannot hurt. The important thing is to save lives and protect families. Behind the statistics are human tragedies. We therefore support the measure, but we also demand rigorous monitoring.

As my hon. colleague from Montcalm, our health critic, would say, we need to address the opioid problem holistically, combining several approaches, particularly in terms of public health.

With regard to immigration and asylum seekers, there are new rules. Asylum claims become inadmissible after one year in Canada. Irregular entry for more than 14 days results in removal to the country of origin. The aim of all this is to cut down on abuse and backlogs.

Quebec welcomed 55% of the 180,000 asylum seekers in Canada in 2023, which is a staggering number. Obviously, there is no denying that this has had an impact on public services, which are already saturated and overloaded, particularly schools, health care and community services. The Bloc Québécois hopes that Ottawa will rebalance the distribution of asylum claims and transfer the promised funds to Quebec to welcome claimants in a dignified and acceptable manner. That is our demand.

In Canada, money laundering and illicit financing activities are estimated to be between $45 billion and $113 billion annually. The bill provides for new measures and increased collaboration, particularly between the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada, the Financial Institutions Supervisory Committee and law enforcement agencies. In cases of non-compliance, fines will be multiplied by 40. The bill aims to improve and increase information sharing, but that requires caution in terms of privacy protection. The Bloc Québécois supports this modernization but is demanding that individual freedoms be protected.

When it comes to protecting rights, what has been taken out of this bill compared to what was in Bill C‑2? Mail searches have been scrapped. That was an invasion of privacy. Restrictions on $10,000 donations have been dropped, and so has the collection of private data. The Bloc Québécois is in favour of that, because there really needs to be a balance between security and freedom.

Most importantly, Quebec wants a secure border, a fair immigration system and respect for its areas of jurisdiction. People forget this, but these are the demands of Quebec, on whose behalf the Bloc Québécois speaks.

I am going to talk a little more about the issues that concern me. As my party's critic for women and families, I want to expand the issue of crime and its impact. Women are often responsible for household budgets, so they are on the front lines of the cost-of-living crisis. There are proven links between economic insecurity and social insecurity, and between poverty and financial stress, which increase the risk of violence and distress.

By cracking down on criminal networks linked to fentanyl, fraud and exploitation, we are reducing the economic and social pressure on women and children. Security must also be viewed from a social, economic and human perspective.

Seniors are increasingly being recognized as among the primary victims of crime and inflation. They are increasingly targeted by theft, fraud and scams, with over 35% affected in 2024. The rising cost of living only makes them more vulnerable. More than 55% of seniors who are renters spend more than 30% of their income on housing. Vehicle theft and fraud are causing insurance premiums to go up, which impacts people living on fixed retirement incomes. The cost of housing, an essential need, is on the rise because of money laundering in the real estate sector, which totals between $20 billion and $30 billion annually. Organized crime and the underground economy undermine seniors' incomes and deprive the government of resources that could be used to fund affordable housing, home care, and support programs for seniors.

For the Bloc Québécois, strengthening economic security also means protecting the dignity and financial peace of mind of seniors, as stated by FADOQ, which considers fraud against seniors to be a major political issue. According to this organization, seniors have become a prime target for phone scams, “grandparent” scams and bank fraud. It is calling for a review of the Criminal Code to strengthen minimum sentences for these types of offences. That is FADOQ's proposal, and we are willing to study it. The organization promotes awareness and prevention programs, particularly its Senior-Aware program, to educate seniors and equip them to deal with fraud. FADOQ has made it clear that education alone is not enough. Strong political and legal action is also needed.

FADOQ often cites statistics from the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, which found that in 2024, more than 130,000 cases of fraud were reported across the country, with financial losses in excess of $650 million. The centre estimates, however, that only 5% to 10% of fraud is reported. People age 60 and over account for approximately 25% of reported victims, with average losses that are higher than in other age groups. Quebec is one of the hardest-hit provinces, mainly due to phone and bank scams.

In closing, I would remind members that seniors are not naive; they are being targeted by sophisticated networks. It is important to note that the average loss for senior victims is often two to three times higher than for other age groups, at approximately $25,000 per major fraud. It should be noted that fraud erodes seniors' savings, trust and sense of dignity. It is an issue of mental health and dignity.

I want to say one last thing, which is a key message: fighting organized crime and strengthening our borders also means protecting Quebeckers' and Canadians' pocketbooks. Fewer thefts and reduced instances of money laundering and corruption means more money for real priorities, such as seniors, women, families and safer communities.

We could also talk about the importance of supporting communities dealing with the consequences of fentanyl. Health care services in Quebec are facing major financial challenges. In closing, Quebec and the provinces need to be given increased powers over immigration to ensure that they alone determine their levels.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 1:30 p.m.

Liberal

Linda Lapointe Liberal Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that the Bloc Québécois supports Bill C‑12 and wants to send it to committee. Like my colleague opposite, I realize that asylum seekers represent a significant challenge in Quebec and in my riding. However, Bill C‑12 should help in this area.

What measures in Bill C‑12 does the Bloc Québécois support when it comes to securing our borders?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 1:30 p.m.

Bloc

Andréanne Larouche Bloc Shefford, QC

Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier, the issue is that additional resources are needed. Additional resources have been announced for the RCMP, but nothing has been announced for the Canada Border Services Agency. There are some good measures, but there is still room for improvement.

We would be happy to go back to committee to study the issue of border security. Some unions are calling for more resources. Some announcements have already been made. That is all well and good, but we still need more.

If we want to talk about asylum claimants, an issue that often receives limited attention, it is because Quebec is doing far more than its fair share. The Liberal and Conservative sides do not appear willing to recognize that Quebec does more than its fair share and that there should be a more equal distribution across Canada.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 1:35 p.m.

Conservative

Eric Melillo Conservative Kenora—Kiiwetinoong, ON

Mr. Speaker, the bill is coming at an interesting time, after 10 years of the Liberal government that has brought forth soft-on-crime policies that have weakened our border and have put Canada in the situation we are currently in.

At the indigenous affairs committee, we are having a lot of discussion right now about first nations policing as well, and we are hearing about the increased gang activity and about drugs being brought into first nations across the country. We see it in northwestern Ontario in my riding. The government has ignored the calls from first nations or indigenous police services for more recognition and a better deal in terms of the resources and the structures they have in order to deal with a lot of the issues.

The bill is being brought at a time when the government is making it easier to get bail, is failing first nations police services and is failing on a lot of counts when it comes to the border and to criminal justice. I am wondering whether the member has any comments on that.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 1:35 p.m.

Bloc

Andréanne Larouche Bloc Shefford, QC

Mr. Speaker, it will be important to look at that in committee. The Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security will be examining Bill C‑12 and the matter of border security. The issue of sentencing will be looked at by the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights. I encourage members to examine these serious and important issues in the most non-partisan way possible.

That being said, I would like to come back to the matter of indigenous police services. The Bloc Québécois is strongly in favour of a nation-to-nation dialogue. This gives me the opportunity to mention something that I did not cover in my speech: Organized crime and our lax border controls have a disproportionate effect on indigenous women. I have studied this issue at both the Standing Committee on the Status of Women and with the All Party Parliamentary Group to End Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking.

I would also like to draw the House's attention to two worthwhile security bills that have been introduced by the Bloc Québécois: the bill on organized crime introduced by the member for Rivière‑du‑Nord and the bill introduced this morning by my colleague from Saint‑Hyacinthe—Bagot—Acton on the purchase of goods produced by victims of forced labour, a form of modern slavery, particularly the Uyghurs. The Bloc Québécois is taking a strong stance on these very important issues.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 1:35 p.m.

Bloc

Xavier Barsalou-Duval Bloc Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères, QC

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate my colleague on her speech.

On reading the bill, we see that it includes some provisions related to asylum seekers. These provisions are similar to past requests made by the Bloc Québécois. When we made those requests, the government called us all sorts of names. Then, 10 years later, suddenly these solutions are applicable.

I would like to know how my colleague explains that.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 1:35 p.m.

Bloc

Andréanne Larouche Bloc Shefford, QC

Mr. Speaker, I want to acknowledge the work that my colleague from Lac-Saint-Jean has done on this file. He always asks us to deal with this immigration issue meticulously and compassionately.

That being said, where were the Liberals and the Conservatives when the Bloc Québécois was talking about reviewing the safe third country agreement? Where are the Liberals and the Conservatives when the Bloc Québécois calls for a more even distribution of asylum seekers?

Right now, once again, Quebec is disproportionately affected by all this, and unfortunately, the federal government is not giving us the funds we need to support these people with dignity and humanity.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 1:35 p.m.

Conservative

Dane Lloyd Conservative Parkland, AB

Mr. Speaker, I would like to wish the entire House a very happy Trafalgar Day, a day on which we remember the sacrifice and brave leadership of Admiral Horatio Nelson, who gave his life in defence against Bonapartist tyranny. In addition, I would be remiss if I did not mention that today the Royal Canadian Navy is celebrating Niobe Day; 115 years ago today marked the first day of a Canadian warship, the HMCS Niobe.

It is a privilege to rise today to speak to Bill C-12, the strengthening Canada's immigration system and borders act. We are discussing the bill here today instead of Liberal Bill C-2, because Bill C-2 was met with considerable opposition from members of the House and from civil society groups that made it clear that the legislation would not be able to move forward without significant revisions.

Therefore, today we are debating Bill C-12. Despite the sweeping powers the government proposed in Bill C-2, the Liberal government did not even bother to consult with the Privacy Commissioner about the impacts that the legislation would have on the privacy rights of Canadians. It is only because of the accountability provided by members of the opposition in the House that we were able to push that legislation back so we could focus on legislation that would at least try to repair the damage of the last 10 years of the Liberal government by introducing changes on the border.

The objectives of the bill, I will say for those constituents of mine who are watching at home, are several. They include but are not limited to creating an expedited pathway for the Minister of Health to add precursors chemicals used in the production of deadly drugs such as fentanyl as controlled substances under the Criminal Code.

Over the past few years, we have seen the devastation of the fentanyl overdose crisis in Canada. At the public safety committee, we have been hearing about some of the many gaps we have in this country, including testimony that has indicated that the non-resident import program is being used to smuggle precursor chemicals into Canada with less stringency at the border, which is creating a situation where Canada has become a major producer of fentanyl, which is being exported. We have heard recent stories of countries like New Zealand and Australia being the recipients of drugs like fentanyl and methamphetamine. Clearly this is not the reputation that a great country like Canada wants to have.

Another part of the legislation seeks to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to eliminate the designated countries of origin regime, which has been identified as a loophole. It would give the minister the powers to specify that required documents are needed to support a refugee claim. It would require the suspension of certain refugee protection proceedings if the claimant is not present in Canada, something I think should be common sense; somebody should be present in Canada if they are claiming refugee status here.

It seeks to change the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act to increase the maximum monetary penalties for those charged under these acts. It also seeks to make certain changes to the Sex Offender Information Registration Act to allow for increased reporting of the offender's description, as well as changes to the circumstances and frequency of reporting. It would also allow for information previously collected to be disclosed if it can reasonably be expected to assist in the prevention or investigation of a crime of a sexual nature.

Once again, I think these things are long overdue. We probably need to go even further, but we are certainly not going to throw the baby out with the bathwater on this one. Even with the second attempt at the legislation, the Liberal bill still fails to address the key issue of bail reform. We know that catch-and-release is alive and well for people who traffic in fentanyl and use illegal firearms, using our porous border to victimize more and more Canadian families.

We know that the sentencing provisions that were passed by the Liberal government under Bill C-75 and Bill C-5 have made it so that there no mandatory prison times for the people who traffic fentanyl, and there are still no new mandatory prison times for gangsters who use illegal guns to commit crimes, despite the Liberal government's incessant campaign against law-abiding gun owners. We also know that house arrest is still being used extensively in cases relating to violent criminals. Once again, this is unacceptable.

That said, I think we can all agree that strengthening our border is critical, and that is why legislation is desperately needed in this area. After 10 years of reckless Liberal policies, our border is broken, and we need to fix it. The Liberals' soft-on-crime agenda has made Canada a destination for international organized criminals trafficking in drugs, weapons, people and stolen cars. Gangs are committing brutal crimes on our streets every day.

The public safety committee has looked at the issues in depth, and we have repeatedly heard it is the broken bail system that has contributed to the crisis. Organized criminals have chosen to make Canada their home because of our weak laws.

We also know the government's failed immigration policies have assisted in making Canada a destination for international organized crime. In the past, the government has removed visa requirements over the objections of law enforcement agencies, which stated that the removal of visas would increase the risk of organized crime's taking root in this country. The government moved forward with it anyway, and it is critical that the policies be reversed so we can once again make Canada the safest country in the world.

I want to be clear that nothing I am saying today is a criticism of our brave frontline law enforcement officers in the RCMP and the CBSA. We know they are doing their absolute best. We have heard from police associations in Ontario. I have heard from RCMP members in my riding, when I was out knocking on doors during the past election, for example, that they are arresting people and seeing them back out on the street mere hours after being arrested for drug offences. How demoralizing this is for our frontline officers.

We have heard from Mark Weber of the Customs and Immigration Union, the union that represents CBSA workers, that morale at the CBSA is at the lowest level he has ever seen. This is after 10 years of the Liberal government. We now see that the government keeps recycling its promises to keep hiring more border services officers, but it is clear much more needs to be done to strengthen our border and our security service.

Canada has the largest undefended border in the world, which is something we can all be very proud of as a country, but the lack of resources for the CBSA to fulfill its role has seen a rise in smuggling and human trafficking in this country and people coming to this country to pursue their criminal activities. It has skyrocketed over the past decade.

The CBSA has been sounding the alarm, but the government has not been listening. There is plenty of evidence to substantiate these points, but I will pick one specific example. At the immigration committee, IRCC officials stated that they believe there are hundreds if not thousands of violent criminals who are here illegally, violent criminals who are not citizens or permanent residents. They are temporary residents who are violent people, and officials have no idea where they are. When I asked the customs union employee, they said that there are only a couple hundred CBSA officers who are tasked with trying to track down the thousands of violent criminals who are at large in this country. This is unacceptable.

On the non-violent side, we know there are currently around 50,000 people who have come to Canada on student visas and whose visas have now run out. They are here illegally, and CBSA does not have the resources to reach out to these people or to remove these people who are now in this country illegally. Despite the shockingly high figures, as I said, there are something like only 300 CBSA officers who have been dedicated to this gargantuan task.

One of the reasons CBSA is suffering so much, as its union said, is that it is drowning in middle management. It is not getting the frontline officers it needs to do the job. This is endemic in everything the Liberal government has done for the last 10 years. Let us look at the great paradox, where we have a government where the bureaucracy has grown by 45% across the civil service yet there are fewer frontline workers in critical areas like the CBSA, the RCMP and the Canadian Armed Forces than ever before. How does that make any sense? The government is padding middle management and upper management, to the detriment of frontline workers who are doing the dangerous jobs we need them to do to keep us safe.

Action is desperately needed, and the largest beneficiary of the government's failed immigration and criminal policies has been organized crime. Canada has become a low-risk, high-reward environment. Criminals choose the path of least resistance. The strict border controls put in place during the pandemic saw the Canadian market shift from being an importer of fentanyl to becoming a domestic producer. CSIS has found that synthetic drugs are increasingly being produced in Canada using precursor chemicals from China. This is what experts are saying. It is estimated that about 80% of the precursor chemicals that are being used in fentanyl—

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 1:45 p.m.

The Assistant Deputy Speaker John Nater

Questions and comments, the hon. member for Kingston and the Islands.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 1:45 p.m.

Liberal

Mark Gerretsen Liberal Kingston and the Islands, ON

Mr. Speaker, a lot of talk has occurred today regarding the comments of the Leader of the Opposition when he referred to the RCMP as “despicable”. We have been asking some members of the Conservative Party about this today. Some have wanted to say something, like the member for Bow River who referred to the RCMP as having “management weaknesses”.

Others, on the other hand, have not really wanted to weigh in. The member for Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands—Rideau Lakes had a lozenge in his throat when he was asked about it, and he therefore could not say anything.

I wonder if the member would like to weigh in as to whether or not he thinks that the leadership of the RCMP is despicable.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 1:45 p.m.

Conservative

Dane Lloyd Conservative Parkland, AB

Mr. Speaker, the government tries to distract Canadians from the real failures that the government has created. It is despicable that the government has not given the resources to our frontline officers to do the job they are doing, and the Liberals are hiding so they can avoid accountability for the failures.

The CBSA union has said that morale is at the lowest level that it has ever been, and that is under 10 years of failed Liberal leadership. Conservatives will take no lessons from the Liberals on how to stand up for—

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 1:50 p.m.

The Acting Speaker Rob Morrison

The hon. member for Kenora—Kiiwetinoong has the floor.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 1:50 p.m.

Conservative

Eric Melillo Conservative Kenora—Kiiwetinoong, ON

Mr. Speaker, the member just spoke about the Liberals' failures. Of course, the Liberals have been in government now for 10 years, and what we have seen is that they have broken the bail system and that they failed to get frontline officers on the border and law enforcement the resources they need.

I am wondering whether the member wants to speak more on the pattern of failure of the Liberal government to keep Canadians safe.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 1:50 p.m.

Conservative

Dane Lloyd Conservative Parkland, AB

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my hon. colleague for his hard work for his constituents. We know that he is doing an excellent job in northern Ontario.

It is clear that the ideological bent of the government is not to empower our frontline officers to do their job. The government is one that is beholden to a woke ideology, wherein it passes bills like Bill C-75, which tells judges to let criminals out at the earliest convenience with the least number of restraints. It is clear that it is policies like this that are being called out by frontline police officers and by police associations, and that are causing the havoc and violence we are seeing on our streets. Our party stands behind our—

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 1:50 p.m.

The Acting Speaker Rob Morrison

Questions and comments, the hon. member for Shefford.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 1:50 p.m.

Bloc

Andréanne Larouche Bloc Shefford, QC

Mr. Speaker, an important aspect of border security that I talked about in my speech is human resources. We need enough officers and workers so that border crossings are effective. To improve the situation, the Bloc Québécois suggested allowing the CBSA to patrol between border crossings.

Budget cuts at the CBSA are nothing new. When I was working as an assistant to the former member for Brome—Missisquoi, we were already talking about this key issue. At the time, it was the Conservatives who were making cuts that had major impacts on the operation of the border crossings.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 1:50 p.m.

Conservative

Dane Lloyd Conservative Parkland, AB

Mr. Speaker, we know that with the longest undefended border in the world, there is no way we could hire enough police officers or CBSA officers to man every inch of our border, and that is why we need to make investments in technology and equipment. However, when the government had the opportunity to hire Canadian workers and Canadian businesses, what did it do? It chose to hire Black Hawk helicopters from the U.S. government, and it had to give a Transport Canada waiver because the helicopters were not safe to fly over Canadian skies.

Why are the Liberals choosing American companies over Canadian companies that do the job? We need to grow our made-in-Canada border security and not hire companies that have to get waivers because they are not safe to use in Canada.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 1:50 p.m.

Conservative

Rhonda Kirkland Conservative Oshawa, ON

Mr. Speaker, it is once again an honour to rise on behalf of the resilient residents of Oshawa. Those are the residents who I believe are among some of the hardest-working Canadians in the country, but they are concerned about their safety. They are concerned about their safety when they are in their neighbourhoods and walking downtown, and they are concerned about border safety and the drugs that are freely flowing in our country, not just through the border, but from the free drugs people are getting from the government, which are being resold. We will talk about that later.

Canadians have heard a lot of big promises from the Liberal government about keeping our country safe, protecting our borders and restoring confidence in our immigration system. There are all of these wonderful things, yet after 10 years of Liberal government, both our borders and our public safety have rarely been in a worse place.

The legislation before us today is Bill C-12, the strengthening Canada's immigration system and borders act, which the Liberals claim would fix the very problems they created. I am reminded of something I learned in my education, and that is something called narcissism. I bring this up because narcissists engage in what clinicians call “crisis creation” or “drama seeking”, which is to manufacture a situation. In my opinion, the Liberals have created the situations that allow them to dominate, control and be admired for saving others. They are keeping Canadians in constant trauma and creating, therefore, a trauma bond. The Liberal government constantly disappoints and then claims it is going to be the hero we can trust to come in to save the day from a crisis it created.

The bill is being sold as a solution, but Canadians have learned that, with this government, the title rarely matches the contents. Bill C-12 is a sequel to Bill C-2. Thankfully, Conservatives looked closer, and what we found were some sweeping data collection powers, warrantless search authorities and new threats to Canadian privacy. Therefore, through pressure, thankfully the Liberals have been forced to take Bill C-2 apart. Now we are left with Bill C-12, a slightly repackaged Bill C-2, but with many of the same problems.

In my job as an educational therapist for 20 years, we talked about breakdown points, and sometimes it seems very negative to talk about breakdown points when we are talking about families, children with learning disabilities and things like that, but in this scenario, I think breakdown points are very important because we cannot come to a conclusion or a solution unless we discover what the breakdown points are, so let us talk about that.

Canada's asylum system, once the envy of the world, is now buckling under the weight of Liberal mismanagement. A decade ago, the backlog was under 10,000 cases. Today, it is over a quarter of a million and growing. Legitimate refugees wait years while bogus claims clog the system. Failed claimants appeal for years, and more and more often remain in Canada indefinitely, collecting benefits that many Canadians themselves do not receive, so this is not compassion. This is the chaos creation I was speaking about.

It started when the government decided it was going to play politics with our borders. In 2017, Justin Trudeau's #WelcomeToCanada tweet encouraged tens of thousands of people to cross illegally from the United States to claim asylum, many after already having been rejected in that safe, democratic country. Since then, more than 100,000 people have entered Canada illegally. Most are still waiting in the system, many housed at taxpayers' expense, while the truly vulnerable, those fleeing real persecution, are left behind.

This is not fairness. It is, rather, failure.

A broken asylum system does not just strain compassion. It undermines public safety. We have seen the consequences at our borders and on our streets. Under the government, criminals slated for deportation have disappeared, illegal guns continue to cross our borders and the fentanyl crisis is devastating communities across the country, including in my own community of Oshawa. If we were to walk through downtown Oshawa, we would see the toll this crisis has taken: lives lost, families shattered, and neighbourhoods struggling under the weight of addiction and fear.

Our first responders, outreach workers and volunteers are doing their best, but they are overwhelmed. According to Health Canada, more than 49,000 Canadians have died from apparent opioid toxicity since 2016, an entire community worth of lives. From January to June 2024 alone, 79% of accidental opioid deaths involve fentanyl, nearly double the proportion from 2016. Six months ago, my nephew, Cody Kirkland, died from an accidental overdose. Fentanyl and its precursors are the reason for that.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 1:55 p.m.

The Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia

I would like to express my condolences to the hon. member on that tragic loss.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 3:10 p.m.

Conservative

Rhonda Kirkland Conservative Oshawa, ON

Mr. Speaker, before we broke for some time, I was discussing the fentanyl crisis here in Canada. I mentioned my nephew, who lost his life to an accidental overdose six months ago in the middle of our last federal election campaign. I brought him up because I do not think the Liberals—

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 3:10 p.m.

The Assistant Deputy Speaker John Nater

Order. I would just ask all members in this chamber to please take their conversations to the lobbies behind the curtain, and we will resume the debate.

I encourage the hon. member for Oshawa to back up about 25 seconds.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 3:10 p.m.

Conservative

Rhonda Kirkland Conservative Oshawa, ON

Mr. Speaker, as I continue my speech, I want to re-mention my nephew, Cody Kirkland, whom we lost in the middle of the last federal election campaign. He passed away due to an accidental overdose, and fentanyl was the cause, so it is close to home. I know folks in my community and folks across the country recognize how important this fentanyl crisis is and what is going on.

I hope the Liberals across the way will pay attention to this. I hope they will not have to have a crisis or a tragedy in their own families before they realize just how bad it is across the country. Police have uncovered superlabs operating right here in Canada, synthesizing fentanyl from precursor chemicals imported from China. Last fall, RCMP officers dismantled the largest and most sophisticated drug lab in Canadian history, capable of producing multiple kilograms of fentanyl each week, along with caches of loaded firearms, explosives and half a million dollars in cash.

This is the reality. Fentanyl is not just a drug problem; it is a public safety and national security crisis fuelled by organized crime and enabled by weak borders. It is a humanity problem, yet Bill C-12 is silent on the tools police and prosecutors actually need. There are still no new mandatory prison sentences for fentanyl traffickers. There are still no tougher penalties for gangsters who use guns to commit crimes, and the Liberals still allow house arrest for serious offences that endanger lives. Research and experience have shown that clear, consistent sentencing, including targeting mandatory minimums, deters repeat offenders and restores public confidence in justice.

We can already anticipate that the Liberals will soon stand and claim they are bringing forward new bail reform legislation, but Canadians remember the Liberal bail reform they already brought in through Bill C-75, instructing judges to release offenders at the earliest opportunity and under the least onerous conditions. In practice, it became a green light for repeat violent offenders to cycle in and out of the system, with tragic results in communities across Canada. Canadians do not need more Liberal announcements about bail. They need consequences that mean something and a justice system that protects victims and stops protecting repeat violent offenders.

We have a border system that cannot enforce removals and an immigration system so backlogged it invites abuse. We have a justice system that treats violent offenders as victims while law-abiding citizens face more restrictions than ever.

Conservatives believe in secure borders, a fair and orderly immigration system and a justice system that protects Canadians before it protects criminals. We believe Canada should continue to welcome those fleeing genuine persecution, but compassion must be paired with order, fairness and the rule of law.

Bill C-12 may contain measures worth exploring, but Canadians cannot take the government's assurances at face value anymore. The privacy risks are serious, the enforcement gaps are dangerous, and the Liberal record demands skepticism, not blind trust. That is why Conservatives will carefully review the legislation, line by line and clause by clause, to ensure that it strengthens our borders, upholds privacy and defends public safety.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 3:15 p.m.

Winnipeg North Manitoba

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, coming out of question period, one issue that constantly comes up is the lack of respect coming from the leader of the Conservative Party toward Canada's RCMP. This is a very serious issue. The leader owes Canadians an apology for his comments, which are despicable, toward our mounted police. Earlier today, the member for Bow River piled on by saying “management weakness”, referring to the RCMP.

I am wondering if the hon. member would not agree that the RCMP is a world-class security and law enforcement agency that deserves far more respect than what the leader of the Conservative Party was saying over the last week.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 3:15 p.m.

Conservative

Rhonda Kirkland Conservative Oshawa, ON

Mr. Speaker, the members opposite continue to try to distract and make a scenario out of this by using political spin, which they are very good at doing.

The comments made were regarding the former RCMP commissioner, who has a lengthy track record of publicly documented scandals, deceptions and public interference, to the benefit of the Liberal government. We know that. The Conservatives at the time called for her resignation. We simply stand by the call we made.

Conservatives will always stand up for the people Liberals have left behind. No party in the House has more respect for RCMP officers than the Conservative Party.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 3:15 p.m.

Conservative

Sandra Cobena Conservative Newmarket—Aurora, ON

Mr. Speaker, my heart goes out to the hon. member and her family members for the loss of a family member.

In my riding, I am receiving calls from constituents in Newmarket who are worried about the safe injection sites that are close to schools and day cares, as they often have to go into lockdown because somebody has come onto the property.

I wonder if the member could expand on that and give her thoughts on the Liberals' refusal to close injection sites close to day cares and schools.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 3:20 p.m.

Conservative

Rhonda Kirkland Conservative Oshawa, ON

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the member's comments regarding the loss of my nephew, who passed away during the middle of the last election due to a fentanyl overdose.

The Liberals continue to push so-called safe consumption sites, even next to schools and day cares. At committee, my Conservative colleague from Riding Mountain asked the health minister to rule out approving more sites near children. She refused.

We know that this is not harm reduction. This is a moral abdication that causes deaths like my young nephew's in Edmonton.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 3:20 p.m.

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB

Mr. Speaker, speaking of moral obligations, I believe there is a moral obligation for the leader of the Conservative Party to apologize to Canadians for the comments he made last week. I cannot understand how the Conservatives not only refuse to address the issue, but refuse, at the very least, to recognize that what was said was wrong. The RCMP is an institution in Canada that is respected worldwide, except by the leader of the official opposition. I think that is despicable.

Will the hon. member not stand up for the RCMP?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 3:20 p.m.

Conservative

Rhonda Kirkland Conservative Oshawa, ON

Mr. Speaker, do members know what I think is despicable? I think the member's comment, after I shared my nephew's death due to a fentanyl overdose, was uncalled for, uncaring and despicable. That is what I have to say to him.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 3:20 p.m.

Conservative

Jacob Mantle Conservative York—Durham, ON

Mr. Speaker, one thing we need to remind ourselves of in the House is that it was members on the other side who called to defund the police and attended “defund the police” rallies. I think that is despicable.

What are my hon. member's views on the Liberal members' opinions that we should defund our police?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 3:20 p.m.

Conservative

Rhonda Kirkland Conservative Oshawa, ON

Mr. Speaker, police and law enforcement throughout the country know that Conservatives stand behind them. We always have. We always will. We support our police officers. We will never do what some Liberals across the way have done and call for the defunding of police.

I find it despicable that they would accuse us of things that make no sense.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 3:20 p.m.

Halifax West Nova Scotia

Liberal

Lena Metlege Diab LiberalMinister of Immigration

Mr. Speaker, I rise today, as the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, to talk about the strengthening Canada's immigration system and borders act.

Our immigration system is one of our greatest strengths. It fuels our economy, builds our communities and reflects who we are as a country. As patterns of global migration evolve, our system must also evolve. Our government is committed to managing migration in a way that is safe, orderly and fair so that Canadians and those seeking to come here can have confidence in our immigration system. For the next few minutes, I will be speaking about the four provisions that deal with my department in Bill C-12.

Bill C-12 would strengthen Canada's immigration and border system. It would introduce new authorities to improve information sharing with federal, provincial and territorial partners. It would enhance how immigration documents are managed and would support a sustainable asylum system that upholds integrity, restores balance and strengthens public trust, both among Canadians and among those seeking to come to Canada. The bill would also strengthen the flexibility, efficiency and responsiveness of the asylum system by establishing new ineligibility rules, creating a more streamlined application process and focusing Canada's protection on those who need it the most.

As a former provincial minister of immigration, I know how essential it is for the federal, provincial and territorial governments to work together on immigration policies and programs. When I was minister of immigration in Nova Scotia, I saw first-hand how strong partnerships help meet the needs of employers and communities, while supporting diversity and growth. The information shared by the federal government helps provinces and territories plan their programs and services more effectively.

That is why I am particularly proud that the bill makes it easier to share information on immigration, citizenship and passports with our national partners. This will enable us to improve the integrity of government programs and deliver better customer service.

As we improve how information is shared, we also must modernize the asylum system to strengthen migration integrity. To protect the system from sudden surges in claims, Bill C-12 would introduce new ineligibility rules for asylum. These measures make it clear that asylum is not a shortcut to permanent immigration. They would reduce pressure on the system so that protection can be provided more efficiently to those who truly need it.

Under the legislation, the federal government would no longer refer claims to the Immigration and Refugee Board for a decision if claims are made more than a year after someone first arrives after June 24, 2020, or if claims are made 14 or more days after someone enters Canada from the U.S. between official border crossings.

History shows us that most asylum claims are made within the first year of arrival. In the majority of cases, one year gives claimants time to consult experts, gather documents and make an informed decision. The one-year limit discourages those wanting to use the asylum system to extend their stay in Canada if other mechanisms fail. Canada is a generous country that values fairness, but not for those who try to bypass our laws and systems.

The same principle applies to those who cross the border between ports of entry. Despite clear laws and repeated warnings, some still attempt to enter Canada from the U.S. without checking in at an official land border office. It is dangerous, it is not legal and it is not safe. There have been many tragic cases of injury and loss of life. Such routes are often linked to human smuggling and organized crime, placing individuals, often travelling with children, at even greater risk.

If someone wants to come to Canada, the message is clear: They should use our existing lawful programs and pathways. Through federal, provincial and territorial streams, they are welcome to apply.

Claims filed more than a year after claimants first arrive, starting on June 24, 2020, and those filed 14 days or more after an irregular entry would not be referred to the Immigration and Refugee Board for a decision. Those whose claims are found ineligible would be referred to the removal process, with access to a pre-removal risk assessment. Let me be clear. Those who have well-founded fears of returning to their country of origin would have access to protection.

As part of Bill C-12, our government is introducing legislation to better manage immigration documents and applications, improving efficiency and reinforcing the integrity of Canada's immigration system. This legislation would give our government greater flexibility to manage immigration documents and applications. It would allow us to respond quickly and responsibly in times of crisis or uncertainty, while continuing to uphold strong safeguards that protect people's rights and ensure due process.

Canada's immigration system must be able to adapt to global realities and global pressures. Conflict, climate and political instability can all influence and have all influenced migration flows, and our system needs the tools to respond responsibly and effectively.

This bill supports Canada's broader efforts to strengthen the integrity of our immigration system by giving the government the tools it needs to respond quickly and effectively to global challenges while maintaining fairness and transparency.

The pandemic served to highlight the need for clearer powers to manage immigration documents in a time of crisis so that the government can act decisively while continuing to protect human rights.

At the present time, agents have the power to cancel a visa on a case-by-case basis if a person's status changes or if they become ineligible.

For example, this could include cases where false information was provided on an application, a criminal record was uncovered or the applicant passes away.

That authority, however, does not apply to groups of immigration documents. Bill C-12 would give Canada the ability to suspend, change or cancel multiple documents in exceptional circumstances. For example, it could be used during a global health or security crisis, with appropriate safeguards in place to protect people's rights and due process. It would also strengthen the government's ability to pause the intake of new applications when necessary. These authorities would allow the government to act swiftly and responsibly in the public interest, protecting against safety and security threats, health risks or abuse of publicly funded programs.

Let me be clear that this bill does not authorize the automatic cancellation of immigration documents, nor does it affect asylum claims or immigration status. Any use of these authorities would follow a separate evidence-based process and require a decision by the Governor in Council.

In conclusion, these changes reflect the reality that we are living in in today's changing world.

Through this bill, the government would make the asylum system more efficient and responsive, strengthen collaboration with the provinces and territories and focus decisions and resources where they are most needed.

We want to be simpler, faster, fairer and more focused. These reforms would enhance public safety and security, reinforce the integrity of our programs and improve services for those who rely on them. That is the system Canadians elected us for, and that is the system we are here to ensure we have.

I encourage my colleagues to support Bill C-12.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 3:30 p.m.

Conservative

Shuv Majumdar Conservative Calgary Heritage, AB

Mr. Speaker, there are 300,000 asylum claimants in the system, as we know. The Liberals' interim health program is now $1 billion. Toronto has to increase rents. The Liberals broke the system.

Many legal experts have suggested that the immigration provisions in the bill are unconstitutional. Some have even said they are undertaking research in preparation for legal challenges. Knowing this, is the government prepared to challenge court rulings against the provisions, or is it just planning on punting the utter mess it has made of the asylum system to the courts?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 3:30 p.m.

Liberal

Lena Metlege Diab Liberal Halifax West, NS

Mr. Speaker, we have introduced the bill to provide us with the tools we need to curb abuse and to process more quickly so case loads and costs can go down.

The member knows, and the party opposite knows, we published the charter statement on Bill C-2. The member knows that the provisions in the current Bill C-12 with respect to immigration are identical to those in Bill C-2. The immigration measures are the same.

Again, on this side of the House, we know we have institutions we need to protect. We respect our institutions, and we respect the rule of law.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 3:30 p.m.

Bloc

Maxime Blanchette-Joncas Bloc Rimouski—La Matapédia, QC

Mr. Speaker, I listened carefully to the minister's speech, including the part where she said that her bill would solve problems that her own department had created.

For months now, the government has been asking universities to act like the police. It wants them to investigate the problem surrounding international students trying to use loopholes in the system to apply for student visas and then claim asylum. That is a failure of the system. The universities tell us that the Department of Citizenship and Immigration is refusing to share its data with them. It is making universities do the heavy lifting.

I would like the minister to reassure us today by telling us that she will finally demand that her department live up to its responsibilities and stop passing the buck to the universities.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 3:35 p.m.

Liberal

Lena Metlege Diab Liberal Halifax West, NS

Mr. Speaker, I can tell my colleague opposite that we are working with Quebec.

For study permit applications in Quebec, a Quebec acceptance certificate issued by the provincial government is required. It is mandatory. The province is in the driver's seat when it comes to accepting students in its territory. Nearly 100,000 fewer new students arrived between January and July compared to 2024.

We will continue to work with Quebec.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 3:35 p.m.

Winnipeg North Manitoba

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the many comments the minister has actually put on the record. I truly believe that the immigration department, with the new Prime Minister, has put a lot of emphasis on stabilizing immigration here in Canada.

When I think of asylum seekers, I go back to the days when I was the critic for immigration, when we had issues with Hungary, the number of Hungarians coming over, and how this was impacting asylum seekers. The government had to bring in legislation to make some changes.

I wonder whether the minister could provide her comments. At times, we need to bring in legislation to ensure that we are protecting the integrity of the system.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 3:35 p.m.

Liberal

Lena Metlege Diab Liberal Halifax West, NS

Mr. Speaker, that is an excellent question. I really enjoy questions that are exactly on the point we need to address here in public policy and as legislators.

The government is committed to increasing trust in Canada's immigration system. We are making our borders stronger, more resilient and more responsive, and our efforts are working. Asylum claims are down by a third compared to last year, but our message is very clear: The asylum system should not be seen as a shortcut to immigrating to Canada. This is why we have the measures in Bill C-12 to strengthen the integrity of our system.

Again, I ask all members of the House to work with us to ensure that we have a strong immigration system in Canada, one all Canadians are proud of.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 3:35 p.m.

Liberal

Parm Bains Liberal Richmond East—Steveston, BC

Mr. Speaker, I am thankful for the opportunity to be here today to speak to Bill C-12. The bill proposes amendments to various acts that would make our laws even stronger and that would keep our families, children and communities safe while protecting privacy and charter rights. The bill would help the government fight the flow of illegal fentanyl, enhance the integrity of our immigration and asylum systems, and combat money laundering. The focus of my speech today will be with respect to parts 2, 3 and 4 of the bill.

I will begin by stating that I do not think there is any member of the House without stories about how their communities have been touched by the fentanyl overdose crisis, the flow of precursors and the significant impact those have on families and communities across the country. According to Health Canada, in 2022 an average of 21 lives were lost each day because of opioid-related overdoses.

Part 4 of the bill would amend the Canada Post Corporation Act to enable police to search the mail as part of a criminal investigation. The amendments would remove a legal barrier to otherwise lawful seizure of mail, but would not create new search and seizure authorities. With this change, law enforcement could rely on existing search and seizure provisions in federal legislation, which is most commonly a search warrant issued under the Criminal Code.

The need for judicial pre-authorization would ensure that mail seizures are conducted in accordance with the law and the charter. This would bring Canada Post into alignment with other courier and parcel delivery service providers such as Purolator that are already subject to lawful search and seizure. The bill would also expand inspection powers for postal inspectors. These changes would enable the police to stop the mail service from being used to traffic drugs and other illegal materials.

With the measures in the bill, we would be in a stronger position to prevent dangerous drugs such as fentanyl and their precursor chemicals from finding their way onto our streets and into our communities, to keep Canadians safe. Right now, police officers are not allowed to search and seize letter mail as part of an investigation, not even with a warrant; as a result, fentanyl and other synthetic opioids can be easily trafficked in small amounts by drug traffickers exploiting the postal system by sending illicit drugs through this method. The amendments to the act outlined in part 4 of Bill C-12 become crucial to correcting the issue and stopping the flow of illegal drugs into our communities.

The amendments to the Canada Post Corporation Act would allow police to search and seize contraband, including fentanyl, from Canada Post mail with a warrant. If I may, I will repeat, “with a warrant”, because I have heard many times a lot of misinformation coming from the other side of the House. Police could not just open our mail; they would be required to obtain a warrant from a judge to lawfully search and seize letter mail during an investigation.

The provisions would bring Canada Post in line with other mail couriers such as FedEx and Purolator.

The change would, notably, help remote indigenous communities and rural municipalities in their efforts to intercept dangerous illegal drugs such as fentanyl, which is often delivered through the mail via Canada Post. The Minister of Public Safety has heard from these communities, and they are supporting the measures. ln fact, they have been calling on us to do this. The Mushkegowuk Council stated that the government's proposed amendments to the Canada Post Corporation Act are a good first step in addressing current enforcement gaps.

We also need to address the flow of chemicals used to produce fentanyl. Criminal groups mislabel precursors used to produce fentanyl to smuggle them into the country. Often these chemicals enter Canada legally to support the production of legal goods. To disrupt the flow of illegal fentanyl, the bill would create a new accelerated scheduling pathway to make it easier for the Minister of Health to order limits on precursor chemicals to ensure that they are used legitimately.

We have already made significant progress toward strengthening our border, but the measures in the bill would make our country even safer. By stopping the flow of illegal fentanyl, reinforcing our immigration and asylum systems and cracking down on money laundering and terrorist financing, we will keep our country strong and safe.

Like all of my hon. colleagues in the House, I too want fentanyl off our streets. Together, let us keep our communities and children safe by supporting the bill.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 3:40 p.m.

Conservative

Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB

Mr. Speaker, I would like to let my colleague know that he is welcome to come back to OGGO any time. We miss him.

He mentioned the issue around Canada Post. I am wondering whether he can tell us if his government has consulted with Canada Post about its role. I have spoken to people at Canada Post, and they have told me that, no, they will not participate in any of these actions and that in fact they have not been consulted on the proposed legislation the government has put forward.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 3:40 p.m.

Liberal

Parm Bains Liberal Richmond East—Steveston, BC

Mr. Speaker, the member is still the chair of OGGO, and I look forward to, at some point, maybe sitting in or substituting for somebody. I know of the very important work the committee does, and I miss it. As for the member's question, perhaps the chair of OGGO could have representatives of Canada Post come to the committee and further share their thoughts.

As I mentioned, this is important work that needs to be done. There are major challenges our country and communities are facing with respect to fentanyl and the flow of precursors. If we look at the negative impact that has had on our communities, we see that it is important to make sure Canada Post, with a warrant, I would add, is co-operating.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 3:45 p.m.

Bloc

Maxime Blanchette-Joncas Bloc Rimouski—La Matapédia, QC

Mr. Speaker, I need my colleague to explain something to us. In April, through the Prime Minister, the government promised to hire 1,000 new CBSA officers and 1,000 new RCMP members.

Six months later, just last week, the government repeated its April announcement to us. Can my colleague tell us how many officers have been hired since April? If none have been hired, what is the plan? How many officers will be hired, and what is the exact timeline?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 3:45 p.m.

Liberal

Parm Bains Liberal Richmond East—Steveston, BC

Mr. Speaker, I think we are all looking forward to the budget on November 4, and we will see many of those measures in it.

With respect to the member's question on how many officers have been hired, we have committed to 1,000 police officers and 1,000 CBSA officers. Just last week, I had the opportunity to make that announcement in British Columbia, and it was very welcome by all police agencies that are impacted by the issues we have talked about in communities.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 3:45 p.m.

Winnipeg North Manitoba

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, I am wondering whether my colleague could provide his thoughts on how the Prime Minister and the Liberal caucus are taking a holistic approach on the issue. Today we are talking about Bill C-12, which would do wonders in securing Canada's borders, but at the same time we are making tangible commitments. The member just referred to an announcement of additional RCMP officers and Canada border control officers.

Whether it is legislation or budgetary measures, we are taking the issue seriously, and when dealing with an issue of this nature, it is important that we take a holistic approach.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 3:45 p.m.

Liberal

Parm Bains Liberal Richmond East—Steveston, BC

Mr. Speaker, fentanyl, precursors and issues related to crime and strengthening our borders have had an impact on our communities. Over time, these issues change and evolve, and we need to evolve and bring in new measures. That is what we are doing at this point.

If we look at strengthening the borders by adding police and CBSA officers, with the new search warrant measures and all the resources and tools they would be given, everything from going after ghost guns, which we announced earlier to new offences, such as in Bill C-70 with respect to transnational threats, that is a holistic approach. There is a whole level of different measures we have put forward to combat the ever-evolving challenges that this country is facing.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 3:45 p.m.

Conservative

Kyle Seeback Conservative Dufferin—Caledon, ON

Mr. Speaker, if we are going to talk about this piece of legislation, we should put a couple of things into context.

The first thing I would put into context is that this is another bill the Liberals are trying to bring forward to allegedly do something to deal with the massive surge in crime that has gone on in Canada over the last 10 years. It is a remarkable turnaround. I still recall when former minister of justice Arif Virani sat in this chamber. He would get up in question period and say we were trying to scare Canadians and were engaging in typical Conservative fear on the issue of crime when we raised the staggering increase in crime and violent crime. That was his answer. Now it seems like the Liberals have had their reckoning and realized that over the last 10 years, due to their policies, we have had a massive surge in crime.

