Debates of Oct. 20th, 2025

Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders Act

[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.

A motion to adjourn the House under Standing Order 38 deemed to have been moved.

International Trade

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise in Adjournment Proceedings this evening.

I am pursuing a question that I initially asked on September 26, not that long ago. I raised in the House in question period a really extraordinary experience I had earlier in the week while meeting with very brave Guatemalan indigenous women who had come to Canada to ask for our help in dealing with a Canadian mining company.

It is not an unfamiliar story. We know that Canadian mining companies have, unfortunately, a record. It is not all of them; it is not a broad brush, but certainly Canadian mining companies have been associated in the global south with human rights abuses and abuse of the environment. In response to this, over the years, many people, particularly the former member of Parliament for Guildwood, the Hon. John McKay, have worked really hard to try to get legislation through to hold mining companies to account.

In any case, when I met with the women from the Xinka community of Guatemala, I raised their issues here in the House and asked if there was at that point any action on something that was created some time ago in response to the pressure coming from many sides, including from civil society and, as I said, from people within the House of Commons, with legislation that almost passed at different times. Something was created with some fanfare: the Canadian ombudsperson for responsible enterprise. The current position of the ombudsperson is vacant, and I asked at the time, in question period, whether there would be a person appointed to this position.

There has been a lot of criticism, ever since it was created after all this effort, that the ombudsperson really has no useful tools to investigate complaints. The idea was that if Canadian activity of different kinds by Canadian corporations was occurring in places around the world where we were complicit in human rights violations and environmental damage, there would be a way for Canada to intervene to improve the situation and put pressure on Canadian corporations to do the right thing. In any case, we never gave the Office of the Canadian ombudsperson for responsible enterprise any tools to do the job. Now there is no one in that position to do the job.

We now have something called the national contact point, which is somewhat lacking and is not very descriptive. However, we now know that there is a Canadian national contact point for people to make complaints about the failure of Canadian enterprises to follow responsible, sustainable business practices or respect international norms to protect human rights.

The Xinka people who came to Canada complained that the Canadian silver mine Escobal, in Guatemala, was violating their rights. Where do they go with these complaints? The World Bank created an inspection panel many decades ago to hold to account those who took funds, investments and loans from the World Bank so that there was a way to track whether these dollars were being used responsibly and whether human rights were being respected.

I want to ask the hon. member questions that I initially put to the Minister of International Trade. Where are we on these multiple challenges? When will the government appoint a new Canadian ombudsperson for responsible enterprise, and will the office be funded?

[Caroline Desrochers, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for her dedication and engagement on this important issue.

The Government of Canada remains firmly committed to promoting responsible business conduct by Canadian companies operating abroad. Strong RBC practices not only drive business success, but also foster a better world for everyone, and Canada has been a strong global leader in that space for decades now.

Since the launch of the CORE in 2019, Canada has significantly strengthened its responsible business conduct policy framework. We introduced a ban on the importation of goods produced with forced labour under the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement. We also passed the Fighting Against Forced Labour and Child Labour in Supply Chains Act, transparency legislation that requires Canadian businesses to report annually on their efforts to prevent forced labour and child labour in their supply chains.

Through the responsible business conduct abroad strategy, Canada provides clear guidance to companies operating internationally. A key pillar of this strategy is the support offered by Canada's trade commissioner service, a network of over 1,500 dedicated trade commissioners working from offices across Canada and at diplomatic missions around the world. Those are my former colleagues. I worked very closely with them, and I know how dedicated they are to this issue.

This strategy balances prevention, regulation and dispute resolution. It includes advisory services for Canadian companies; legislation targeting corruption, transparency and forced labour; and access to effective dispute resolution, not only through the CORE, but also through Canada's national contact point for responsible business conduct.

Established as part of Canada's membership to the OECD, our national contact point is a top-tier dispute resolution mechanism that promotes the OECD guidelines for multinational enterprises and helps mediate concerns related to Canadian companies abroad. Canada actively participates in the global network of 51 national contact points, sharing best practices and strengthening our collective approach to responsible business conduct.

