Debates of Oct. 20th, 2025

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders Act

[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.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[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?

[An hon. member]

Oh, oh!

[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.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary 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?

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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?

[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.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[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.

[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.

[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?

[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.

[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?

[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.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary 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?

[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.

[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?

[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.

[Caroline Desrochers, Liberal, Parliamentary 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.

[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?

[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.