If members do not want to take my word for it, I have a few statistics that I would like to go through so that Canadians can understand just how bad crime has gotten. in this country under the Liberal government. Total violent crime is up 49.84%. Let us round that up to 50%. There has been a 50% increase in violent crime after a decade of the Liberals running the country. Homicide is up 28%. Gang-related homicide is up 78%. Sexual assault is up 74%. Extortion is up 357%. Let that sink in for a moment. A decade ago, we had a certain amount of extortion and it is now up 357%. We know the terrible things that happen when people are trafficking in persons. That is up 83%. All of this has happened over the last decade with the Liberals running the country.

They introduced a massive omnibus bill, Bill C-2. To get to Bill C-12, we have to talk a little about Bill C-2. I am old enough to remember when the Liberals used to say it was a terrible thing to introduce omnibus pieces of legislation, and they would never do such things, but here we are. Bill C-2 was going to amend 15 statutes and had 120 pages of technical statutory changes. As Conservatives, we said, “That is a no go.” In fact, it is due to Conservative pressure, because of a number of things that were included in Bill C-2, that we ended up here with Bill C-12, which actually has some things that we think might do some good. I know it is a strange thing to say, but as they often say, a broken clock is right twice a day, so they may have gotten a couple of things right in Bill C-12.

To go back to Bill C-2, I really want to talk about some very deeply troubling things that were included in that piece of legislation. It shows the mindset of the Liberals, who have turned around on some of these issues.

One of these is how Canada Post would be able to search mail. In and of itself, it is problematic, but the statutory change the Liberals were trying to bring in said this could happen with reasonable suspicion. Bill C-2 reads, “reasonable grounds to suspect”. That is the lowest threshold in law that could be used to do this. Normally, to be able to search something, we need the much higher standard of “reasonable grounds to believe”. The Liberals were putting in the very lowest standard possible of reasonable suspicion.

Because this was about the corporation, it would mean that any employee of the corporation who had a reasonable suspicion could be opening mail. It is a particularly troubling standard that they were trying to put into the bill. It has been through hard work from the Conservatives, who said “absolutely not”, that those parts of the legislation remain in Bill C-2 and are not included in Bill C-12.

It is also very interesting to note what is not included in any of these pieces of legislation which is trying to deal with the issue of crime that the Liberals are belatedly waking up to. For example, there is nothing in Bill C-12 that would deal with the issues of fentanyl trafficking and sentencing for fentanyl traffickers. Something like that could have been incorporated into it to crack down on fentanyl trafficking. We believe it needs to be done, but it is not in there.

The Liberals also did not take the time to eliminate, for example, house arrest for drive-by shootings, which is still okay. They put together a massive omnibus piece of legislation, in part to deal with crime, but they left things like that out of it. It is available, so somebody engaging in a drive-by shooting is eligible for house arrest.

If we go back to the statistics I talked about, gang-related homicide is up 78%. Generally speaking, the kinds of people who are engaging in drive-by shootings are people in gangs trying to cause homicides. The Liberals had so much opportunity to do better, and they failed on that.

Another thing they failed to do is make it crystal clear that so-called safe consumption sites should not be allowed anywhere near schools. We know the effects of these safe consumption sites. They become a blight in a neighbourhood, and having them near schools and children is not the kind of thing we want. Again, this was a simple place for the Liberals to have made that change, and they chose not to.

Let us quickly switch and talk a bit about some of the changes to immigration. I was around when Stephen Harper was prime minister and changes were made to the asylum system, and we brought asylum claims down to about 10,000. It sounds like a lot, but it is 10,000. If we look at where things are now, again, after a decade of these Liberals and their absolute and utter mismanagement of the immigration system, asylum claims are now at a whopping 296,000. Think about that. A decade ago, they were at 10,000, and now they are at 296,000. I think the estimate to process these 296,000 cases in the backlog is 25 years. Let that sink in. That is the backlog on asylum claims that has been created by the Liberals' absolute mismanagement of the immigration system.

What we are now hearing from some experts is that the proposed changes would not fix the broken system. This problem would be transferred to the courts, because they have decided they cannot fix it. The fix is not to figure out a way to quickly process the backlog, because we know so many of these claims are bogus asylum claims. In fact, one of the things we did under Prime Minister Harper was try to eliminate bogus asylum claims from certain countries by imposing visa requirements. One of the first things the Liberals did was eliminate those visa requirements. Surprise, surprise, we are up to 296,000.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 3:50 p.m.

An hon. member

Oh, oh!

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 3:50 p.m.

Conservative

Kyle Seeback Conservative Dufferin—Caledon, ON

Mr. Speaker, the member is laughing. The member who spends all day, every day doing nothing but talk about how great he thinks the government is doing is now laughing as I talk about the seriousness of a 296,000-person backlog. The system is absolutely broken after 10 years of the Liberals' management of the system.

There may be some things in this legislation that we could support. We have to send it to committee. I want to commend all of my colleagues for their hard work in getting this bill broken up into parts so that some of the things we know we cannot support are going to be in one particular piece of legislation, and some of the things we think we might be able to support with a bit of study are going to be in this particular piece of legislation.

I look forward to this particular piece of legislation being studied at committee.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 3:55 p.m.

Liberal

Guillaume Deschênes-Thériault Liberal Madawaska—Restigouche, NB

Mr. Speaker, Bill C‑12 addresses some long-standing requests from law enforcement for the necessary resources to crack down on auto theft, drug trafficking and transnational organized crime.

Does my colleague recognize the importance of taking action to keep Canadians safe? If so, will he commit to working with us to quickly pass Bill C‑12?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 3:55 p.m.

Conservative

Kyle Seeback Conservative Dufferin—Caledon, ON

Mr. Speaker, I think most police organizations also want mandatory minimum sentences for trafficking in fentanyl. They also want to get rid of house arrest for drive-by shootings. I would encourage the member to talk to his caucus and see if they want to work on some of those things.

If he was listening, I said quite clearly that we would love to see this bill studied at committee. We think there might be some things in here that are worth supporting, but, of course, we need to study them at committee.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 3:55 p.m.

Bloc

Maxime Blanchette-Joncas Bloc Rimouski—La Matapédia, QC

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the residents of Rimouski—La Matapédia, whom I proudly represent. I would also like to acknowledge the residents of La Mitis, Les Basques and Neigette.

The government seems to be recycling announcements all the time, not just some of the time. Last week, it recycled a major press conference where it announced that it would secure our borders. This is the same promise that the government and the Prime Minister himself made back in April. The government talked about hiring 1,000 new CBSA officers. It promised to hire 1,000 new RCMP officers.

During this time, how many officers did the government actually hire? The answer is zero. The government repeated the same announcement twice.

Does my colleague think that the government needs to make the same announcement three times before finally taking action?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 4 p.m.

Conservative

Kyle Seeback Conservative Dufferin—Caledon, ON

Mr. Speaker, I share the member's outrage for the recycling of announcements. The government has gotten very good at trying to trick Canadians into saying it has created new programs and new things, but it is, in fact, just recycling the same old things over and again.

The Liberals never answer a question directly in the House of Commons. The member asked a Liberal member how many police officers had been hired since April. The Liberal member rambled on about the importance of this and recycled the hiring announcement. It is the same thing that happened yesterday when I asked the government members if they had a jobs guarantee in the $15-billion contract they signed with Stellantis. Members should have seen them trying to tap dance on the head of a pin to avoid answering the question. They say they are going to fight hard, do this or that and stand up for Canada. The answer is they could not answer the question, which is also the answer here. They have not hired anyone, and God knows if they will.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 4 p.m.

Conservative

Sandra Cobena Conservative Newmarket—Aurora, ON

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the member to give us his thoughts on the Liberal government pretending to get tough on fentanyl traffickers, yet there are no mandatory minimums in this bill. Can the member speak to that?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 4 p.m.

Conservative

Kyle Seeback Conservative Dufferin—Caledon, ON

Mr. Speaker, this is something we have been fighting about with the government for almost a decade, ever since it made terrible decisions on bail. It has continually done things to make it much easier for criminals to be out in our communities, wreaking the havoc they wreak.

The government always says it is going to come up with some kind of solution or it has a new piece of legislation. The former justice minister, Arif Virani, introduced a piece of legislation on bail reform, saying it was going to solve the problem. Of course, we know it did not. Violent offenders are out on the streets again within hours, if not days, of committing violent offences.

Yes, the Liberals could absolutely do something about fentanyl trafficking. Namely, they could crack down on the traffickers so that they stay in jail and cannot victimize Canadians.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 4 p.m.

Winnipeg North Manitoba

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, bail reform legislation is on its way, and I look forward to the Conservatives' response to it.

The question I have for the member is about asylum seekers. Back when Jason Kenney was the minister of immigration, the number was 60,000 and it was reduced to 10,000. They recognized the need for change and brought in legislation.

There have been demands for changes to this and we are bringing in changes. Does the member support them?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 4 p.m.

Conservative

Kyle Seeback Conservative Dufferin—Caledon, ON

Mr. Speaker, I do not know. We are going to have to look at that. Ultimately, we want to hear from the experts on whether or not it would make a difference.

My quick review of it is, as I said in my speech, that we would not deal with all of these bogus asylum claimants through the process, but try to transfer them to the judicial system. Again, that will be far more complicated and it would not solve the problem.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 4 p.m.

Liberal

Guillaume Deschênes-Thériault Liberal Madawaska—Restigouche, NB

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.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 4:10 p.m.

Bloc

Maxime Blanchette-Joncas Bloc Rimouski—La Matapédia, QC

Mr. Speaker, I listened carefully to my colleague's speech. He said that the borders are strong and secure. One does not introduce a bill to strengthen borders that are already strong and secure. What my colleague is saying is illogical.

I would like to share with him some findings from independent observers. The Office of the Auditor General has pointed out that delays, a shortage of officers and a lack of performance evaluations at the Canada Border Services Agency are undermining the effectiveness of border controls. Meanwhile, the Customs and Immigration Union notes that Canada has never had so little capacity to control its borders.

I do not know what my colleague is basing his claim on, when he says that our borders are strong and secure, because others are clearly saying something completely different. In addition, the Customs and Immigration Union is calling for between 2,000 and 3,000 new officers to be hired. The government has announced the hiring of 1,000 officers, but it did not specify when that would happen. The government also said that there have already been two press conferences on the subject and that this will be included in the upcoming budget.

I would like my colleague to tell the public the truth and stop repeating things to try to lull us into complacency.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 4:10 p.m.

Liberal

Guillaume Deschênes-Thériault Liberal Madawaska—Restigouche, NB

Mr. Speaker, the truth is that we have a plan with an investment of over $1 billion, the largest amount ever dedicated to border security in Canadian history.

I mentioned that there are five border crossings in my riding, Madawaska—Restigouche, and our officers are doing an amazing job on the ground. They work hard to protect our borders. I wanted to congratulate them in my speech.

Bill C‑12 introduces measures to make our borders even stronger. That is not to say that our borders are not secure right now, but we can always do better, and we recognize that. We want to give law enforcement the resources they need to do their job. They have asked us for this, and we are delivering.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 4:10 p.m.

Conservative

Jagsharan Singh Mahal Conservative Edmonton Southeast, AB

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Liberal member advocating for Bill C-12.

If Bill C-12 intends to clean up the already burdened asylum system, how come it does not mention repealing pre-removal risk assessments once a refugee claim is already refused? It is parallel legislation within the legislation that would put an additional burden on Canadian taxpayers to force them to redo the same test once that test has already failed.

I would like to hear an answer from the member opposite on that.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 4:15 p.m.

Liberal

Guillaume Deschênes-Thériault Liberal Madawaska—Restigouche, NB

Mr. Speaker, as my colleague mentioned, Bill C‑12 includes several measures to strengthen the integrity of our immigration system. We made a commitment to do so during the election campaign. We are delivering on our commitment through Bill C‑12.

In doing so, we will take steps to protect the integrity of our system while respecting fundamental humanitarian principles. There will be enhanced measures, including new ineligibility criteria for asylum seekers, to ensure that asylum claims are not used as a shortcut to get around the proper immigration channels. There will also be measures to ensure that no one is removed if doing so would put their safety in real danger.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 4:15 p.m.

Winnipeg North Manitoba

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the comments my colleague put on the record. I would like him to expand on the importance of Bill C-12 in the sense that it is part of the overall package of what our new Prime Minister and this government has proposed.

During the last federal election, there was a commitment by the Prime Minister to secure Canada's borders. This is a very important aspect of fulfilling a campaign platform commitment. In addition to this legislation, as the member made reference to, there is the hiring of 1,000 new CBSA officers, which is another component fulfilling the election platform.

Could the member expand on the importance of fulfilling that particular platform issue?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 4:15 p.m.

Liberal

Guillaume Deschênes-Thériault Liberal Madawaska—Restigouche, NB

Mr. Speaker, as my colleague says, we campaigned on a promise to make our communities safer. This requires a series of measures, including legislation such as Bill C‑12 on border security and Bill C‑9 on hate crimes. It also includes our upcoming bail reform, investments to hire more RCMP officers, and strategies, including the one announced yesterday about combatting online fraud.

When we talk about making our communities safer, we are not just spouting slogans. We are delivering investments, concrete measures and bills and taking a holistic approach to improving safety for Canadians.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 4:15 p.m.

Conservative

Chak Au Conservative Richmond Centre—Marpole, BC

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak to Bill C-12, legislation the Liberal government claims will strengthen our borders and protect our immigration system, but when examined closely, this bill is not about proactive security, it is about political damage control.

Bill C-12 is not a fresh start. It is a rebranded version of Bill C-2, legislation the government withdrew after Canadians were outraged by its sweeping powers to access personal digital data without a warrant. Bill C-2 would have allowed authorities to obtain Canadians' communications from phone companies, dating apps and even mental health platforms, with no judge, no oversight and no accountability. Conservatives said no. We believe in strong border security and effective enforcement, but never at the expense of Canadians' fundamental freedoms. Security and privacy are not competing objectives. In a democracy, they must coexist.

The government removed the most invasive powers from Bill C-2 only because it was exposed, not because it understood the threat to Canadians' rights. The public safety minister has openly stated that those powers are still being pursued. The RCMP commissioner confirmed they are working with the minister to bring them back. Canadians' privacy has not been safeguarded, as this has merely been postponed. We must remain vigilant because the government has shown a willingness to reintroduce these measures quietly when public attention shifts.

While seeking new powers, the government has failed to deliver on basic enforcement. It promised to hire 1,000 new CBSA officers. That promise was broken. At major border crossings, such as the Pacific Highway and Douglas port near Vancouver, officers are stretched thin, trying to stop sophisticated smuggling operations with inadequate staffing and outdated resources. Organized crime is exploiting these enforcement gaps right now, yet Bill C-12 contains no staffing commitments, no new resources and no operational enhancements. lt does not address the real challenges facing our border agents.

Bill C-12 amends 11 acts. Some of these measures are constructive and will assist law enforcement, for example, allowing CBSA to use private export facilities for inspections, enabling the Minister of Health to quickly ban precursor chemicals used to manufacture fentanyl, allowing the Canadian Coast Guard to share security information with law enforcement and tightening safe third country rules so that illegal border crossers may be returned to the United States within 14 days if they do not qualify for asylum. These are constructive elements. Conservatives support targeted reforms that improve enforcement and close gaps in coordination.

However, these improvements are overshadowed by sweeping new powers the bill grants to the minister, powers that lack clear safeguards, transparency or due process. Bill C-12 would allow the minister to unilaterally cancel immigration documents based on allegations of fraud or criminality without defined criteria or independent oversight. Canadians expect fairness, transparency and accountability, not political discretion that could undermine the integrity of our immigration system.

In Richmond Centre—Marpole, residents are deeply concerned about the pressures on housing, health care and public safety. They support legal immigration and strong enforcement, not a system where ministerial power replaces due process.

More than 50,000 Canadians have died from opioid toxicity since 2016, and nearly 80% of those deaths involved fentanyl. Police have dismantled superlabs in Langley, Falkland and Richmond capable of producing kilograms of fentanyl every week. Just two milligrams, a few grains of salt, can kill a person. This is not recreational drug use. It is deliberate mass poisoning.

Conservatives believe that, if someone is manufacturing or trafficking fentanyl in lethal quantities, they are knowingly causing death and should face a mandatory life sentence. We have tabled targeted proposals to ensure major traffickers, importers and producers face real prison time, yet Bill C-12 is silent. There would be new offences, no new mandatory penalties and no enhanced enforcement measures for cross-border traffickers. While Canadians are losing their loved ones every day, the government refuses to act. We cannot accept a justice system that allows fentanyl traffickers to receive house arrest or suspended sentences. Conservatives will continue to fight for real consequences to protect Canadians and save lives.

To be effective, Bill C-12 must be strengthened. Conservatives are calling for mandatory life sentences for major fentanyl traffickers, real resources and staffing for CBSA to enforce our laws, strong privacy protections with independent judicial oversight and mandatory public reporting for any future orders affecting privacy or mobility rights. Canadians deserve legislation that delivers security with transparency and accountability, not legislation written to manage headlines.

Bill C-12 reflects a pattern we have seen repeatedly from the government, which is to introduce sweeping and vague legislation, face public push-back, retreat temporarily and then attempt to reintroduce the same measures under a different name. That is not leadership. It is governance by reaction, not reflection. Canadians expect responsible, balanced legislation that protects both public safety and constitutional freedoms. Conservatives reject the government's approach of overreach first and correction later. We believe law must be grounded in principle, built through consultation, and transparent in application.

Conservatives believe in strong borders, safe communities and an immigration system that is both fair and firm, one that welcomes those who follow the rules and holds accountable those who do not. Bill C-12 may have removed the most extreme intrusions, but it still reflects the same pattern: overreach, retreat and repackaging. The bill would fail to address the fentanyl crisis, would fail to fix enforcement gaps and would fail to protect Canadians' privacy rights.

We will continue to stand up for the safety and freedoms of Canadians, defend the integrity of our immigration system and fight the scourge of fentanyl with the seriousness it demands. Canada can have security without surveillance and compassion without chaos. That is balance and that is common sense. That is what Conservatives would deliver.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 4:25 p.m.

Liberal

Natilien Joseph Liberal Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC

Mr. Speaker, I will be frank.

Given that asylum is granted by independent judges, is my colleague opposite not questioning the competence of our judges, just as his leader did with respect to our great RCMP officers?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 4:25 p.m.

Conservative

Chak Au Conservative Richmond Centre—Marpole, BC

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government is passing the buck when it creates a problem and then tries to solve the problem it has created. In so doing, it is not only that the Liberals do not do enough, and they do not do it in an effective way, but also that they pass the buck on to somebody else and ask some other people to solve the problem for them. That is not taking responsibility. It is being evasive.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 4:25 p.m.

Bloc

Mario Beaulieu Bloc La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC

Mr. Speaker, according to the bill, border officers have a surveillance mandate, but they are not truly a part of national defence. They cannot intervene directly.

I would like to know what my colleague thinks about that.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 4:25 p.m.

Conservative

Chak Au Conservative Richmond Centre—Marpole, BC

Mr. Speaker, we understand that law enforcement officers need to have the power to do the job in an effective way. However, we cannot accept giving power to the authorities without checks and balances, oversight or judicial review. We cannot give the minister too much power so they can infringe on the freedoms and rights of Canadians.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 4:25 p.m.

Conservative

Connie Cody Conservative Cambridge, ON

Mr. Speaker, the government says that Bill C-12 protects Canadians, yet it expands government powers to collect and share personal information across departments.

Could he speak to why it is so important that Parliament scrutinize these new authorities to ensure Canadians' privacy is not compromised?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 4:25 p.m.

Conservative

Chak Au Conservative Richmond Centre—Marpole, BC

Mr. Speaker, we have to protect the rights of Canadians. We cannot accept this power being unchecked. Canadians deserve to have protection within the Constitution. That is why we cannot accept this kind of power being unchecked and being given without any kind of balance.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 4:30 p.m.

Winnipeg North Manitoba

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, when I look at Bill C-12, as I have mentioned previously, I see it as a very important commitment that the Prime Minister made to Canadians, which was to secure our border and make sure that we have an increase in personnel, with 1,000 new border patrol officers and 1,000 new RCMP officers. This will have real and tangible results.

I am wondering if the member opposite could provide his thoughts on why it is important that we see a legislative initiative taken to support a secure border.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 4:30 p.m.

Conservative

Chak Au Conservative Richmond Centre—Marpole, BC

Mr. Speaker, as has been pointed out, these kinds of promises and commitments have been recycled many times. If they are very serious about providing the resources and the manpower to strengthen our security system, they should have done so many weeks or months ago and not recycled the same commitment again and again, pretending that they are doing something.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 4:30 p.m.

Bloc

Maxime Blanchette-Joncas Bloc Rimouski—La Matapédia, QC

Mr. Speaker, a border is not just a line on a map. It is a symbol of our security, our sovereignty and our ability to make our own decisions.

For 10 years, the federal government has been turning a blind eye while stolen vehicles leave our ports, fentanyl crosses our borders and Quebec alone bears the brunt of unprecedented migratory pressure.

Today Ottawa is taking action, but only because it no longer has a choice. During all that time, the Bloc Québécois has been calling for better border control and increased efforts to combat organized crime and drug trafficking.

To us and the Government of Quebec, Bill C-12 is a step in the right direction. However, let us be clear: Our support is not a carte blanche endorsement.

Before praising the bill, we must also recognize its limitations. This bill incorporates several measures already included in Bill C-2, which is intended to combat transnational organized crime. Rather than piling up more legislation, the government would do better to enforce existing laws.

I would like to remind the House that the government's border security promises are not new. On April 10, 2025, in the midst of the election campaign, the Liberal leader, the Prime Minister that is, proudly announced in Brampton that his government would hire 1,000 RCMP officers and another 1,000 CBSA officers in order to curb the flow of migrants and combat fentanyl trafficking.

Six months later, on October 17, the same Prime Minister repeated the same announcement word for word, this time presenting it as a bold new measure. The same numbers, the same promise, the same speech—in short, nothing new at all.

If anyone is looking for concrete proof of the disparity between words and actions, they need only think of Roxham Road, a symbol of the Liberals' failure to control our borders. Between 2017 and 2023, more than 150,000 people crossed this border irregularly. In 2022 alone, there were nearly 40,000 crossings, more than all previous years combined. Of these irregular entries, nearly 90% were in Quebec. Quebec therefore bore the human, logistical and financial burden of this situation alone, spending more than $400 million on accommodation, services and support. Rather than taking action, Ottawa allowed the issue to fester, repeating that nothing could be done, until the pressure became untenable.

