Bill C-2

Strong Borders Act

An Act respecting certain measures relating to the security of the border between Canada and the United States and respecting other related security measures

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 Canada Post Corporation Act to permit the demand, seizure, detention or retention of anything in the course of post only in accordance with an Act of Parliament. It also amends that Act to expand the Canada Post Corporation’s authority to open mail in certain circumstances to include the authority to open letters.
Part 5 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 6 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 7 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 8 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 9 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 10 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 other Acts and the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Administrative Monetary Penalties Regulations and includes transitional provisions.
Part 11 amends the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act to prohibit certain entities from accepting cash deposits from third parties and certain persons or entities from accepting cash payments, donations or deposits of $10,000 or more. It also makes a related amendment to the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Administrative Monetary Penalties Regulations .
Part 12 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 13 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 .
Part 14 amends various Acts to modernize certain provisions respecting the timely gathering and production of data and information during an investigation. It, among other things,
(a) amends the Criminal Code to, among other things,
(i) facilitate access to basic information that will assist in the investigation of federal offences through an information demand or a judicial production order to persons who provide services to the public,
(ii) clarify the response time for production orders and the ability of peace officers and public officers to receive and act on certain information that is voluntarily provided to them and on certain information that is publicly available,
(iii) specify certain circumstances in which peace officers and public officers may obtain evidence, including subscriber information, in exigent circumstances,
(iv) allow a justice or judge to authorize, in a warrant, a peace officer or public officer to obtain tracking data or transmission data that relates to any thing that is similar to a thing in relation to which data is authorized to be obtained under the warrant and that is unknown at the time the warrant is issued,
(v) provide and clarify authorities by which computer data may be examined, and
(vi) allow a justice or judge to authorize a peace officer or public officer to make a request to a foreign entity that provides telecommunications services to the public to produce transmission data or subscriber information that is in its possession or control;
(b) makes a consequential amendment to the Foreign Publishers Advertising Services Act ;
(c) amends the Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Act to allow the Minister of Justice to authorize a competent authority to make arrangements for the enforcement of a decision made by an authority of a state or entity that is empowered to compel the production of transmission data or subscriber information that is in the possession or control of a person in Canada;
(d) amends the Canadian Security Intelligence Service Act to, among other things,
(i) facilitate access to basic information that will assist the Canadian Security Intelligence Service in the performance of its duties and functions under section 12 or 16 of that Act through information demands given to persons or entities that provide services to the public and judicial information orders against such persons and entities, and
(ii) clarify the response time for production orders; and
(e) amends the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and the Cannabis Act to provide and clarify authorities by which computer data may be examined.
Part 15 enacts the Supporting Authorized Access to Information Act . That Act establishes a framework for ensuring that electronic service providers can facilitate the exercise, by authorized persons, of authorities to access information conferred under the Criminal Code or the Canadian Security Intelligence Service Act .
Part 16 amends the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act to permit a person or entity referred to in section 5 of that Act to collect and use an individual’s personal information without that individual’s knowledge or consent if
(a) the information is disclosed to the person or entity by a government department, institution or agency or law enforcement agency; and
(b) the collection and use are for the purposes of detecting or deterring money laundering, terrorist activity financing or sanctions evasion or for a consistent purpose.
It also makes related amendments to the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act .

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders Act

[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?

[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.

[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.

[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?

[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.

[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.

[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?

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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?

[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?

[Ruby Sahota, Liberal, Secretary 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.

[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?

[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.