When the Bloc Québécois asked to renegotiate the safe third country agreement to close Roxham Road, the government responded with bureaucratic excuses. As a result, there have been six years of neglect and Quebec was left to fend for itself.

This makeshift system where Quebec's role is to pay up while Ottawa communicates is a shining example of the federal government's denial. A border left open for six years is no border. It is an abdication of responsibility.

Ottawa likes to talk about a strong Canada. However, a strong country is not built on press releases. It is built with staff, equipment and commitment.

Let us talk about staff. The customs union estimates that the Canada Border Services Agency currently needs another 2,000 to 3,000 officers to properly fulfill its mandate. The government keeps making announcements, but on the ground, positions remain vacant. Inspections are not being conducted at ports, and border regions are still awaiting reinforcements.

The government even promised to review the pension plans of frontline officers in recognition of the fact that their jobs are so difficult, but once again, there was no meaningful follow-up. Officers are still waiting for concrete action, not press releases.

The government may be proud of its promises, but what it is saying in press conferences does not match reality. Trust is built on action, not on mere intentions.

The Bloc Québécois, like the customs union, is asking that Ottawa authorize CBSA officers to patrol between border crossings. We are not talking about replacing the RCMP, but rather empowering CBSA officers to intervene on the ground in places where trafficking and illegal border crossings occur. Nothing is preventing the government from doing so, apart from its own inaction.

When containers filled with stolen vehicles leave our ports without undergoing any inspection, this is not an administrative detail. It is a loss of sovereignty.

The border is also a matter of economic sovereignty. When imported products are brought into the country in violation of trade rules, our producers and local businesses pay the price. The Bloc Québécois will support any measure that protects Quebec's security and economy.

As the Bloc Québécois's science and innovation critic, I would also like to address the issue of asylum claims filed by some international students. For months now, universities have been sounding the alarm about the worrisome issue of fake students who enter Canada on a student visa, attend no classes and make an asylum claim after one year. These cases of fraud undermine the credibility of our university system and deny genuine talent a place at these institutions. In a system that limits the number of international students, every spot matters.

The most troubling thing about this is the way Ottawa has reacted. Instead of taking responsibility, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is asking universities to police foreign students and to verify every student's attendance record and legitimacy. It seems to expect deans to act as immigration officers. Meanwhile, the same department is refusing to provide universities with data on individuals who filed a refugee claim after getting a study permit. In other words, Ottawa is asking universities to solve a problem without giving them the necessary information to do that. This inconsistency is irresponsible. The Bloc Québécois will not allow universities to become an administrative appendage of a department that is not doing its job. We are pleased that the bill seeks to close this loophole, but a lot more needs to be done to make Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada genuinely transparent and accountable.

This bureaucratic inconsistency is also clear from the way Ottawa administers the safe third country agreement. For too long, this agreement allowed anyone who entered irregularly outside an official point of entry to file an asylum claim if they were not intercepted within 14 days. This provision encouraged clandestine and sometimes hazardous crossings. The government partially closed this loophole, but it did so without negotiating with Washington, preferring a unilateral solution instead. Now, anyone intercepted after 14 days will be returned to their country of origin, unless it is a moratorium country. This is progress, but it is still incomplete.

The Bloc Québécois will be monitoring the impact of this reform to ensure it does not create any new inconsistencies. We will also be scrutinizing the provisions that give new powers to the federal immigration minister, particularly the proposed addition to section 87 that would allow the minister to suspend, cancel or refuse to process visas, electronic travel authorizations or study permits. There is a legitimate objective for that, namely to combat fraud.

However, these powers must be circumscribed, especially if they impact permanent residents selected by Quebec. If there are no guardrails on this power, it could even invalidate decisions made under the Quebec experience program or other federal-provincial agreements. This would set a momentous precedent.

For years, Quebec has accepted a disproportionate number of asylum seekers, significantly in excess of its intake capacity. This situation has become untenable. The Bloc Québécois will ensure that Quebec's voice is heard, so that a fairer redistribution can be put in place and refugees can be accommodated in a way that respects Quebec's capacity and jurisdiction.

At committee, we will propose that the public safety minister be required to table a public report each year on the resources and operations of the CBSA. Quebeckers have the right to know whether their border is really being protected. This debate highlights a broader issue. When Ottawa centralizes, Quebec waits. When Ottawa promises, Quebec must be patient. When Ottawa fails, it is Quebec that pays the price.

To summarize, the Bloc Québécois will support Bill C-12 at second reading, but let us be clear: Our support is not a free pass.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 4:40 p.m.

Trois-Rivières Québec

Liberal

Caroline Desrochers LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his commitment to supporting the bill at second reading. We listened to stakeholders' concerns, including those raised by the Bloc Québécois. That is why we are introducing a bill with a narrowed scope and with provisions that are better suited to what we really want to address.

The Bloc Québécois members have often said that people want stricter border measures and tougher action on crime. I do not know why, but since the Bloc has heard about this bill, they have not taken a position on the new scope of the document.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 4:40 p.m.

Bloc

Maxime Blanchette-Joncas Bloc Rimouski—La Matapédia, QC

Mr. Speaker, it is pretty easy to understand. What we want is to restore public trust in the security of our borders. I will say it again: Trust is built with actions, not intentions. Right now, we are constantly being fed recycled statements.

As I said in my speech, the Prime Minister repeated what he had said six months ago. Now we are being told that there will be money in the next budget on November 4. The Liberals cannot even tell us how many new officers they hired in the last six months. They are patting themselves on the back and telling us to trust them because there will be 2,000 new officers, but they are short more than the number that they promised. This is already an inconsistency. Once again, why wait months to do something that they could have done before?

I am all for hearing that things are going in the right direction, but they need to stop trying to pacify people with press conferences and take action, instead of questioning motives and saying nice things at press conferences.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 4:40 p.m.

Conservative

Frank Caputo Conservative Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola, BC

Mr. Speaker, it is always a pleasure to rise on behalf of the people from Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola.

I appreciate what my colleague just said, and I want to build on the question that was just asked.

I recently met with the union for the CBSA. The CBSA can maybe get 700 people per year through training. It loses between 500 and 600 people a year through attrition. Job satisfaction is extremely low, potentially the lowest in the government. The max number of people it can get through training per year is 200. Furthermore, since there is no budget, when it comes to police, anybody who is doing an acting job cannot get paid, so delaying the budget has real consequences.

Does my colleague see these things as concerns? To me as a Conservative, as a critic and as a Canadian, they are large concerns.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 4:40 p.m.

Bloc

Maxime Blanchette-Joncas Bloc Rimouski—La Matapédia, QC

Mr. Speaker, we can see the consequences. I gave the example of Roxham Road. I would have liked the Conservative Party to get more involved in this issue. When 150,000 people use a loophole to enter irregularly, I think that is a problem, but the Conservatives only get involved when it suits them.

To answer my colleague's question, the consequences are already apparent: Organized crime is becoming more prevalent in communities and people feel unsafe. Then there is fentanyl. Again, this requires coordination and mobilizing resources, not just good intentions. I hope the government will get to work as soon as possible. It needs to hire officers, but also ensure coordination, with a coordinated strategic plan.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 4:45 p.m.

Bloc

Gabriel Ste-Marie Bloc Joliette—Manawan, QC

Mr. Speaker, we have talked about the good intentions in what the government is saying. However, my colleague also raised the fact that there is a shortage of officers. He said that the government has promised to hire 2,000 more officers, which may not even be enough. During the election campaign, we were told that about 2,000 officers would be hired, but the Speech from the Throne only mentioned 1,000 additional RCMP officers, not CBSA officers.

The Customs and Immigration Union is asking Ottawa to allow border services officers to patrol between border crossings, not to replace the RCMP, but rather to give federal agencies more depth and flexibility in enforcing the law. The Bloc Québécois also supports this request.

Can my colleague comment on that?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 4:45 p.m.

The Assistant Deputy Speaker John Nater

The member for Rimouski—La Matapédia has 35 seconds to respond.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 4:45 p.m.

Bloc

Maxime Blanchette-Joncas Bloc Rimouski—La Matapédia, QC

Mr. Speaker, 35 seconds is not enough time to explain this government's bungling over the past 10 years. Again, Roxham Road is a monumental disaster.

To return to my colleague's question, last April the government promised us 2,000 officers: 1,000 for the RCMP and 1,000 for the CBSA. Last week, the Liberals held another press conference and repeated what they said in April. They told us that we have to wait for the next budget, that it will be in there. That is just straight-up recycling.

What we are telling them is that they need to listen to what the people on the ground are asking for and saying. According to the Customs and Immigration Union, Canada has never had so little control over its borders. I am not saying that to scare people, but if we want to find solutions to a problem, then we have to face reality and tell people the truth in order to bolster public confidence.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 4:45 p.m.

Conservative

Jason Groleau Conservative Beauce, QC

Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to be representing the people of Beauce today once again in the House.

Today, we are debating a bill that goes to the very heart of our country: our ability to welcome, integrate and protect those who choose to come to Canada. The Liberal government's Bill C‑12 is an improvement over Bill C‑2. We must acknowledge this.

Bill C‑12 aims to modernize the immigration system. It claims to make the process more transparent and to improve the planning of the long-term immigration levels in order to meet Canada's economic needs. In reality, this bill lacks clear direction. It is weak and has lax security measures. Most importantly, it is disconnected from the reality on the ground. We need to listen to Canadians. Paying attention to the reality on the ground should be a priority for everyone, but especially this Liberal government.

For years now, the Liberals have been promising to reform the immigration system. During these years, the system has been crumbling, backlogs have been piling up, processes have gotten increasingly complex and the provinces have been left to fend for themselves to deal with the consequences of the decisions made by the Liberals in Ottawa.

While the government keeps coming out with more and more announcements and slogans, communities are feeling the direct pressure of these poorly planned policies. Canadians, the people of Beauce, families and business owners are all saying the same thing: The Liberal government has lost control.

My colleague will be pleased to hear me say that Roxham Road became the symbol of this loss of control. It was wide open. Tens of thousands of people entered Canada illegally in plain sight. Everyone saw that. There was no security and no proper screening. What did the government do? It did absolutely nothing. It allowed things to get worse, weakening our immigration system and eroding public trust.

Let us be clear, there is a difference between legitimate refugees fleeing war and persecution and illegal migrants circumventing the law. The situation is also very different when it comes to economic workers, who are desperately needed in certain regions of Canada. The Liberal government created and maintained this confusion.

Meanwhile, the consequences are very real: We have a housing shortage, skyrocketing rents and overburdened public services. This is not ideology; it is a simple mathematical reality. When hundreds of thousands of people arrive without a plan to accommodate them and without enough housing, rents go up. It is simple math. That is fundamental. It is simple. Everyone saw it.

Bill C-12 claims to strengthen the security and integrity of the system, but once again, it is superficial. There need to be more resources, fewer announcements and some decisive action. The government needs to implement effective mechanisms to deport criminals and improve border surveillance.

While the government dwells on processes, criminals are getting organized. Drug traffickers, arms smugglers and groups associated with cartels are taking advantage of these government loopholes. As we said earlier, the border is really porous. Our borders have become a vulnerable point.

Canada needs a clear plan, well-monitored borders and rigorous screening at entry and exit points. Our border officers and police officers need more support. Most importantly, there needs to be the political will to act. Bill C‑12 is weak on crime, weak on gangs and too weak to address what is actually happening on the ground. Again, I am talking about the reality on the ground.

Beyond immigration, another crucial issue for the safety of Canadians is the reform of the bail system. Too often, individuals accused of serious crimes are being released without sufficient safeguards, which endangers the public and undermines confidence in our justice system.

The Liberal government has failed to take decisive action on this issue, favouring measures that prioritize the rights of alleged offenders over the safety of victims and citizens.

It is essential that Bill C-12 or any other reform include more rigorous mechanisms for denying bail to individuals who pose a real risk to society. We must strengthen the role of judges so that they have the tools they need to protect Canadians, taking into account not only the presumption of innocence, but also the paramount importance of public safety.

Furthermore, protecting the fundamental rights of Canadians must remain an unwavering priority in any legislative reform. A responsible government must be able to rigorously defend these rights, while ensuring social peace and the rule of law. This is how Canada will maintain its status as a free and orderly society.

A poorly monitored border is an open door to illegal activities such as arms and drug trafficking or illegal immigration. Our border officers do an excellent job, but they simply lack resources. Again, the government is only making announcements. It is not taking action.

It is important to remember that some regions, like Beauce, share a direct border with the United States, in my case, with the state of Maine. This geographic reality demands greater vigilance. Bill C-12 does not propose any measures to better protect these sensitive areas. It completely ignores the unique challenges specific to border regions. This is a serious flaw in an already fragile system. Canadians deserve better. They deserve a government that protects them, takes action and stands up for the integrity of our country. The safety of Canadians must always come first. We have seen the consequences when that is not the case: exploitation, fraud, crime. A responsible government does not throw open its doors without ensuring that those who enter share our values, respect our laws and contribute to our society.

Demanding rigour does not mean one is against immigration. We support a system that is fair, orderly and respected. The Conservative Party believes that we can welcome people with compassion, but also with caution and judiciousness. It is a matter of respect for Canadians and for newcomers.

Meanwhile, the Liberals are inflating immigration thresholds without taking the reality on the ground into account. The housing crisis is getting worse. Inflation is driving up housing prices. Millions of Canadians, including people in Beauce, are struggling to find housing. Rents are skyrocketing. Mortgages are drifting out of reach. There is no coordination with cities or provinces to adapt infrastructure, hospitals, schools or housing. That is irresponsible. In many regions, including Beauce, businesses are desperately looking for skilled workers. The current federal system is failing employers. They have to navigate a complicated and lengthy bureaucratic maze while highly skilled foreign workers wait in limbo.

Bill C‑12 is a step in the right direction, but it does not solve anything. It does not align immigration with actual economic needs. It overlooks rural and industrial regions. It does not support businesses, families or local growth.

Another essential element is that the provinces have been excluded from the planning. There is no coordination, no serious dialogue. However, they are the ones that must provide education, health care and housing services. As a result, schools are overwhelmed, hospitals are overflowing and there is not enough housing. Ottawa makes all the decisions but then always blames everybody else.

The Conservative Party is proposing a different path, an approach based on collaboration, listening, and shared responsibility. Provinces and municipalities have to have a say, because they are close to the reality and know their limitations. Immigration cannot be simply a matter of quotas. It also needs to take integration, social cohesion and shared values into account. That is what we, as Conservatives, promise to do.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 4:55 p.m.

Trois-Rivières Québec

Liberal

Caroline Desrochers LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure

Mr. Speaker, it is a bit of a stretch for my colleague from the Quebec Conservative caucus to say such a thing when he knows full well that the Province of Quebec is actively consulted on all decisions affecting immigration. It is consulted more than any other province and territory in Canada.

It is a shame that what should be a debate of ideas is still being used to present divisive rhetoric on immigration.

With regard to crime, I would invite my colleague to check out the remarks made by the Prime Minister last week. We have stated very clearly what we are going to do about the issue of conditional sentences.

The Conservatives say they want stronger borders and a crackdown on organized crime. If my colleague is serious about that, will he support this bill?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 4:55 p.m.

Conservative

Jason Groleau Conservative Beauce, QC

Mr. Speaker, I do not know if my colleague is familiar with the business world, but it has been left to its own devices. When it comes to the threshold that was approved without consulting the provinces, there is a difference between illegal immigrants and the foreign workers who are needed in our regions, especially those where the unemployment rate is extremely low—that is, less than 5.5%—as the Conservative Party has mentioned.

I would like to remind my colleague that it is essential to consult the provinces.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 4:55 p.m.

Bloc

Maxime Blanchette-Joncas Bloc Rimouski—La Matapédia, QC

Mr. Speaker, my colleague was obviously speaking of the reality on the ground.

I would like him to tell us where the Conservative Party was when people were entering Canada through the irregular border crossing at Roxham Road. In five years, more than 150,000 people made that journey. That is the reality on the ground. The Conservative Party said not a word; it had no plan and no solutions.

I would also like to remind my colleague of Quebec's motto: “Je me souviens”, or I remember.

When the Conservative Party formed the government in 2015 under Stephen Harper, its plan was to cut border officers. That is the reality on the ground today.

I would like my colleague to tell us, in all honesty, what the plan is: Does he want more border control, but fewer staff? I would like him to explain that to me.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 5 p.m.

Conservative

Jason Groleau Conservative Beauce, QC

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my colleague's question. He is one of my most pleasant colleagues here. I appreciate him.

As to his question, I was not in the House at the time. However, I am not sure about this, but I believe he was here and supported a number of the Liberal government's decisions, some of which had to do with Roxham Road.

I am surprised that he is talking to me about it, given that he supported most of the Liberal government's proposals when he was in the House.

I am a little disappointed.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 5 p.m.

Conservative

Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB

Mr. Speaker, we have heard a lot about the scourge of fentanyl and what it is doing to Canadians. More Canadians have been killed over the last 10 years, since the Liberals took over, than died in the Second World War.

I wonder if my colleague could opine on what he thinks the reason is that the government has waited so long to bring in some of these reforms. Fentanyl has been killing Canadians for a full decade. Why have the Liberals waited until just now to bring in some of these necessary reforms?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 5 p.m.

Conservative

Jason Groleau Conservative Beauce, QC

Mr. Speaker, they did nothing for 10 years. The answer to my colleague's question is as simple as that.

By anyone's standards, the borders are porous. We have all seen that. Outside those doors, we can all see that one plus one equals two. Only the Liberal government cannot see it. Drugs get through the borders. There are not enough officers. They need support. Announcements have been made, but there are none on the ground.

As we said earlier, it is important to have those on-the-ground connections and be close to the people. That right there is one of the Liberal government's big problems.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 5 p.m.

Liberal

Caroline Desrochers Liberal Trois-Rivières, QC

Mr. Speaker, I would like my colleague to clarify something. I am a bit confused.

At the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities, our Conservative colleagues seem to want to destroy the temporary foreign worker program, saying that it is not needed and that it is causing youth unemployment, when we know full well that businesses need it, as my colleague said.

I would like him to clarify the Conservative Party's position.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 5 p.m.

Conservative

Jason Groleau Conservative Beauce, QC

Mr. Speaker, some parts of Canada are experiencing very high unemployment. We can agree with that. As our proposal says, regions where unemployment is below 5.5% need foreign workers.

That is our proposal, and ours is the best one.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 5 p.m.

Conservative

Michael Guglielmin Conservative Vaughan—Woodbridge, ON

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak to Bill C-12, the strengthening Canada's immigration system and borders act, a piece of legislation the Liberals have hastily introduced in the wake of Conservative opposition to their previous omnibus bill, Bill C-2.

Before addressing Bill C-12 directly, it is essential to reflect on the deeply flawed Bill C-2. This omnibus bill, which sprawls across 140 pages and would amend over a dozen pieces of legislation, was a dangerous attempt by the Liberals to consolidate sweeping powers that would trample on Canadians' fundamental rights and freedoms. The bill was so broad and so intrusive that it sparked serious concern not only from Conservatives, but from legal experts, privacy advocates, opposition parties and of course everyday Canadians. At my office, we received numerous calls and have had numerous correspondence with constituents who are deeply concerned with the provisions of Bill C-2, which I will detail later in my speech.

The Conservatives played a pivotal role in pushing the government back from its original overreach in Bill C-2. Part 4 of Bill C-2, for example, would have allowed Canada Post to open any mail without a warrant, which is a flagrant violation of privacy in a country that prides itself on liberal democratic values. Thankfully, this part has been stripped from Bill C-12, though it is still in Bill C-2, which remains before Parliament.

Similarly, Bill C-2 included sweeping warrantless powers for the government to demand personal data from electronic service providers, banks and telecommunications companies, which was done under parts 14, 15 and 16. These powers would have allowed the government to collect detailed location and subscriber information without judicial oversight, disregarding basic principles of privacy and due process. The Privacy Commissioner himself confirmed that the government had failed to consult him before pushing these alarming measures, which is a stark reminder of how little regard the Liberals have for Canadians' privacy rights.

The clauses within Bill C-2 were sharply criticized for threatening personal privacy and potentially breaching the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, including section 15, the right to be treated equally under the law. This is according to an analysis by the Library of Parliament.

Matt Hatfield, the executive director of the advocacy group OpenMedia, said, per The Globe and Mail:

...the proposal could compel a large range of electronic service providers, including social media platforms, e-mail and messaging services, gaming platforms, telecoms and cloud storage companies, to disclose information about their subscribers including the province and local area where they use their services without judicial oversight.

This is not the Canada that Canadians expect. Law-abiding citizens deserve privacy protections, not to be treated as collateral damage in a government's quest to expand its control.

Again, the Conservatives have been proud to stand firm and force the government to remove these unjustified intrusions from Bill C-12. That is the duty of a principled opposition: to safeguard Canadians' freedoms and hold the government accountable.

While Bill C-12 is an improvement and is something that the Conservatives plan to support and send to committee for further study, it does remain incomplete. One glaring failure of Bill C-12 is that the Liberal government still refuses to take seriously the fentanyl crisis, a crisis ravaging Canadian families, devastating communities and destroying lives across this country.

Let me remind the House of the Prime Minister's own words earlier this year, when he dismissed the fentanyl crisis as merely a “challenge” in Canada, while calling it a “crisis” in the United States. Such minimization is not only out of touch, but deeply irresponsible.

Health Canada reports that fentanyl was involved in 79% of opioid-related deaths in the first half of 2024, a staggering increase over previous years. Despite this crisis, the Liberals continue to push for drug consumption sites near schools. At the health committee, the Conservatives called for the Liberals to shut down fentanyl consumption sites next to children, but the health minister refused to rule out approving more of these consumption sites next to schools and day cares.

Canadian police have uncovered and dismantled superlabs manufacturing kilograms of this lethal drug within our borders, fuelling a national emergency that the government continues to downplay. Bill C-12 fails to implement mandatory minimum sentencing for fentanyl traffickers, the very criminals who are poisoning our streets and fuelling the opioid epidemic. The Liberals continue to resist measures that would ensure traffickers face serious consequences for flooding our streets with this extremely lethal poison.

The Liberal government claims to be tough on crime. We have heard the Secretary of State for Combatting Crime say this very thing, yet people of my riding of Vaughan-Woodbridge and across this country see it very differently. They see a much different reality, one marked by rising shootings, brazen bank robberies and increasing violent crime.

The Liberals continue to refuse to close the loopholes that allow catch-and-release bail for fentanyl dealers and firearms traffickers, loopholes that criminal gangs exploit to terrorize our communities. The Liberal government has had ample opportunity to address the seriousness of crime affecting our country. Since they have taken power, violent crime is up 50% and violent firearms offences are up 116%, increasing for nine straight years. Auto theft, which is a huge issue in Vaughan, is up 46% nationally. Everyone in my community knows someone who knows someone who has had their vehicle either stolen or attempted to be stolen. Gang related homicides are also up 78%.

The Conservatives unequivocally believe that trafficking lethal fentanyl is the moral equivalent of murder. That is why we demand mandatory, harsh prison sentences for those who manufacture, import, export and traffic fentanyl. Those who profit from addiction must face swift and serious consequences. The government's unwillingness to adopt these common-sense measures sends a clear message: Criminals can operate with impunity while Canadians suffer.

The failures do not end there. The Liberals also refuse to acknowledge their abject failure on border security, another critical element that Bill C-12 purportedly aims to address. Earlier this year, the Canada Border Services Agency revealed that 600 foreign criminals were scheduled for deportation, but now they have gone missing in custody. This is completely unacceptable and represents a grave threat to public safety.

Canada's border must be secure to protect Canadians from criminals and illegal activities, including fentanyl trafficking and gun smuggling. Canadians deserve better from their government, one that respects their privacy, does not overreach with warrantless surveillance powers and is serious about fighting fentanyl by imposing real consequences on traffickers. Canadians deserve a government that protects our borders, enforces immigration laws fairly and firmly and supports law enforcement in combatting organized crime, and a government that does not leave foreign criminals at large in our communities.

Canadians are looking to this House for leadership, not partisanship, on critical issues like public safety and immigration. While we have serious concerns about how the government first approached matters in Bill C-2, we also acknowledge that Bill C-12 represents a step in the right direction. This very step came because Canadians raised their voices and the Conservatives did our job: We were listening, we pushed back and we demanded better on behalf of the citizens of this country.

Our work here is not done. We will support moving Bill C-12 to committee, where it will be scrutinized carefully, and we will work to improve it even further.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 5:10 p.m.

Liberal

Doug Eyolfson Liberal Winnipeg West, MB

Mr. Speaker, I share the member's concerns about why addressing crime is so important. My father was in the RCMP for 24 years, and I work in the emergency department, where I see the effects of crime.

I found the statements in his speech rather incongruous. It is almost as though this is Schrödinger's government: at one point being too soft on the population and, on the other side, violating people's rights.

The member talked about mandatory minimum sentences, yet the Supreme Court of Canada has repeatedly said that mandatory minimum sentences are a violation of human rights. Does the member think we should not obey the Supreme Court of Canada?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 5:10 p.m.

Conservative

Michael Guglielmin Conservative Vaughan—Woodbridge, ON

Mr. Speaker, in the Supreme Court's decision in R v. Lloyd, the Supreme Court ruled that the government should narrow its scope for mandatory minimum sentencing, and that is exactly what I spoke about in my speech. We should narrow the scope and target it toward people who are trafficking, importing and producing fentanyl. We should target it toward organized crime and, as we said before, have the harshest mandatory minimums for people who produce and traffic in excess of 45 milligrams, which is a lethal dose. That is very targeted and specific and fits the scope.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 5:10 p.m.

Bloc

Gabriel Ste-Marie Bloc Joliette—Manawan, QC

Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleague on his fine speech. I have the pleasure of working with him on the Standing Committee on Industry.

As he said, my party will also support this bill at second reading. We look forward to thoroughly analyzing this bill in committee.

That said, the major problem we see is that there are a lot of commitments, but there are staff shortages at the CBSA and the RCMP.

What does my hon. colleague think about that?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 5:10 p.m.

Conservative

Michael Guglielmin Conservative Vaughan—Woodbridge, ON

Mr. Speaker, I share my colleague's concern and disbelief, frankly, because what we have seen over and over again with the Liberals is they say one thing and do nothing. As we know, so far no new border agents have been hired, and we certainly support the hiring of more border service agents to ensure we have widespread security across our border.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 5:15 p.m.

Conservative

Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB

Mr. Speaker, can my colleague give his opinion on the government's inability to commit to banning consumption sites near schools and playgrounds?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 5:15 p.m.

Conservative

Michael Guglielmin Conservative Vaughan—Woodbridge, ON

Mr. Speaker, it comes down to a lack of attention to the problem, in my view. We have been sounding the alarm for a while now that having drug consumption sites next to schools and day cares is completely unacceptable. It is an infringement on the morals we hold deep in this country to keep drugs and crime away from children. We know these areas are riddled with drugs and criminal activity. We hope the Liberals do the right thing and decide to remove drug sites around schools, day cares and the presence of children because it is the right thing to do.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 5:15 p.m.

Winnipeg North Manitoba

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, to be very clear, provinces and municipalities dictate where the safe sites go. To try to blame Ottawa for something that is not within its jurisdiction is irresponsible.

Does the member not have any confidence in the municipalities and the province he represents? Does he believe the province should not be responsible for safe sites, along with municipalities?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 5:15 p.m.

Conservative

Michael Guglielmin Conservative Vaughan—Woodbridge, ON

Mr. Speaker, frankly, what I find irresponsible is that the other day when we heard the Prime Minister's announcement on crime, there was no attention paid to removing the principle of restraint, which was endemic to Bill C-75, the very principle that is allowing for catch and release to continue. I would ask the members opposite to put some forethought into this to make sure this principle is removed so we can keep criminals off the streets.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 5:15 p.m.

Conservative

Harb Gill Conservative Windsor West, ON

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise today as the member of Parliament for Windsor West to speak to Bill C-12, 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.

Let us begin with how we got here. The original version, Bill C-2, was deeply flawed. It would have given the government warrantless access to Canadians' financial data and unchecked powers to manipulate platforms. It would even have allowed Canada Post to open private letters without a warrant. All of this was proposed without consulting the Privacy Commissioner, of all people. Conservatives and Canadians said it was enough, so our Liberal friends backed down.

Now we have Bill C-12. It is more focused, yes, but it still misses the mark, especially when it comes to public safety, border integrity, and fentanyl and meth trafficking.

Windsor is Canada's busiest border crossing, handling over half a billion dollars in trade every single day, yet our frontline agencies there are stretched thin, underfunded, understaffed and overwhelmed. When President Trump raised concerns earlier this year about the northern border, Ottawa scrambled. The government spent $5.3 million leasing Black Hawk helicopters and flew 68 patrol missions in just six weeks. That program has ended, by the way. The RCMP called it rapid response capability, but only one interdiction came out of all that effort. That is not enforcement; it is border security theatre.

Senator Sandra Pupatello, who hails from Windsor, recently raised the alarm about illegal crossings by kayaks and motorboats in southwestern Ontario. She is absolutely right that if it floats, it can be used to smuggle guns, meth, fentanyl and cash. It is all moving across the river, yet the federal government continues to ignore the voices of those on the ground who are sounding the alarm.

Canada's failure to act has had consequences far beyond our borders. After an investigation done by W5, a report aired this past week. According to W5, a young man named Aiden Sagala died in New Zealand in 2023, after unknowingly drinking liquid meth disguised as beer, which was exported from right here in Canada. He was just 21 years old. Authorities in New Zealand seized 29,000 cans shipped from Toronto. Did we do anything about it? Sadly, no. There were no charges, no suspects and no answers. The RCMP has remained silent. That is not just negligence; it is a public safety failure.

Since 2016, 49,000 Canadians have died from opioid overdoses, and I have been to a few funerals myself. Seventy-nine per cent of those deaths involved fentanyl, yet Bill C-12 does not include mandatory minimum sentences for fentanyl or meth traffickers or for gang members using firearms. That is not progress. That is abdication of the government's responsibility to Canadian citizens.

In British Columbia, labs are producing kilograms of fentanyl every week. These criminals are profiting from addiction and misery. Canada has become a low-risk, high-reward destination for traffickers, and not just for drugs. We have also become a haven for money laundering, with billions flowing through shell companies, real estate and even casinos. TD got fined last year by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for these kinds of activities. This is not just a health crisis but a national security emergency.

Our bail system is broken. Known traffickers and repeat violent offenders are walking free, sometimes the very same day they are arrested. In Windsor and across Ontario, auto theft is up 167%, extortion is up 350%, and firearms violence is up 97%. Roughly 90% of the guns that are used in crimes are smuggled across our borders. There are no answers to that either. What is not up, one might ask? Resources, helicopter patrol hours, Coast Guard funding and border surveillance equipment are not up. We are asking our officers to do more with less while criminals operate with complete impunity.

Windsor is not just the front line of Canada's economy; it is now the front line of the drug crisis and the fight to secure our borders. If the government cannot track lethal drugs hidden in beverage cans that are exported overseas where innocent people are dying, how can we trust it to protect our own communities?

We are not just risking lives; we are also risking our relationship with other nations, and our reputation as a reliable security partner is also being questioned. The question we need to ask ourselves is this: What message are we sending to our allies, our citizens and the brave officers who are out there? Whether they are from CBSA, the RCMP or municipal or provincial police services, what are they expecting of us, and how are we helping them to stay safe?

Conservatives support sending the bill to committee. There are elements worth exploring, but we will be pushing for serious amendments to ensure that law-abiding Canadians are protected, criminals are held accountable and border communities like Windsor are no longer left behind. Canada's border is not just a line on the map; it is a front line in crisis, and it is time we started treating it that way, with urgency, investment and real leadership.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 5:20 p.m.

Winnipeg North Manitoba

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, I can say that real leadership does not come from a Conservative leader who insults the RCMP as an institution. That is despicable, yet we still have not heard him apologize to Canadians for making what I would classify as a stupid statement.

Having said that, my question for the member is with respect to fentanyl. Conservatives talk about wanting the government to do more on the fentanyl issue, yet when it brought in a mechanism to deal with fentanyl being distributed through the mail, they jumped up and down and said we could not do it that way. I wonder why, when we actually take an action to deal with something, it is the natural disposition of the Conservatives to oppose the government no matter what. That is what it seems at times.

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October 21st, 2025 / 5:25 p.m.

Conservative

Harb Gill Conservative Windsor West, ON

Mr. Speaker, the answer is very simple. If it is done legally, done properly, done sensibly and done with common sense, we will support it. Anything less we will not support.

We are not here to trample on the rights of Canadian people; we are here to stand up for them and fight for them.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 5:25 p.m.

Conservative

Jacob Mantle Conservative York—Durham, ON

Mr. Speaker, there is one thing I would like to get the member's opinion on. Members on the opposite side in the last couple of years both attended defund the police rallies and specifically called to defund the police.

I wonder how the member, as a former law enforcement officer, feels about the calls from that side of the aisle to defund his colleagues in the police force.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 5:25 p.m.

Conservative

Harb Gill Conservative Windsor West, ON

Mr. Speaker, whenever that happens, it is always deeply troubling, because members of law enforcement, whether with the CBSA or police agencies, no matter where they serve, serve with integrity. They have values they follow. They sacrifice. They miss birthdays and weddings so all of us stay safe. They miss Christmases and Thanksgivings with their family. When they see or hear these sorts of things, such as “defund the police”, it truly is tragic that this is the value somebody has placed on their work.

It is deeply offensive. It was offensive to me when I was a police officer and still is today that the sacrifice is not acknowledged. We add value to the lives of our citizens by protecting them and by serving them. However, the reward we get in turn is to hear that we should be defunded.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 5:25 p.m.

Liberal

Doug Eyolfson Liberal Winnipeg West, MB

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member still has not answered the question.

I agree that police officers miss family birthdays and Christmases, and they risk their life. I was raised by an RCMP officer, and I know this. Why have not any members on the other side of the House stood up against their leader's disgraceful statements disparaging the RCMP?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 5:25 p.m.

Conservative

Harb Gill Conservative Windsor West, ON

Mr. Speaker, that is pretty rich coming from these folks. These kinds of statements are sowing division, not unity. The challenge we have is whether or not we are going to be united.

With respect to these sorts of matters, we have to follow the evidence. If the evidence is there, let it be, but the evidence has to be explored and dealt with properly. If a statement is made by any member of the House, it has to be reviewed and looked at properly in the sense of whether that statement was made with any basis.

I believe the leader when he says there are issues with those investigations. I know for a fact that there were. If members want to have a committee hearing, I would be happy to endorse that. However, just scolding someone or alleging that they did something wrong or insulted somebody is absolutely facetious and does not help the conversation.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 5:25 p.m.

The Assistant Deputy Speaker John Nater

The hon. member for Winnipeg North is rising on a point of order.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 5:25 p.m.

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB

Mr. Speaker, the member was requesting some information, and I would be happy to table a document with unanimous consent—

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 5:25 p.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh!

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 5:25 p.m.

The Assistant Deputy Speaker John Nater

Order. We are quickly delving into debate.

I will give the member for Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes 10 seconds to ask a very brief question.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 5:25 p.m.

Conservative

Jamie Schmale Conservative Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes, ON

Mr. Speaker, I want to address the faux outrage and pearl-clutching on the other side. For 10 years, we have listened to the government chew on the RCMP. Here is a headline quoting the public safety minister: “RCMP racism is ‘intolerable’”. The former prime minister called the RCMP a racist organization—

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 5:25 p.m.

The Assistant Deputy Speaker John Nater

Order. I have to give the member 10 seconds to respond.

The member for Windsor West.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 21st, 2025 / 5:25 p.m.

Conservative

Harb Gill Conservative Windsor West, ON

Mr. Speaker, I could not agree more. There is a lot of fake outrage with no substance to it.

The House resumed from October 21 consideration of the motion that Bill C-12, 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, be read the second time and referred to a committee.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 3:35 p.m.

Liberal

Ron McKinnon Liberal Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam, BC

Mr. Speaker, I would like to acknowledge that we are gathered today on the traditional and unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe people.

I rise today to speak about how the legislative amendments proposed in Bill C-12 would continue to uphold our humanitarian tradition and due process while focusing resources on those who need them and improving confidence in our asylum system. These amendments would strengthen and streamline Canada's asylum and immigration systems. They include new rules related not only to whose asylum claim can be referred to the Immigration and Refugee Board for a decision, but also how claims are received, processed and decided.

Under the legislation, the federal government would no longer refer claims to the Immigration and Refugee Board for an asylum claim decision for claims made more than one year after someone first arrives, after June 24, 2020, or claims made 14 or more days after someone enters Canada irregularly between border crossings. The amendments are designed to help protect our system against surges in claims, as well as people who want to use the asylum system to extend their stay in Canada when other mechanisms fail.

They are not designed to turn away people with well-founded fear for their safety should they be returned to their home countries. In these instances, claims would be referred to the removal process, which includes the ability to seek a pre-removal risk assessment. Individuals can request this risk assessment when they believe they have a well-founded fear of removal to a situation where they would face persecution, torture or other grievous harm, for example. This safeguard gives us confidence that reforms to our asylum system do not undermine our commitment to protecting the world's most vulnerable people.

The risk assessment upholds Canada's obligations under international human rights and refugee conventions. It is a well-established mechanism that operates within a larger system today, providing an opportunity for those facing removal to demonstrate that they would be at risk of persecution or harm should they be removed. A risk assessment request might highlight information such as conditions in their home country or personal circumstances that make their return unsafe. These could be, for example, political and economic upheaval, armed conflict or shifting social dynamics in a country. Similarly, personal circumstances, such as visibility in activism or family dynamics, can heighten the risk of harm should they return. The risk assessment ensures that these factors are thoroughly reviewed before any removal order is carried out. It is conducted by trained officers who carefully evaluate the credibility and significance of the evidence presented. This is a rigorous process rooted in a deep understanding of risk and refugee law. The importance of having such a process cannot be overstated. Without it, we would lack a critical safety net, and there would be risk of irreversible harm to individuals.

Canada's pre-removal risk assessment process gives people a fair opportunity to submit evidence while ensuring that each case is deliberated with the seriousness that it deserves. The process is supported by a wealth of detailed data on country conditions and officers trained to evaluate risk with a high degree of expertise and sensitivity to individual circumstances. This underscores the importance of the pre-removal risk assessment process in maintaining Canada's strong history of refugee protection.

The pre-removal risk assessment process also ensures that legislative changes made to our asylum system do not inadvertently expose individuals to harm. It acts as a backstop, allowing policy-makers to modernize and strengthen various aspects of our immigration framework while knowing that there is a fail-safe in place. Whether we are streamlining initial asylum decisions, addressing backlogs or modernizing pathways to protection, the pre-removal risk assessment remains an essential safeguard that gives us the confidence to innovate responsibly.

It is important to recognize that the risk assessment is not a tool for delaying lawful removals. Instead, it is about making sure that each person's case is reviewed against the most current information and circumstances so that there is a full consideration of the risks they face and no one is sent into harm's way.

This House has the important responsibility of ensuring that Canada's immigration and asylum systems reflect our values of compassion and fairness, while also meeting the needs of an evolving global context and addressing the pressures facing Canadians today. The pre-removal risk assessment process embodies this balance. It reassures Canadians that while we are taking urgent, necessary steps to strengthen our immigration system, we do so without compromising our commitment to protecting human life and dignity.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 3:40 p.m.

Winnipeg North Manitoba

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Madam Speaker, I appreciate the comments my colleague and friend has put on the record in regard to Bill C-12.

One of the issues I raised yesterday is the way in which the Prime Minister or the government as a whole is dealing with the issue of securing our borders; it is a lot more than just bringing forward legislation. We have witnessed the government materialize, in terms of budgetary purposes, and allocate an additional 1,000 border control agents. When we take a holistic approach in terms of what the Prime Minister said in the last election about securing Canada's borders, and we are now talking about legislation that is going to do just that, and complement it with the idea of adding 1,000 border control officers, I believe that is a very strong commitment fulfilled by the Prime Minister and the Liberal government.

Can the member provide his thoughts on why it was important that we maintain this campaign commitment?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 3:40 p.m.

Liberal

Ron McKinnon Liberal Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam, BC

Madam Speaker, I agree 100% with the thrust of the member's question. Having robust borders and robust processes around our borders ensures that our systems perform correctly, so that the people who need to be here are able to be here, the people who need to be removed are removed, and they are removed in a very effective and just manner.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 3:40 p.m.

NDP

Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC

Madam Speaker, the member spoke about the pre-removal risk assessment process as though somehow that is a fair, due process for asylum seekers. Does the member realize that it actually lacks procedural protections, such as the right to oral hearings, the right to appeal and the right to have a decision made by an independent body? Does he not view those important measures as central for an asylum seeker and to ensure that Canada's asylum process is, indeed, independent, as opposed to one where decisions are made by the government's department?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 3:40 p.m.

Liberal

Ron McKinnon Liberal Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam, BC

Madam Speaker, I agree with the hon. member that the process is important and that we do have to make sure the appropriate checks and balances are in place and people can get their story properly before the decision-makers. I believe that is the thrust of what the advance risk assessment process is about, to make sure that we put in that additional process and put in the additional checks and balances to make sure that the decisions coming forward are in the best interest of the country and of the individuals involved.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 3:40 p.m.

NDP

Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC

Madam Speaker, perhaps the member should read the bill, Bill C-12. In fact, Bill C-12 takes away those procedural protections. It only relies on the pre-removal risk assessments because a host of people would be stripped of their right to go before the Immigration and Refugee Board to make their application. That is exactly the concern that I have.

If the government were to ensure that people's rights are protected and procedural rights are intact, then what the government has to do is withdraw this bill and ensure that the current system of the IRB review process for asylum seekers' applications is kept in place.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 3:45 p.m.

Liberal

Ron McKinnon Liberal Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam, BC

Madam Speaker, once again, I thank the member for her concerns. They are important things to consider and to be wary of, but I would also rely on the committee to undertake a very strong study of this matter and come forward with appropriate recommendations and, of course, its deliberations.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 3:45 p.m.

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB

Madam Speaker, we know asylum has been an issue previously, such as in 2010 and 2011, when there were large numbers that required an adjustment to the system, and we had to make changes to the asylum system. What we have witnessed, whether it is through the pandemic or the international students issue, is that there is a need for change to be made. Bill C-12 would do just that, and I am wondering if the member could provide his thoughts on that, because at times we need to modernize and make changes to retain integrity in the system.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 3:45 p.m.

Liberal

Ron McKinnon Liberal Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam, BC

Madam Speaker, yes, it is indeed time to modernize. The world is a very precarious place these days; it is very volatile, and there are many people around the world who are in danger and want to come to Canada. We want to make sure we provide a safe haven, but we need to provide the appropriate checks and balances to do so.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 3:45 p.m.

NDP

Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC

Madam Speaker, I rise to speak today in strong opposition to Bill C-12, the so-called border security and immigration act.

Let us be clear: The bill is not a new approach. It is a repackaging, a political sleight of hand. Bill C-12 is simply Bill C-2 with a fresh coat of paint. It would not fix the fundamental problems of its predecessor. It doubles down on the same anti-migrant, anti-refugee agenda that civil society, legal experts and human rights advocates have already rejected in overwhelming numbers. More than 300 civil society organizations, from the Canadian Civil Liberties Association to the United Church of Canada, have called for the full withdrawal of both bills.

The organizations are right, because Bill C-12 would maintain the sweeping new powers in Bill C-2 related to refugee asylum seekers, whereby the minister and cabinet, at the expense of transparency, fairness and human rights, could engage in a host of actions and would be given a host of authorities.

Let us talk about some of the most egregious elements of the bill and what it would actually do. Bill C-12 would give cabinet the authority to suspend or terminate immigration applications and cancel visas, work permits or permanent resident documents whenever it is deemed to be “in the public interest”.

However, there is no definition of “public interest”, none; there are no guidelines, no guardrails, no requirements for evidence and no judicial oversight. The government could use this clause to shut down entire classes of immigration overnight.

As reported by the CBC, for people who apply under the humanitarian compassionate stream, the processing time right now is up to 600 months. That is 50 years. For caregivers, it is nine years; for the agri-food stream, it is 19 years. For entrepreneurs, it is 35 years. This is unheard of. By the way, all this came out of the minister's transition binder.

The fear is that the government will just cancel applications en masse. That is what Bill C-12 would allow the government to do. It is stoking fear. If the government wants to say that Canada wants to shut its door to asylum seekers, then it should just say that instead of doing this under the pretense that somehow this is just and fair and respects procedural fairness.

This is not good governance. It is not just the actions that the government might take with this kind of power that we should be concerned about. It would be giving that power to future governments as well.

The bill also allows the government to block refugee hearings, to impose retroactive one-year bars on asylum claims and to strip people of their status en masse. These are powers that echo some of the most extreme anti-migrant policies we have seen south of the border.

The Prime Minister likes to claim that this is about modernization and efficiency. It is not. It is peddling a racist, discriminatory narrative with Trump leading the charge.

The bill would directly harm refugees and vulnerable migrants, people fleeing war, persecution and violence. Frankly, it is un-Canadian. Let us remember that Canada once prided itself on being a refuge for those in need. Bill C-12 sends the opposite message. It says, “If you didn’t file your paperwork within a year, we don’t want to hear your case.”

We can imagine a woman fleeing gender-based violence, arriving in Canada with nothing, struggling with trauma, with no access to legal support, just trying to survive, and then being told she is too late to seek safety. As Women’s Shelters Canada and LEAF have pointed out, arbitrary timelines such as these deny survivors the ability to seek protection when they need it most.

We should be upholding the rule of law, not concentrating power in cabinet. Bill C-12 represents a dangerous step backward. It undermines our international obligations, our charter values and our reputation as a country that welcomes those in need. The NDP stands with the hundreds of organizations across this country, civil liberties advocates, refugee lawyers, women’s groups and faith communities who are united in saying that we should withdraw Bill C-12 and Bill C-2.

How can the government put forward legislation that will knowingly endanger survivors of violence or those being persecuted for who they love? Sixty-four countries criminalize homosexuality. That is not all. Under the U.S. administration, Trump's executive orders threaten the rights, the health care and the existence of transgender people. More and more, actually, my office has heard from people who are living in fear in the United States.

Bill C-12 is also a blow to civil liberties. It authorizes unprecedented information sharing across departments without proper safeguards. It empowers border agents to access private facilities and detain goods for export. It expands the Coast Guard’s role into intelligence collection and surveillance.

Even though the government removed some of the most intrusive measures from Bill C-2, such as the warrantless access to Canadians' private data, the spirit of the bill remains the same: centralization of power and erosion of rights. The International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group has warned that the bill “fast tracks...the most egregious aspects” of its predecessor. It would not fix the problems; it would accelerate them.

Let us not kid ourselves: Bill C-12 exists because Bill C-2 became too toxic to pass. Rather than listening to the hundreds of organizations demanding its withdrawal, the government chose to split the bill into two, hoping Canadians would not notice. However, we do notice. We notice that these measures come at a time when asylum claims have dropped by 34% and when the average number of daily refugee claims has plummeted from 165 to 12.

What is the crisis, exactly, that the government is responding to? This is not about border security; it is about politics. It is about appeasing a Trump-style, anti-immigrant, anti-migrant narrative that is creeping into our political discourse. There is a dangerous pattern emerging under the current government, an obsession with centralizing authority and sidestepping accountability. It is carrying out the Conservatives' agenda but with a new Liberal leader dressed in red. Bill C-12 would expand cabinet's ability to rule by order. It would give ministers unilateral power to cancel applications, suspend rights and make regulations without parliamentary oversight. This is not the Canadian way. Our immigration and refugee system should be based on clear laws, fair processes and independent decision-making, not on who happens to sit in cabinet.

Let us recognize who would bear the brunt of these policies: women fleeing violence, LGBTQ2+ refugees seeking safety, migrant workers exploited in precarious jobs and indigenous people in border communities, who already face racial profiling. Bill C-12 would deepen these inequalities instead of addressing them.

Let us make sure we do this right. When we talk about immigration, we are talking about people: families, workers and children who come here seeking safety and a better life. We should be strengthening our refugee system and not weakening it. The Liberals put women and girls at risk of being deported back into danger. The one-year bar is a copycat of the U.S. refugee determination system. Get this: In the U.S., the one-year timeline starts at their most recent entry into the United States. Canada's proposal is actually worse; it starts at the beginning, the first time they visit Canada. This means that if someone visited Canada some years ago as a child and they are now being persecuted, they will not be able to apply for asylum here in Canada, and that is wrong.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 3:55 p.m.

Winnipeg North Manitoba

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Madam Speaker, we see the extremes. We have the leader of the Conservative Party, who, in essence, wants everyone to leave. Then we have the NDP members. I do not think they fully understand what the situation or the reality is on the ground level. I really and truly believe that.

The New Democrats try to give a false impression that there is no need for us to modify or make changes to the system of asylum. I do not understand it. I deal with immigration virtually every day. Every Saturday, I talk with people who want to come to Canada. I do not understand where the member is getting her numbers from, to try to give the false impression that there is nothing wrong with the system.

We have a Prime Minister and a government that recognize that we have a very serious situation. We need to stabilize the whole asylum area and stabilize immigration in general. It is good for the Canadian economy for us to do that. Bill C-12 would, in good part, do that. I do not understand why the NDP does not support the legislation.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 3:55 p.m.

NDP

Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC

Madam Speaker, the numbers actually come from the minister's transitional binder. I would advise the member to read the bill. The bill is egregious in its violation of rights. There has been plenty wrong, with the Liberals at the helm for the last 10 years, in Canada's immigration system. I can go on for days about that. However, stripping people of their rights or putting women who face gender violence in danger is not the right way to go. Putting the lives of LGBTQ2 members in danger is not the way to go. Stripping refugees of their right to due process is not the way to go. In fact, I tabled a private member's bill calling for an immigration ombudsperson. That is what we should do to ensure that we do this fairly and properly and not just give carte blanche power to a government.

By the way, the Liberals, although dressed in red, are acting just like the Conservatives.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 3:55 p.m.

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB

Madam Speaker, I guess, if we are throwing insults, she is behaving like a Communist. They are so far to the left.

Does the member understand that we have a 7% factor to a 5% factor in terms of temporary permits? Does she believe that Canada should be moving toward that 5%? The Prime Minister and the government do believe that we should be leaning toward 5% on temporary permits.

Does she support that? Does she support the government trying to address the asylum issue? There is an issue there. Does she believe we should address it, or should we just sit back, close our eyes and put our heads in the sand?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 3:55 p.m.

NDP

Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC

Madam Speaker, let me put this on the record for all members to hear very clearly. My mother passed away on October 4. She left China, a Communist regime that attacked her and her family. They fled to Hong Kong and eventually moved to Canada, where we established ourselves. I am not a Communist. Let us be clear about that. I am actually being persecuted right now by the Chinese government under the foreign interference act. They are targeting me as an evergreen target.

Let us be clear. I am not Communist, but I stand for equality, justice and what Canada has always been in my eyes, which is standing up for people and protecting them. That is what the refugee system has been, and bit by bit, the Liberal government, under Bill C-2 and now under Bill C-12, is eroding that.

I want refugee and asylum claimants to have access to due process under the IRB. Yes, there needs to be reform, but not this way.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 4 p.m.

The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Alexandra Mendès) Alexandra Mendes

Let me first offer my condolences to the hon. member.

Continuing with questions and comments, the hon. member for Waterloo has the floor.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 4 p.m.

Liberal

Bardish Chagger Liberal Waterloo, ON

Madam Speaker, I also want to offer my sincere condolences on the passing of the member's mother.

I do believe it is important, when we are having debates on such important topics, that we get to hear what can make legislation better. We are at second reading. The legislation will go to committee. I think that was a little of a reaction to the comments made by the member suggesting that wearing a certain colour makes someone of a certain party and whatever the case may be.

Right now, this is an important bill. We do need to try to get it right. Canadians are asking for it. We had an election. Canadians sent us, in our respective roles, in this chamber. The NDP knows that they did not even receive party status, but they do have an important role to play here. I know that I have constituents who also recognize their important work.

I would ask the member, does she see the value in this legislation? Could it be improved at committee? Does she have some feedback that she would like the government to hear so that we can try to get it right to serve Canadians in the way we all have a desire to do?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 4 p.m.

NDP

Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC

Madam Speaker, let me say this: Over 300 civil organizations are against the bill and are calling for the government to withdraw it.

My question is this: Why should a person's claim be ineligible simply because they visited Canada sometime in the past?

This is more of an attempt of the government to try to hollow out Canada's refugee determination system, the IRB, by pre-emptively stopping people from even applying or making an application. Perhaps that is the goal of the government, after all, to move Canada's system to where almost no one will be heard by the IRB.

Canada can do better, and we must do better. The NDP do not support the approach the government has adopted. We have lots of suggestions of how the government can do better. Let us engage in proper consultation and scrap this bill. I will be at the table with the government to work with it to bring better legislation forward to enhance and support our immigration system.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 4 p.m.

Conservative

Billy Morin Conservative Edmonton Northwest, AB

Madam Speaker, it is always an honour to rise and speak in the House. I rise to speak to Bill C-12. I would like to remind the House that it was Conservatives who forced the Liberals to back down on Bill C-2, which would violate Canadians' individual freedoms and privacy. The Privacy Commissioner confirmed that the Liberals did not even consult with him when trying to grant themselves sweeping new powers to access Canadians' personal information from service providers, such as banks and telecoms, without a warrant. Law-abiding Canadians should not lose their liberty to pay for the failures of the Liberals on borders and immigration.

Now the Liberals have introduced Bill C-12. Conservatives will examine this bill thoroughly to ensure that the Liberals do not try to sneak in measures that breech law-abiding Canadians' privacy rights.

Canadians are generous and welcoming. We believe immigration should be fair, compassionate and firmly grounded in the rule of law. After years of drift, this bill is a chance to restore integrity at our borders, disrupt transnational crime and reduce the flow of the deadly synthetic drugs that are devastating families across the country.

However, security is not just a line on the map. It is reducing the number of ineligible or bad faith immigration applications so we can better fill vacant health care roles in urban, rural and indigenous communities with qualified health professionals, including medical radiation technologists, rural doctors and nurses. It means making sure that the many families in Edmonton Northwest, who have waited months or years for IRCC to process applications, have certainty about whether their loved ones or caregivers can come and stay in Canada. It is also about welcoming people who are ready to invest their time and resources to help grow Canada’s economy.

Security is built on trust and respect among neighbours, including indigenous partners on the Canadian border. It is today’s newcomers learning Canada’s story, joining the work of reconciliation and building strong communities. Bill C-12 can help us do all this if we get it right.

What does Bill C-12 do in a positive light? There are some things that we agree with. The Liberals have taken steps to strengthen some of the previous iterations of Bill C-2. First, it enables CBSA to access and examine goods upstream, in warehouses and transportation hubs, not just at the last gate. Officers will be able to find contraband hidden deep in supply chains. Second, it accelerates listing the precursor chemicals used to make fentanyl and other street drugs. Third, it improves information sharing among federal agencies, and affirms a coastal security role for the Canadian Coast Guard. This is critical across our vast shorelines and in the Arctic. Fourth, it clamps down on access to financial services by criminal networks that harm our communities. Finally, it helps to address the ongoing epidemic of crimes against indigenous women and girls by enabling information about sex offenders to be shared with indigenous police services.

Conservatives support many of these principles and aims because Canadians expect compassion, safety and accountability.

The toxic drug crisis demands urgency. Drug-related death and illness is a daily, unwelcome part of indigenous realities both on and off reserve and in our cities, where many indigenous people have chosen to live. This has had a devastating effect on current and future generations of indigenous people.

In Alberta, the toxic drug crisis is hitting indigenous people far harder than the general population, both on reserve and in cities. Despite first nations people being 3% to 4% of Alberta’s population, we accounted for 20% of opioid poisoning deaths between 2016 and 2022, and death rates have been reported at five to nine times higher than those of non-indigenous Albertans. When I was last chief, the ISC regional director reported the life expectancy for indigenous men in Alberta to be 58 years old, a nearly 20-year difference between Canadians.

The urban impact is acute. From January to May 2025, Alberta saw a sharp rise in deaths involving carfentanil, with 68% of opioid fatalities province-wide and 78% in Edmonton involving carfentanil. The most toxic supply is concentrated in major centres where many indigenous people live, work and seek services. Organized trafficking networks exploit remote communities and urban corridors, causing loss of life every day.

The losses compound intergenerational trauma, housing and economic insecurity, and barriers to culturally safe care, ultimately the resources and capacity for nations to build self-sufficiency. Nationally, more than 53,000 apparent opioid deaths have been recorded since 2016, with B.C., Alberta and Ontario bearing most of the burden, regions with large indigenous populations both on and off reserve and in urban neighbourhoods.

The reasons are complex. They include racism in system of care, housing insecurity, unsupplied policing services, a poisoned drug supply and many more things. However, one part is clear: organized crime and transnational crime networks are flooding us with deadly products.

Bill C-12 could help to improve collaboration with indigenous police forces, such as the Blood Tribe Police Service’s drug task force, which conducts drug-trafficking investigations and seizures with the RCMP crime reduction unit near the U.S. border. It could also help other indigenous police forces follow the lead set by Akwesasne Mohawk Police, which deals with human trafficking and other smuggling across its internal borders between New York, Quebec and Ontario. There are also opportunities to collaborate among first nations, CBSA, RCMP and the Coast Guard to build capacity, share crime data, and enforce Canada’s laws and first nation laws on land and water.

Bill C-12 could also help to disrupt human trafficking networks and prevent crimes against indigenous women and girls. RCMP-related agencies would be able to better track and share information about registered sex offenders with law enforcement partners, indigenous governments and U.S. partners, as well as facilitate disclosure of offender travel data. Strong cross-border and inter-agency sharing can help track high-risk offenders who move between jurisdictions that intersect with indigenous communities on and off reserve.

I would like to acknowledge the Tsuut’ina Nation Police Service, which has worked with U.S. police forces. Doing this work is a real example of the leadership indigenous communities can show with their police forces this past year.

I ask the government to go beyond symbolic gestures using the tools provided in Bill C-12. After the Auditor General’s scathing reports about the government’s chronic failure to meet its fiduciary obligations to indigenous peoples, here is an opportunity to improve safety through collaboration and reconciliation.

In conclusion, security and reconciliation are not opposites They reinforce each other when we walk together and grow trust. We must work with indigenous leaders on safeguards, such as clear limits on secondary use of data, strengthening community relationships and cultural safety, and indigenous-led measures, so the expanded powers do not encourage racial profiling or erode trust. Bill C-12 gives tools to make Canada safer if we work together with other communities, rural communities, rural Canadians and indigenous communities near our borders, our cities and beyond.

I encourage my colleagues to work in committee to amend this bill to better defend our borders and deepen our bonds through trust and security. Even with the Liberals' second attempt at such a bill, it still fails to address things such as bail reform. Catch and release is alive and well for those who traffic in fentanyl and firearms, as well as those who are using our porous border to victimize Canadians. Sentencing provisions have not been included as much as they should be. There are still no mandatory prison times for fentanyl traffickers. There are still no new mandatory prison times for gangsters who use guns to commit crimes, despite the Liberals' campaign against legal gun owners. House arrest is still permissible for some of the most serious offences.

Liberals continue to push for safe consumption sites near schools. At the health committee, my hon. colleague, the member for Riding Mountain, called on the Liberals to shut down fentanyl consumption sites next to children. This is a common-sense measure. However, the Liberal minister refused to rule out approving more consumption sites next to schools and day cares, despite acknowledging they are repositories for rampant fentanyl usage.

Only Conservatives will continue standing up for Canadians' individual rights and privacy, and hold the Liberals to account on the safety that is needed to protect Canadians.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 4:10 p.m.

Liberal

John-Paul Danko Liberal Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas, ON

Madam Speaker, it is really encouraging to see collaboration in the House, where we can hash something out at committee and come to a level of agreement for the best interest of all Canadians. In particular, I appreciate the member's highlighting the impacts of the opioid crisis on indigenous communities, and I would suggest some of those impacts are very similar for urban indigenous populations across Canada, including Hamilton, with subsequent issues, such as homelessness.

I am hoping, as we will very soon be tabling bail reform and strengthening sentencing legislation in the House, we will see a similar level of collaboration among all parties.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 4:10 p.m.

Conservative

Billy Morin Conservative Edmonton Northwest, AB

Madam Speaker, I agree that bail reform, as mentioned, and being tougher on crime are needed, but collaboration is needed from Canadians from province to province; from different agencies, like the CBSA, the RCMP and provincial police forces; and from indigenous communities, urban and rural alike. I also think the Liberals need to look at their promises.

We put forward solutions on this side of the House, and they denied our solutions when it came to three-strikes laws and putting criminals away. I think this country needs to be a little more black and white. Tough love is still love in our communities, and I think the country needs to look itself in the mirror so that promises to keep Canadians safe can be kept.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 4:10 p.m.

Bloc

Patrick Bonin Bloc Repentigny, QC

Madam Speaker, I would like to know what my hon. colleague thinks of the government's recent announcement that it plans to hire 1,000 additional Canada Border Services Agency officers.

According to the union, there is a shortage of 2,000 to 3,000 officers. Is my colleague satisfied with this announcement about hiring 1,000 additional officers? Does he think CBSA should aim more towards what the unions are calling for, which is 2,000 to 3,000 additional officers?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 4:15 p.m.

Conservative

Billy Morin Conservative Edmonton Northwest, AB

Madam Speaker, I certainly agree that our police forces, whether they are the CBSA, the RCMP, provincial police forces or indigenous police forces, deserve that investment and recognition, but I do not get my hopes too high, to be honest. This announcement has been made a number of times over the last number of months, and not one officer has been hired.

I agree this is the way to go forward, but making announcements on spending money is not going to solve this. We just saw a scathing report on indigenous policing. In our communities, $13 million has gone unspent. Money that went to the RCMP did not flow down for hiring officers, so I do not get my hopes high when these simple rhetoric-type announcements are made.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 4:15 p.m.

Conservative

Brad Vis Conservative Mission—Matsqui—Abbotsford, BC

Madam Speaker, what has become clear during our debate on Bill C-12 over the last number of days is that the measures in this bill respond to long-standing grievances outlined by the Conservatives, mainly on immigration and the open-door policies that Canada suffered under Justin Trudeau.

With some of the provisions in this bill, we hope to see some improvements in public confidence about immigration in Canada. What would the member from Alberta like to see with respect to changes to immigration policy to improve public confidence in our immigration system?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 4:15 p.m.

Conservative

Billy Morin Conservative Edmonton Northwest, AB

Madam Speaker, I will reflect on my own family. They live on a first nation in a rural community next to a large urban centre, and they have been noticing that immigration has been mismanaged by the Liberal government. They feel forgotten in the conversation on how to improve the management of immigration.

Certainly, we welcome people who come to this country who can contribute, with compassion, and who have something to offer to Canadians, and we can live in harmony, but at this time, as we talk about employment, job readiness and a worker shortage, an indigenous population has been there forever and has been underutilized. I would like to see the engagement of first nation communities so they are part of the immigration policy context.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 4:15 p.m.

Conservative

Ted Falk Conservative Provencher, MB

Madam Speaker, before I dive into my comments on Bill C-12, I want to acknowledge that I was here 11 years ago on this date, October 22, when Parliament came under attack by a lone gunman. I want to publicly thank the Parliamentary Protective Service and the RCMP for the safety they provided to all members of the House.

I also want to acknowledge that, during that same series of events, Corporal Nathan Cirillo lost his life while being part of the ceremonial guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Constable Samearn Son took a shot to the foot here in Parliament, and Constable Curtis Barrett was able to neutralize the threat. I want to acknowledge those individuals as well.

The Liberal government is asking Canadians to believe that Bill C-12 is different from Bill C-2 and is a new safeguard for the country. It is not. Behind the new title lies the same design: more intrusion, more bureaucracy and less freedom for Canadians. Conservatives will stand as the barrier between Canadians and any act that weakens their privacy or erodes their freedoms, and mistakes government control for public safety.

Bill C-12 must be fixed. When Conservatives forced the government to withdraw Bill C-2, it was more than another Liberal failure. That bill sought to give cabinet sweeping authority to collect and share potential personal data without judicial oversight. By stopping it, we reminded the government and our country that freedom in Canada is not a privilege granted by the government but a charter right, which we will not tolerate being trampled on by the Liberal government. The withdrawal of Bill C-2 proved that a determined opposition can still discipline a government that has grown careless with its authority and abuse of power.

When drafting Bill C-2, the government did not consult the Privacy Commissioner before proposing to grant itself warrant-free access to Canadians' financial and digital records. The text of Bill C-2, and now echoes of it in Bill C-12, envisioned power to retrieve information from banks and telecommunications providers as the “Minister considers necessary”. Wow. There would be no court order, no independent review and no safeguard against those kinds of abuses. A government that can reach into private accounts and call it protection is not defending citizens; it is blatant overreach. Rather than protection, it is control over them, and Canadians deserve better than governance by surveillance.

Law-abiding Canadians should not forfeit their freedoms to pay for the government's negligence at the border. Years of weak enforcement and negligent immigration management have left Canada vulnerable to the very criminal networks that the bill claims to confront. Rather than tightening entry controls, the government has turned inward, treating every citizen as a potential suspect.

Bill C-12 is not a defence of sovereignty, but an admission that the government has been unable or unwilling to control those who seek to enter illegally, so it will instead attempt to control its citizens. Until the government can provide the security and protection of our freedoms and sovereignty, Canadians will be the ones who bear the consequences of bad Liberal policies, policies they never asked for.

Years ago, Justin Trudeau said that he admired what he called the “basic dictatorship” of Communist China. Those remarks were not casual. They revealed a mindset that efficiency matters more than consent, that control is strength and that democracy is a hindrance to decisive rule. Yet again, the Liberal government is demonstrating that it still thinks like Justin Trudeau.

Bill C-12 carries the same impulse. Translated into law, it hides coercion in the language of administration. It expands government access to personal data, centralizes authority in ministerial hands and calls this intrusion public safety. The bill would empower officials to require any person to provide any information relevant to the minister's determination. These are not targeted, investigative powers; they are open-ended instruments of surveillance disguised as administration. Canadians should believe the Liberals when they say things like this. The Liberal project has been to replace accountability with administrative control, one regulation, one surveillance clause and one warrantless power at a time.

Now the government has returned with Bill C-12, revised in wording, but unchanged in purpose. Canadians have learned what that means: less privacy, more bureaucracy and another significant overreach into their lives under the banner of safety.

We will examine every line, every clause and every authority that Bill C-12 would grant. We will ensure there are no hidden regulations that would turn oversight into surveillance. We are not a passive opposition; we are now the country's safeguard in Parliament.

Canadians may have elected the Liberal government, but we will still protect them from its overreach. We will defend their right to live free from suspicion, to transact without intrusion and to remain citizens, not data points in a government database.

Bill C-12 would do nothing to correct the failures of the bail system, which releases violent offenders back into our streets. A government serious about justice would not tolerate repeat offenders moving drugs and weapons while communities bear the costs. The reality is that Canadians are living with the consequences of a system that mistakes leniency for progress.

True public safety begins with control of the border and certainty of punishment. Those who traffic fentanyl, smuggle weapons or endanger lives must face penalties appropriate to the crime and ones that will keep our citizens safe. A government that fails to enforce its own law creates conditions for chaos. A nation that cannot or will not secure its border cannot guarantee the security of its people.

On sentencing, the failures are unmistakable. Bill C-12 leaves untouched the absence of mandatory prison time for those who traffic in fentanyl, an offence that destroys Canadian families and communities every single day. It introduces no new mandatory penalties for gang members who commit crimes with illegal firearms. The government imposes restrictions on law-abiding hunters and farmers while failing to strengthen penalties for those who commit crimes with illegal firearms, which is by far the vast majority of gun-related crimes.

This inversion of justice reveals a deeper problem: the failure to connect law with consequence. Deterrence works only when punishment is certain and proportionate. Without it, every sentence becomes a suggestion and every criminal learns that Canada will forgive what it refuses to prevent.

A government that governs without moral distinction cannot preserve order. When there is virtually no distinction between crime and compliance and they are treated alike, the rule of law decays. Canadians do not ask for vengeance; they ask for accountability. They ask for a justice system that protects the innocent, restrains the violent, re-establishes moral clarity in law and provides appropriate punishments for criminals.

Even for serious violent offences, Bill C-12 would continue to permit house arrest. A criminal who has shattered lives should not complete punishment on the couch in his living room playing Xbox. The government calls this rehabilitation. In truth, it signals that consequences have been replaced by convenience.

When justice no longer imposes real cost on wrongdoing, crime becomes just another risk of the trade for those who profit from it. For those who are accountants and listening today, criminals do a cost-benefit analysis as well and have obviously determined that under the Liberal justice system, the cost is worth the potential benefit. This is so wrong.

The measure of justice is not leniency but credibility. Every time the government offers comfort to those who destroy others' lives, it destroys the authority of law and the safety of the public. If the government will not restore the proportion between crime and punishment, Parliament must.

The government's tolerance of so-called safe consumption sites near schools is a direct failure of responsibility and is abhorrent. No responsible nation permits narcotics facilities near schools and describes it as public health policy. These neighbourhoods deserve order, not policy experimentation presented as compassion by a woke government.

What the government calls harm reduction has become harm relocation, shifting the crisis from alleyways to doorsteps and from addicts to families. Leadership demands drawing lines, and the first line must always be to protect the innocent.

Canadians are watching a government that punishes the law-abiding citizen while excusing repeat offenders. It expands bureaucracy, weakens enforcement and governs through regulation instead of principle.

The Conservatives stand for something different. We stand for a nation where law protects the innocent, not the offender, where privacy belongs to the citizen, not to the government, and where power is exercised under restraint, not carelessly or impulsively. Real leadership defends the public without breaking its confidence. Real justice distinguishes guilt from innocence instead of confusing both through bureaucratic process.

Bill C-12 fails every one of those tests. It would add layers of control but no layers of accountability. It would strengthen institutions while breaking public confidence. It calls expanded surveillance “security” and judicial leniency “reform”.

As Conservatives, we will defend Canadians and ensure the government, once again, serves them rather than manages them. Canada deserves order rooted in freedom, justice grounded in truth and leadership that governs with courage instead of suspicion. That is what Conservatives will restore.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 4:25 p.m.

Liberal

Will Greaves Liberal Victoria, BC

Madam Speaker, I thank the member opposite for his comments and for expressing some sentiments we hear in communities across the country. Canadians are aware there are challenges in our cities and they have turned to the government and the leadership of the Prime Minister

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 4:25 p.m.

The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Alexandra Mendès) Alexandra Mendes

I see a member is rising on a point of order. He will not be recognized because he is not in his seat.

The hon. member for Victoria.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 4:25 p.m.

Liberal

Will Greaves Liberal Victoria, BC

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague opposite for his remarks and for expressing sentiments that many Canadians share. We have challenges in our cities that require focused attention and require policy revisions, and that is what the government is taking on board. That is exactly the set of commitments that has already been announced and will be released in legislation forthcoming this week.

Does the member agree that one of the changes being called for by stakeholders across the country to address some of these challenges has to do with reforming our bail system? This means that people who are repeat violent offenders or repeat chronic offenders will no longer be on our streets creating some of the urban disorder that is ultimately leading to some of the challenges and social disruptions that the member is concerned about.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 4:25 p.m.

Conservative

Ted Falk Conservative Provencher, MB

Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Victoria for acknowledging many of the things I said in my speech. The lack of accountability, the lack of real consequences for repeat violent offenders and doing things like putting injection sites next to schools are all creating many problems in society and in our communities.

I applaud the member for his recognition of the things I identified in my speech. Together, I hope we can move legislation forward that will protect Canadians better, while not intruding on their privacy.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 4:30 p.m.

Bloc

Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay Bloc Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot—Acton, QC

Mr. Speaker, I would like to know if my colleague agrees with us and with the customs officers' union. We all agree that there is a staffing problem. It is all well and good to say that staffing levels are going to be increased. It is time to do it. I am not minimizing the issue. There is a staffing problem; there is a staff shortage.

Does my colleague agree that Canada Border Services Agency officers should be allowed to patrol between border crossings? It is not a matter of doing the RCMP's job for them, but about bringing more operational flexibility.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 4:30 p.m.

Conservative

Ted Falk Conservative Provencher, MB

Madam Speaker, of course, we were very disappointed in the Liberal government's failure to hire the 1,000 CBSA officers that were promised and would have strengthened our security at our borders.

Would we support expanding the authority that CBSA officers have in between ports, as they only have jurisdiction within a certain perimeter around each port of entry? I think that should be looked at and considered. It is not a bad idea. We need to strengthen our borders.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 4:30 p.m.

Conservative

Cathay Wagantall Conservative Yorkton—Melville, SK

Madam Speaker, I understand that, at the health committee, one of our colleagues called on the Liberals to shut down fentanyl consumption sites next to areas with children. However, the Liberal health minister refused to rule out approving more consumption sites next to schools and day cares, despite acknowledging the fentanyl usage in the area.

I live in an area where there is a school downtown and I watch parents walk with their children in the morning out of apprehension. At 4:00 in the morning, there are cleaners out washing the streets because of the dynamics around two consumption sites in my community and near a school.

What would the member say in response to the fact that this is an issue related to families, children and safety in our communities? Police sirens and ambulances are heard night and day. People are living on the street and in the corners of retail spaces in the area where I walk to and from work.

Can the member expand more on how this is even allowed? It is incomprehensible when we think about the value of our children and families.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 4:30 p.m.

Conservative

Ted Falk Conservative Provencher, MB

Madam Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member from Saskatchewan for her observations about the damage being done by these supervised injection sites. It is reprehensible and abhorrent that some of these sites are located next to schools where children are exposed to that kind of activity. They also have to be careful that they avoid used needles and other debris and carnage from that kind of activity. I think that needs to be addressed.

I do not think there should be any supervised injection sites at all in Canada. I think we need to treat people. We need to give them hope. We need to help them out of their addiction—

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 4:30 p.m.

The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Alexandra Mendès) Alexandra Mendes

We are out of time.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 4:30 p.m.

Liberal

Bardish Chagger Liberal Waterloo, ON

Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I did not want to ruin the member's clip, but I think being accurate in this place is important. Applications are made to Health Canada, which can approve or deny them, but Health Canada does not pick the location. Conservatives should stop misleading Canadians.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 4:30 p.m.

The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Alexandra Mendès) Alexandra Mendes

That is debate.

Order. It is my duty pursuant to Standing Order 38 to inform the House that the questions to be raised tonight at the time of adjournment are as follows: the hon. member for Haldimand—Norfolk, Justice; the hon. member for Nunavut, Northern Affairs; the hon. member for Terra Nova—The Peninsulas, Oil and Gas Industry.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 4:30 p.m.

Conservative

Vincent Ho Conservative Richmond Hill South, ON

Madam Speaker, after 10 years of Liberal failure, Canadians now face a cost of living crisis, a crime crisis, a housing crisis and a border crisis, and the government has the nerve to stand up here today and pretend that Bill C-12 will strengthen Canada's immigration systems and borders.

This bill will not fix our immigration system and does not protect Canadians. It does little to stop the flow of fentanyl, guns, gangsters or illegal crossings, and most certainly does not defend the rights and freedoms of law-abiding Canadians. This bill is the second attempt at a failed Liberal bill, Bill C-2, which, of course, the Liberals did not spend much time working on over the summer.

Before we even get into Bill C-12, we have to remember how we got here. About a month ago, the Liberals tried to ram through Bill C-2, which would have given them sweeping, warrantless powers to seize Canadians' personal information from banks and telecoms. There would be no warrants, judicial oversight, transparency or respect for the charter or Canadians.

It was so abusive, invasive and offensive to our democratic tradition that the Privacy Commissioner confirmed the Liberals did not even bother to consult him. The Liberals planned a mass surveillance power grab and hoped Canadians would not notice. The Liberals got caught and Conservatives forced them to back down, go back to the drawing board and rewrite this bill.

That is the only reason we are debating Bill C-12 today, because the Liberals' first attempt was exposed as a direct assault on Canadians' privacy, freedom and basic civil liberties. Law-abiding Canadians will not be treated like criminals just because Liberals cannot control the border that they themselves have broken.

Now the Liberals are back with Bill C-12, promising that this time it is different. Conservatives scrutinize every line, every clause, every hidden catch, to ensure the Liberals are not sneaking in another assault on Canadians' rights, freedoms and civil liberties. The Liberal government has forfeited the benefit of the doubt. The Liberal government tried once to spy on Canadians without a warrant; only a fool would trust them a second time.

This bill barely touches on the number one border threat facing this country: the illegal flow of fentanyl, weapons and violent criminals across our border. It makes no mention of the badly needed bail reform to the Liberals' catch-and-release, revolving-door injustice system. It makes no reference to mandatory prison sentences when the Liberals brought house arrest to dozens of serious crimes, cracking down on fentanyl traffickers and gangs doing drive-bys in our once-safe neighbourhoods or hiring more CBSA officers, which the Liberals promised to do in their election platform.

Under the Liberal government, drug traffickers walk free on house arrest, gangsters avoid mandatory jail time and repeat violent offenders are released again and again under Liberal catch-and-release bail. None of this will stop a single fentanyl dealer or gun smuggler with real punishments and consequences.

The government actually believes that someone trafficking poison into our communities should be able to serve their sentence at home, on the couch, watching TV. Remember, the Liberals legalized hard drugs, they brought in taxpayer-funded hard drugs and flooded them into our streets and they also brought in drug consumption sites.

Conservatives believe that fentanyl traffickers and drug kingpins should be in prison and those possessing 40 milligrams or more should be treated like the mass murderers they are and should receive life imprisonment, yet this bill does absolutely nothing to change that.

The Liberals obsess over legal gun owners while doing absolutely nothing to put the gangsters behind bars. The Liberals target law-abiding hunters and farmers while letting fentanyl traffickers out on bail. It is backward and dangerous, and Canadians are paying the price.

While this border crisis spreads fentanyl into our communities, the Liberals are opening and defending drug consumption sites near schools and playgrounds.

Conservatives demanded not too long ago that the Liberals shut down overdose sites next to locations with children. What did the health minister have to say? They refused to rule out approving more drug-injection sites, even though they acknowledged that these sites are filled with rampant fentanyl use.

The Liberals will not reverse the policies that got us into this mess in the first place. The Liberals will not jail fentanyl traffickers. The Liberals will not stop illegal border flows. The Liberals will not ever protect school zones from drug consumption sites. This is not compassion; it is government-orchestrated chaos.

Let us talk about the reality that Bill C-12 pretends it would address, but would not. Canada now has three million temporary residents, over 7% of our population, and that number is going up every day. Canada now has 500,000 undocumented individuals, and that number is also going up every day. Canada has 300,000 asylum claims in the queue, and of course that is also growing every day. The result is that our housing market is collapsing, our health care is collapsing, our job market is collapsing and our communities are simply overwhelmed. The Liberals created chaos, and now they want more power, not to fix it, but to cover up the mess they made.

Let us not forget how much this border crisis is costing taxpayers. Conservatives uncovered just how badly the Liberals have mismanaged the interim federal health program. Under their Liberal government, federal health care costs for asylum claimants have exploded to $456 million per year, representing a 1,186% increase since 2016. Coverage includes benefits that many Canadians pay for out of pocket or do not receive at all, including vision care, counselling, physiotherapy, assistive devices, home care, nursing homes and pharmaceuticals.

Canadians are a compassionate people, but is it really fair for non-citizens to get health care coverage that Canadians themselves do not receive?

There has been a 376% increase in claims and a 1,100% increase in reimbursements since the Liberals took office. The Liberals spent $1.1 billion on hotels for asylum claimants and gave $1.5 billion more to provinces for refugee costs, while Canadian citizens wait in ER hallways, seniors cannot get long-term care and families cannot find a family doctor.

Canadians are compassionate, but is it really fair that non-citizens get better benefits than Canadians and law-abiding newcomers alike who have paid their taxes and paid their dues their entire lives? Only the Liberals could think that was an acceptable situation.

The Liberal Prime Minister and his Liberal MPs have created a system where Canadians wait, Canadians sacrifice, Canadians pay and everyone else gets priority. Canadians have been paying into our health care system for their entire lives. Our seniors and families all across Canada deserve to reap the rewards of their hard work by getting health care when they need it. Instead, our health care system is already overwhelmed and overcapacity, and Canadian seniors cannot get the treatment they need. It is not sustainable.

Canadians are a proud and caring people, but unvalidated asylum seekers should not be getting better benefits than Canadians do. We need immediate reform. The Liberals call that compassion, but I call it betrayal of Canadian taxpayers. This is not sustainable, it is not fair and Canadians expect more from this Liberal government.

Let us expose this bill's failures every step of the way and make sure that it works for Canadians. Conservatives will always stand up for secure borders; privacy and freedom; jail, not bail for fentanyl traffickers and violent criminals; no more drug sites next to schools; and an immigration system that is fair, sustainable and puts Canadians first. Because compassion must have limits, immigration must be lawful and sovereignty must be preserved. This country is worth fighting for. Our borders matter, our safety matters, our freedom matters, our privacy matters and Canadians matter. Conservatives will always stand up and fight for hard-working Canadians.

The Liberals continue to distract from a border crisis, a crime crisis and an immigration crisis entirely of the Liberal government's making. The bill would not fix the problem; it would not stop the flow of drugs, guns, gangs or illegal crossings that are flowing over the border at record levels. We will not let the Liberals use the bill as a back door to violate the privacy, rights and freedoms of Canadians again.

Conservatives will fight for Canadians. We will fight to restore public safety on our streets, secure our border, restore our sovereignty and put Canadians first once again.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 4:40 p.m.

Winnipeg North Manitoba

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Madam Speaker, someone saying something does not necessarily mean it is a reflection of reality. Let me give a specific example.

This member and other Conservatives have consistently been saying “injection sites” and been critical of the federal government. To be very clear, the injection sites are the provinces' responsibility, and they are the ones that ultimately give consent as to where those injection sites go. The Conservatives are saying that Ottawa should override a provincial responsibility, but they do not say that. Instead, they try to give the impression that the federal government wants injection sites by playgrounds, which is just wrong, and I find in the comments they often give in the speeches the same sort of thing. A simple statement is expressed, but when I dig into it, I find out that it is exceptionally misleading.

Why do Conservative members consistently do that?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 4:45 p.m.

Conservative

Vincent Ho Conservative Richmond Hill South, ON

Madam Speaker, this is an another example of the Liberals' trying to divide, deny and distract. Canadians are fed up. Over 50,000 Canadians have died from the opioid crisis, which is a higher death toll than from the Second World War. Liberals continue to do nothing about it.

Conservatives will lock up the fentanyl kingpins as the mass murderers that they are and keep them in prison for life, but the Liberals want to deny, deflect, divide and distract.

I have a question for the Liberal member: Will he stop the expansion of drug consumption sites next to schools, day cares and playgrounds?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 4:45 p.m.

Bloc

Mario Simard Bloc Jonquière, QC

Madam Speaker, I am inclined to offer my colleague a word of advice. It is perfectly acceptable to be critical of a bill, but one still has to keep one foot in reality.

When I heard my colleague talking about fentanyl and supervised consumption sites earlier, his comments did not in any way reflect the message that we are getting from the experts who are trying to help people struggling with addictions.

During the election campaign, we supported a supervised consumption site that presented us with a lot of scientific evidence to show that these sites are an indispensable public health tool. Furthermore, I do not think that people are taking fentanyl at these sites.

It is the same thing with firearms. No one has been able to give me an example of a hunting weapon that has been made illegal. Assault weapons have been made illegal, but hunting weapons have not. The duty of a legislator is to provide information to the public, and we have to be careful about what information we are providing.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 4:45 p.m.

Conservative

Vincent Ho Conservative Richmond Hill South, ON

Madam Speaker, I find it very rich. The member is asking for information, so let me give him some. This is from the Health Canada website. Is Health Canada also misleading? The Liberal member keeps accusing members of the House of misleading Canadians.

According to the Health Canada website, again, fentanyl and its analogues were involved in 33% of opioid-related poisoning visits to the emergency department from January to June 2024. The number of all opioid-related poisoning emergency department visits that involve fentanyl and its analogues has increased 106% since 2018, when national surveillance began. This is a real problem. It is not just killing Canadians. It is not just ripping up families. It is not just destroying communities and causing trauma for loved ones. It is also overwhelming our health care system.

Conservatives will take action. The Liberals will continue to distract, defy and deny.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 4:45 p.m.

Conservative

Frank Caputo Conservative Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola, BC

Madam Speaker, it is always a pleasure to rise on behalf of the people of Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola.

My hon. colleague was just asked a question by the member for Winnipeg North. The member intimated that nobody wants safe injection sites next to schools. I think that we can all agree with that. Where I part company with the Liberal Party is on whether we will permit safe injection sites near schools.

The problem is that under the current regime, there have been safe injection sites that are far too close to vulnerable people. Does my hon. colleague agree with this, and would he like to expand, because clearly these things are happening far too close to vulnerable populations and nothing is being done? It is not a matter of wanting it; it is a matter—

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 4:45 p.m.

The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Alexandra Mendès) Alexandra Mendes

The hon. member for Richmond Hill South has the floor.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 4:45 p.m.

Conservative

Vincent Ho Conservative Richmond Hill South, ON

Madam Speaker, when I was campaigning for the election and was knocking on doors, parents told me that they do not want their kids to be stepping on needles when they go to the park to play.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 4:45 p.m.

NDP

Leah Gazan NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB

Madam Speaker, I rise today quite disturbed and deeply disappointed that despite the widespread criticism of Bill C-2 from civil liberties groups, migrant groups, experts and human rights advocates, the Liberals are attempting to repackage pretty much the same bill under a new title, Bill C-12, which has so many of the same alarming and unacceptable abuses of international law and charter rights.

The revised border security bill would maintain a host of the government's new immigration powers introduced in Bill C-2, including the ability to limit immigration applications and cancel existing documents when the government deems it to be in the public interest, all the while pushing through huge, overreaching powers for the Prime Minister and his cabinet. I am the proud representative of Winnipeg Centre, home to 70% of refugees who move into Manitoba. They are my neighbours and my friends, and they have a right to have their human rights upheld.

The bill has raised much concern, including what experts are flagging as a detrimental impact on women and LGBTQ people.

We know what the bill is about. It is not about border security, from my perspective, but about appeasing a leader to the south who is showing us more every day that he would even have the military go after his own citizens. It is about appeasing a right-wing, authoritarian leader in the White House. We know his immigration policy includes ICE's ordering masked federal officers to go into communities and arrest people, individuals whose human rights are protected under international law.

It is funny to me to watch the member for Winnipeg North across the way smiling during my speech, when his constituency is in fact home to a vibrant and diverse immigrant population. It is a border that I am very proud to share—

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 4:50 p.m.

The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Alexandra Mendès) Alexandra Mendes

The government chief whip is rising on a point of order.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 4:50 p.m.

Liberal

Mark Gerretsen Liberal Kingston and the Islands, ON

Madam Speaker, the member for Winnipeg North and I were having a conversation, and then we overheard his name being mentioned by the member in her speech—

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 4:50 p.m.

The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Alexandra Mendès) Alexandra Mendes

It was not his name but his constituency.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 4:50 p.m.

Liberal

Mark Gerretsen Liberal Kingston and the Islands, ON

Madam Speaker, it was his constituency. The point is that the member is making an outlandishly false claim right now by suggesting that he was laughing or smiling at her in a mocking way. That simply was not the case, and she should not be engaging in that kind of activity—

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 4:50 p.m.

The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Alexandra Mendès) Alexandra Mendes

I was not actually looking, but the hon. member was making her speech and has a certain leeway in what she can say in it.

The hon. member for Winnipeg Centre has the floor.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 4:50 p.m.

NDP

Leah Gazan NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB

Madam Speaker, we know that much of what is happening in the States with attacks on immigrants and attacks on asylum seekers is primarily impacting people of colour in cities across the United States. I do not want Canada to appease the kind of racist, dogmatic, fascist behaviour that we are seeing south of the border.

Just as in the case of the unconstitutional Bill C-5, Bill C-12 would create power for cabinet to create “Orders Made in the Public Interest”. This would give the government an unchecked power to stop receiving applications for visas and for other residency permits, to suspend processing of immigration applications and to target measures against “certain foreign nationals”.

There is no definition of “public interest” in Canadian law, and no explanation in the bill, so how do we know that the Liberal cabinet, or any future cabinet, would not in fact pursue its own interests or, worse yet, the interests of the Trump administration through this unconstitutional legislation?

The bill would also be very problematic for the safety of women and girls. Several women's organizations, in fact, including Women's Shelters Canada, the Canadian Women's Foundation and the Women's Legal Education and Action Fund, stated, “Survivors of...violence are uniquely harmed by arbitrary timelines and restricted pathways in immigration, which deny survivors the ability to seek protection when they most need it. Any changes to C-2 that do not remove the immigration provisions will continue to put vulnerable women at risk.”

A broad coalition of civil liberties groups, data privacy organizations, refugee and migrant rights organizations and gender justice organizations strongly opposes the government's introduction of Bill C-12, which seeks to fast-track rather than address many aspects of Bill C-2's myriad problems. In fact, a coalition of over 300 organizations is reiterating its call for a full withdrawal of both bills. That coalition includes Amnesty International, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association, the Canadian Labour Congress, the United Church of Canada, the Migrant Rights Network and the Canadian Council for Refugees.

Tim McSorley, who is part of the International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group, indicated:

Bill C-12 does not fix Bill C-2; it fast tracks some of the most egregious aspects, while still moving forward with the rest. Our government has made it abundantly clear that they will continue to fight for every privacy-violating measure Bill C-2 still contains, and are only introducing Bill C-12 to get restrictions on migrant and refugee rights adopted sooner.

As parliamentarians, we are obliged to uphold international law, and that includes international conventions that we are signatories to, including for international human rights that grant asylum seekers the right to seek protection from prosecution. This is most notable in article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in the 1951 Refugee Convention. A core principle is non-refoulement, which means that countries are prohibited from returning refugees to a place where their life or freedom is at risk. Countries are obliged to assess asylum claims fairly and protect refugees from being sent back to danger.

I think about the number of refugees who have made Winnipeg Centre their home, whom I am proud to now have as neighbours and who fled life-and-death circumstances. We have a legal obligation to not close our borders to them.

Article 14 states, “Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.” Article 14 further notes that this right does not apply to those genuinely prosecuted for non-political crimes or acts against the UN principles.

This is a fundamental principle: the principle of non-refoulement. This fundamental principle of international law is also found in other international human rights treaties that we are signatories to. It prohibits the forced return of refugees to a country where they face a serious threat to their life or freedom. This is considered a customary international law that applies to all countries.

I felt very strongly about the NDP's position on this particular bill, a bill that would violate international law. It is a bill that, in fact, would violate the rule of law. It is a bill that would have an impact on our reputation around the world and that feeds into the racist, anti-immigrant, xenophobic tropes that we are seeing coming from the south. Let us put silence on that voice and let us be what Canada has always been, a home welcoming to all.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 5 p.m.

Conservative

Frank Caputo Conservative Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola, BC

Madam Speaker, it is always a pleasure to rise on behalf of the people of Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola. I am hoping to work together with my colleague on a private member's bill that I put forward with respect to an area of mutual interest.

It is interesting that the member spoke about immigration, because my parents, as I have spoken about many times, emigrated from Italy to Canada. Therefore, I owe everything I have to immigration. Standing on this green carpet was an immigrant's dream really, so that just caught my ear.

With respect to Bill C-12, the member talked about immigration. If she could have one amendment, sitting at the committee table, is there anything else that she sees in Bill C-12 that she would point to that must be addressed?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 5 p.m.

NDP

Leah Gazan NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB

Madam Speaker, I appreciate my colleague's very thoughtful question. I support the more than 300 civil liberties organizations that are saying we need to get rid of the bill. I am ashamed, as a member of Parliament and as a legislator, that we are being forced to vote on a bill that is in direct violation of the rule of law and is in direct violation of conventions we have signed on to. We need to listen to those recommendations and take them seriously. If the bill should be salvageable, which I do not believe it is, then we need to pretty much write a whole new bill.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 5 p.m.

Liberal

John-Paul Danko Liberal Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas, ON

Madam Speaker, I thank the member opposite for continually raising some of the very troubling issues that we are seeing from the U.S. administration south of the border. One aspect in particular is the tendency to use the justice system as retaliation against political foes. I wonder if the member opposite has any comments on the Leader of the Opposition's comments and bringing that style of U.S. justice system retaliation against political foes to Canada.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 5 p.m.

NDP

Leah Gazan NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB

Madam Speaker, certainly that is irresponsible of a leader, but the Liberals are abusing their powers as government to violate international law and give cabinet and the Prime Minister unprecedented amounts of power. With all due respect to the member across the way, he needs to clean up his own backyard in addition to commenting on others.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 5 p.m.

Bloc

Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay Bloc Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot—Acton, QC

Madam Speaker, there are fairly significant differences of opinion between the Bloc Québécois and the NDP but, on the issue of workers' rights, I think we can often find common ground.

In this particular case, a customs union has commented on the bill, saying that they have been making demands for many years yet nobody is listening to them and they are not being consulted, either on this matter or in several others, which has led to the disastrous results we are now familiar with.

Does my colleague agree that the government should listen more closely to the union representing the workers who make sure our borders are secure, day in and day out?

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 5 p.m.

NDP

Leah Gazan NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB

Madam Speaker, we are targeting the wrong people with the bill, quite frankly. When Trump accused Canada of being a key exporter of fentanyl across the border, that was a bunch of hooey.

We talk about workers, and the bill would impact migrant workers. We know that the most exploited workers are migrant workers. Migrant workers are protected under international law. The bill would violate the rights of migrant workers, refugees and asylum seekers, as well as people's civil liberties. We need to get rid of the bill and replace it with a bill that addresses the concern without attacking immigrants, refugees and migrants.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 5:05 p.m.

Conservative

Luc Berthold Conservative Mégantic—L’Érable—Lotbinière, QC

Madam Speaker, before I begin my speech, I want to take a moment to thank Divya Dey, who is participating in the parliamentary internship program and who gave me the great privilege of choosing me for her first stint with a member of the House of Commons. She is a brilliant and dynamic young woman from the Greater Toronto Area who speaks excellent French and who chose a member from a rural region in Quebec. I hope that many people from Toronto will do the same thing and follow her example in order to discover the beautiful regions of Quebec.

Today Divya helped me research and write this speech. Obviously, I added the partisan side of my speech myself because interns have to remain non-partisan during their time with us. I wanted to warn people that some of the passages are my own creation. I congratulate all the interns on their achievements and thank the organizers and sponsors of this wonderful program, which gives young Canadians the opportunity to experience first-hand the decision-making process on our beautiful Parliament Hill.

Let me get back to today's topic, namely Bill C‑12. Before going into the details of the bill, I would like to take a step back and look at the big picture of what this Liberal government has done in 10 years. Since this Prime Minister was elected, I believe that we have witnessed the largest pothole repair operation in Canadian history.

What is a pothole? After a long, hard winter, when the snow melts, we discover that our roads are full of holes. There are big ones, little ones, huge ones and potholes in the making. There are holes everywhere, especially in the municipalities. Just before summer, at the turn of spring, municipal road crews get to work filling as many holes as possible as quickly as possible to keep them from getting bigger, to prevent cars from breaking down and to ensure pedestrians do not get hurt. I have no doubt that all this is done with the best of intentions.

However, anything goes when it comes to filling holes. They act quickly. They know that what they are repairing will not really be repaired because it is just a quick fix. They will have to come back a little later. They intervene for appearances' sake, knowing full well that the repairs are cosmetic, which means that instead of being fixed, the problem will get worse year after year. The following year, they will have to come back because the hole will be a little bigger. If it is only a quick fix, they will have to come back again the year after that.

What does this have to do with Bill C‑12? Before the members opposite ask me that question, I will explain. It is very simple. It is as though we are coming out of an extremely long 10-year winter during which the Liberals dug holes everywhere. There are potholes in every department after 10 years of Liberal mismanagement. Whether we are talking about justice, immigration, passports or delays at the Canada Revenue Agency, there are potholes everywhere after the long Liberal winter.

I did not talk about the biggest pothole of all, and that is the country's finances. That is the biggest pothole of all with a deficit that has doubled and inflationary spending that has created many smaller holes in the pockets of all Canadians, who can no longer make ends meet at the end of the month. Canadians are $200 away from being in the red, from no longer being able to pay their bills at the end of the month. They are struggling and they are being forced to make tough choices at the grocery store.

Today, the Liberals would have us believe that spring is right around the corner. They have looked under the snow after 10 years in power, and what they saw was really not pretty. Their woke Liberal ideological policies have caused a great deal of damage, and Canadians will be left to pay the price for years to come.

As I said, a pothole repair operation is a superficial fix that is not used to repair holes for good, but rather to simply fill them in. After how badly Bill C-2 failed, Bill C‑12 is a superficial fix to tackle the damage caused by the Liberals over the past 10 years. By the way, this part was not written by my intern. I just want to clarify that.

Let us talk about immigration. The government made our businesses dependent on temporary foreign workers. Now, with Bill C-12, the government is going to punish the very people it made promises to when they decided to come settle here in Canada. This is not just about compassion. It is contradictory. The government made our businesses dependent on these workers and now it is trying to break that dependency without a plan, leaving businesses and workers in limbo. Most importantly, the government is forgetting that those affected are human beings with children, families and a dream, a dream of settling in Canada.

In the beginning, the temporary foreign worker program had the very specific goal of addressing temporary labour shortages. However, under the Liberals, this program grew and it became a permanent solution to problems that the government refused to address. This program was working well and meeting its objectives, but the Liberals created so much chaos and neglected the program so much that, today, people who should be able to go through the proper channels no longer have time to do so because the system is so broken.

Bill C‑12 is not fixing the problem of temporary workers. This bill would make it harder for all these people, whom we welcomed with open arms after the former prime minister sent a tweet inviting them to come to Canada. This message was heard across the country, but today, it is making many people unhappy. We have all heard about it in our riding offices. This improvised approach hurt people, it hurt families and it hurt businesses.

After a decade of the Liberals' absolutely disastrous mismanagement of the immigration system, the number of refugee claims has risen to 296,000 today. That is huge. Think about it. Ten years ago, we only had 10,000 and now, we have 296,000. At the current pace, it would take the government 25 years to process the 296,000 pending files. Let that sink in. It is absolutely unacceptable. It is a disaster. The Liberal government's attitude to immigration as a whole has created some really desperate situations that are heartbreaking for the people experiencing them.

Let us now turn our attention to crime. I will let the numbers speak for themselves. After 10 years of Liberal governance, the total number of violent crimes is up 49.84%. Homicides are up 28%. Gang-related homicides are up 78%. Sexual assaults are up 74%. Extortion is up 357%. What action did the Liberals take last winter to protect Canadians? They took no action. On the contrary, they made the situation worse by passing legislation like Bill C-5 and Bill C-75, which set criminals loose, let abusers serve their sentences at home and forced judges to let criminals go as fast as possible.

Sadly, since taking office seven months ago, this Prime Minister has done nothing to act on his promises. Bill C-12 may close a few loopholes, but it will not quiet the fears of Canadians who have never before seen their country change as much as it has in the past 10 years of this long Liberal winter.

Time is flying by. The Liberals would have us believe that spring is coming. However, they have not even started fixing the potholes, and winter already seems to be right around the corner. Never before have we seen a pothole repair be botched so badly. This Prime Minister promised to spend less, but he is spending twice as much as his predecessor. He promised to maintain the deficit, but we now know that it will be much bigger than the one predicted by Canada's most spendthrift prime minister before him. They are not repairing potholes; they are digging more and making them bigger. We were seeing the first signs of spring, but instead we are in for another storm of Liberal spending.

Just today, the Prime Minister confirmed in the House that he will run a generational deficit on November 4. They are not fooling us. Bill C‑12 will plug a few holes, but the root causes of the Liberal legacy of the past 10 years will unfortunately remain.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 5:15 p.m.

Winnipeg North Manitoba

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Madam Speaker, as members can see, the member opposite is getting excited about November 4. There will be a lot of wonderful things for Canadians in the budget. He will find that it will be a reflection of what Canadians have been telling this government for months now.

The new Prime Minister has made it very clear, whether on asylum, temporary permits or permanent residents, that we want to stabilize things. That is the goal of the government and the Prime Minister, and we are moving in the right direction with respect to that. Bill C-12 is a significant step forward. It is like in 2010-11, when asylum was a major issue and the Harper government brought in changes to the asylum system. At times, we need to make changes, whether for the pandemic or the international student issue, something that was created through the provinces, post-secondary institutions and a lot of private institutions. We have to take some responsibility on that, but it is being fixed.

I wonder if my friend could provide his thoughts with regard to the new Prime Minister and how we are stabilizing the immigration file.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 5:15 p.m.

Conservative

Luc Berthold Conservative Mégantic—L’Érable—Lotbinière, QC

Madam Speaker, is the House familiar with the concept of a pyromaniac firefighter? Essentially, it is when a person starts a fire and then sits by the phone waiting for a call to come in saying that there is a fire for them to go put out. The person causes problems and then tries to pretend to fix the problems that they themselves caused.

The Liberals say that a new Prime Minister means a new approach. They say that they now realize they created some problems but that they are going to fix everything. The trouble is that it is the same government, the same actors, the same people. In fact, the Prime Minister is the same person who advised the former prime minister to make his bad decisions.

It is six of one and half a dozen of the other. The government is like a pyromaniac firefighter with a hero complex. What it is offering are superficial fixes.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 5:15 p.m.

Bloc

Mario Simard Bloc Jonquière, QC

Madam Speaker, I agree with many of the observations my colleague raised about the Conservatives' negligence in matters of immigration. I am sorry, I meant to say “Liberals”. I quite agree with him regarding asylum seekers, and Quebec has taken in more than its share of asylum seekers without being able to benefit from the money that should have come back to us from Ottawa.

However, I would like my colleague to elaborate on temporary foreign workers. The Leader of the Opposition made some unfortunate comments about temporary foreign workers stealing the jobs of good Canadians. I do not know about my colleague, but in my riding, that was very negatively perceived because many people in the manufacturing sector, for example, need these skilled workers, who are so much more than just cheap labour. These are people with expertise who are keeping viable businesses in the regions, thereby generating considerable economic activity.

I would like to hear my colleague's thoughts on that.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 5:15 p.m.

Conservative

Luc Berthold Conservative Mégantic—L’Érable—Lotbinière, QC

Madam Speaker, I think that my colleague is still a bit confused. He mixed up the Liberals and the Conservatives, and I think his statements are still a bit muddled. As I see things, it was the Liberal government that lowered the thresholds. When they were lowered from 30 to 20 and from 20 to 10 overnight, without any warning to businesses, families or workers that this was coming, that was a Liberal decision.

I know that my colleague is eager for the Conservatives to be in power so that he can criticize them, as we saw at the start of his intervention. Right now, however, the situation we are in was caused by the Liberals' ineptitude, incompetence and negligence in matters of immigration.

I would just like to remind my colleague that he can ask the Liberals some pointed questions on this matter too. The Conservatives are not to blame for the situation we are in today.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 5:15 p.m.

Conservative

Tako Van Popta Conservative Langley Township—Fraser Heights, BC

Madam Speaker, my colleague made mention of a poorly thought-out social media post by the former prime minister, who said Canada is open, come on over, and a flood of refugees followed. I cannot help but make the comparison to another world leader who also makes poorly thought-out social media posts, shaping government policy on the fly.

I would like my colleague to comment on the negative impact that can have on our nation.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 5:20 p.m.

Conservative

Luc Berthold Conservative Mégantic—L’Érable—Lotbinière, QC

Madam Speaker, I can just say one thing: Canada will always be a country that is open to refugees who are truly in need. For refugees fleeing war and hardship, Canada will be open.

However, sending a tweet inviting the whole world to come settle in Canada and then forgetting about these people is unacceptable, immoral and, dare I say, heartless.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 5:20 p.m.

Conservative

Matt Strauss Conservative Kitchener South—Hespeler, ON

Madam Speaker, it is a pleasure to have this opportunity to speak to Bill C-12. This is the fourth time I am speaking to a piece of government legislation in this Parliament.

For the first time, I think it is the story of the bill rather than its content that I find most interesting. I apologize to those following at home if it seems a little bit like inside baseball, but in every Parliament, the government introduces bills and numbers them sequentially. After the pro forma throne speech, Bill C-1, came Bill C-2. The present bill, Bill C-12, is the parts of Bill C-2 that had to be salvaged from the flaming dumpster fire of that original piece of legislation. It is as though the Liberals set their own legislative agenda on fire and the Conservatives had to comb through the charred remains to find something salvageable. What an embarrassment it is for the government.

The new Prime Minister ran on his expertise in government, having spent most of his career as a bureaucrat. He had been waiting in the wings for 10 years to plant his legislative agenda. Do members opposite remember when he was asked if he would ever become prime minister? He said, “Why don’t I become a circus clown?” Well, now he has. He has beclowned himself.

Bill C-2 is the very first piece of legislation that the Prime Minister's government introduced, and it had to be split up in this manner. What an embarrassment that is.

Why did it need to be split up? It is because the forefather of Bill C-12 contained clauses that were so howlingly bad that no one on either side of the House, nor from any coast in this country, could bring themselves to defend it.

Bill C-2 includes a provision that would allow the police to ask a doctor, without a warrant, if their services had ever been used by an individual. This is reprehensible. I am a physician; frankly, this does not just offend me as a Canadian and as a person, but it offends my whole profession. It would violate not just our Charter of Rights and Freedoms but the Hippocratic oath. If a member opposite or their child went to see a doctor who specializes in addictions, mental health, sexually transmitted diseases or reproductive medicine, on what possible planet would they think it was appropriate for the police to ask that physician to disclose them as a client?

Again, I suspect members opposite are getting ready to say that I am somehow being outlandish in my interpretation of their proposed law. Here, once again, I will read them their own darned bill.

In part 14, clause 158, it reads:

A peace officer or public officer may make a demand...to a person who provides services to the public requiring the person to provide, in the form, manner and time specified in the demand, the following information:

(a) whether the person provides or has provided services to any subscriber or client

This is bananas. This is, once again, a Chinese Communist Party level of state overreach.

Once again, if the Liberals do not trust my interpretation of their legislation, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association's interpretation or the Canadian Constitution Foundation's interpretation, will they believe their own public safety minister, the one who introduced the legislation? He was quoted in The Globe and Mail in an October 9 article by Marie Woolf, entitled “Public Safety Minister says he wants to push through refined warrantless...powers to help police”. She wrote that the Minister of Public Safety acknowledged that the “provisions in Bill C-2, the original strong borders bill, [allowing police to ask a] doctor without a warrant” if their services had been used by someone, constituted “overreach”.

This is not the first time the Minister of Public Safety has had to throw the Minister of Public Safety under the bus. Who could forget that, just last month, he told his tenant that his own gun confiscation program was a bad idea that he did not support? I would love to believe that it is merely incompetence over there. It is incompetence; it is just not “merely” incompetence.

I am a physician. I do not sign prescriptions that I have not read. I do not give out prescriptions that I do not believe in, because prescriptions are important documents and I have a professional duty to read them. On the other side of the House, we have a Liberal minister who seems not to read the legislation that he tries to pass in the House. On other occasions, he executes a gun grab he does not believe in. This sort of conduct would not be tolerated from any physician in this country. I dare say it would not be tolerated from any professional under any professional body in this country. Why does the Prime Minister tolerate it from one of the highest office-holders in this land?

As I said, it is not merely incompetence over there. I take it that the public safety minister did not write the legislation, but someone did. I want to know who, because this is not a one-off oopsy doopsy in which a junior staffer wrote a law that would violate the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This is a clear pattern with the government.

The last three pieces of government legislation that I have debated in the House, Bill C-8, Bill C-9 and now Bill C-12 have involved significant power grabs by the Prime Minister. I want to know why.

Bill C-8 would allow the Liberals to kick people off the Internet without a warrant. Bill C-9 would allow the Liberals to police speech on the Internet. Bill C-12, in its previous iteration as Bill C-2, would not only violate patient-physician confidentiality but also allow the government to read letter mail without a warrant.

What is going on over there? Why is the Liberals' response to every conceivable social problem to violate our charter rights? Who is writing the legislation?

I know that as soon as I am done, the member for Winnipeg North will ask why we do not fix this at committee, to which I would say, yes, we are going to have to, but every member in this House should be protecting charter rights. The committee should not be the goalie. The Conservatives should not be the goalie. The Liberals should not be trying to get charter violations past the Conservative goalies. They are the Liberals. They are supposed to believe in liberty. I am honestly starting to wonder if they even know what their party's name means anymore.

Here is the Encyclopædia Britannica entry on “liberalism”:

political doctrine that takes protecting and enhancing the freedom of the individual to be the central problem of politics. Liberals typically believe that government is necessary to protect individuals from being harmed by others, but they also recognize that government itself can pose a threat to liberty.

Do the members opposite see themselves at all in this definition today? It has been six months since I was elected to this House, and not once, in between their power grabs, have I heard them make even passing reference to individual liberty or to the fact that the government itself can threaten that liberty.

Conservatives seek to conserve our liberty. Liberals are supposed to seek to expand our liberty. However, this is three times in six months they have tried to get one past us. I am asking them honestly to reflect on this. Are they even Liberals anymore, or have they become something darker? How is it that they have betrayed the Liberal tradition again and again in this House?

I would ask the Liberal backbenchers, in particular, if this is what they signed up to do when they took out a Liberal Party membership and if the Prime Minister's Office ran any of it by them before it tried to ram it through the House. Why do they not do the right thing and withdraw Bill C-2 entirely instead of trying to get it passed piecemeal?

One piece of Bill C-2, Bill C-12, is going to go to committee, but we must not forget the omnibus monstrosity from which it came. We must not forget the questions of competence that the story of Bill C-12 raises, and we must also not look away from the authoritarian tendencies of the so-called Liberals that this story reveals.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 5:25 p.m.

Winnipeg North Manitoba

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, those are interesting comments. When the leader of the Conservative Party sat around the Harper cabinet inside the Conservative caucus, they passed laws that did not meet the charter challenge. We had the superior courts actually rule them out of order. Now the member makes accusations about the current Liberal government or the past Liberal government. Can he cite any legislation that we have introduced that has gone against the charter, an actual bill that has been ruled as going against the charter in terms of individual rights? We are the party that brought in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 5:25 p.m.

Conservative

Matt Strauss Conservative Kitchener South—Hespeler, ON

Mr. Speaker, I am so surprised to receive that question. I think I explained it to the member during my last two speeches on government legislation.

The Liberals violated the Charter of Rights and Freedoms when they imposed the Emergencies Act, sections 2 and 8. That is not me, but Justice Mosley of the Federal Court who found that. I would love to hear the member apologize for that violation.

Bill C-8, Bill C-9 and Bill C-2 also violate our charter. I am not going to let it get through the net.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 5:25 p.m.

Liberal

Ginette Petitpas Taylor Liberal Moncton—Dieppe, NB

Mr. Speaker, I listened attentively to my colleague's speech today. He questioned at one point if we signed up to support this bill.

My question for the member opposite is this. Having worked for the RCMP for 23 years as a civilian member, I have seen the hard work of the many women of the RCMP, day in and day out. I have seen them put their lives on the line. I wonder if my colleague agrees with the leader of his party when he questioned the independence of the RCMP. Also, when the Leader of the Opposition indicated—

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 5:30 p.m.

The Deputy Speaker Tom Kmiec

I have to interrupt the member to give the member for Kitchener South—Hespeler a chance to respond.

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders ActGovernment Orders

October 22nd, 2025 / 5:30 p.m.

Conservative

Matt Strauss Conservative Kitchener South—Hespeler, ON

Mr. Speaker, I am heartened, I suppose, that the member opposite heard and understood the question. I am terribly disheartened that she decided not to answer the question. I take it as a tacit admission that she does not support this legislation.

As for my leader's comments, it is my job here to criticize the appointments the government makes. Criticizing their appointments is well within what we as a democratic body have to do.