We play a leadership role in this multilateral space, with the OECD serving as a vital platform for member countries to explore and implement new responsible business conduct initiatives in response to an evolving global landscape. All of these measures are designed to enhance transparency and responsible business practices that prioritize the rights and well-being of workers and communities impacted by Canadian companies abroad, while helping companies manage risks effectively.

In light of these developments and the shifting global context, the government is considering how all parts of Canada's RBC framework, including the CORE and the national contact point, work together. We are also closely monitoring international trends to ensure Canada's approach remains effective, relevant and aligned with our global commitments and peers. Looking ahead, Canada is committed to advancing our RBC policies, deepening their application across diverse industries, harnessing innovation and driving meaningful change through global partnerships.

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I am hoping no one in the government benches is surprised that I am very disappointed by this.

To point to modern legislation and to say we are against slavery, forced labour and child labour is hardly to say that Canada is in the lead. Yes, the same member of Parliament I mentioned before, John McKay, was very involved in bringing forward the legislation against forced labour. So was a member from the other place, because there were a lot of very active senators on this point.

I have 30 seconds left to say this: Please answer my question. Will this government commit to continuing the Canadian ombudsperson for responsible enterprise? Will that position be filled, and will that office be given the tools required to investigate complaints, such as those of the Xinca people? Will they have their rights to ensure that testimony is actually required and that we can investigate properly and call our institutions to account?

[Caroline Desrochers, Liberal, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Mr. Speaker, as mentioned earlier, Canada is firmly committed to being a global leader in responsible business conduct through a mix of robust policies, initiatives and legislation. I want to take a moment to highlight the role of Canada's national contact point for responsible business conduct. As an OECD member, Canada is required to maintain a national contact point, and ours stands as a world-class, non-judicial dispute resolution mechanism.

Aligned with those of 51 other countries, the national contact point promotes compliance with the “OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct”. It was established in 2000, and the NCP has facilitated constructive dialogue between companies and complainants and has helped resolve issues in a meaningful and impartial way. Notably, it handles complaints across all sectors.

We strongly encourage Canadian companies operating abroad to take full advantage of the government resources available to them through the trade commissioner service and to embed responsible business conduct—

[The Deputy Speaker, Tom Kmiec]

The member for Elgin—St. Thomas—London South.

Justice

[Andrew Lawton, Conservative, Elgin—St. Thomas—London South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is a great privilege to rise on behalf of the people of Elgin—St. Thomas—London South to ask the government once again to address a critical issue facing communities not just in my riding but across the country, which is the rampant lawlessness that exists on streets across this wonderful nation. Specifically, we are talking about drugs and people who are responsible for unleashing vast quantities of lethal, toxic drugs, yet still find themselves able to partake in the revolving-door bail system the Liberal government has allowed to blossom over the last 10 years.

Just to set the scene, I want to give a couple of very staggering statistics.

We know that fentanyl accounts for nearly two-thirds of opioid fatalities in Canada. We know that since 2015, there have been tens of thousands of opioid deaths, with a 255% increase since the Liberals took office. We know the Liberal government has rejected Conservative proposals to treat fentanyl kingpins as the mass murderers they are.

When I first rose to ask this question of the justice minister, the public health officials in my riding had released an advisory saying that carfentanil, a substance multiple times more fatal than fentanyl, was being found by authorities with greater frequency in the community of St. Thomas and the surrounding areas. People are dying, and the people responsible are walking free.

We cannot look at this issue in isolation from the other crime and justice issues that have been allowed to fester under the Liberal government. I have no doubt that the Minister of Justice has sent a representative to address these questions with a prepared statement. No doubt the government will talk about the forthcoming bail legislation it has been promising for months.

However, the more we learn about it, the more we learn that it does not deal with the root of the problem. It does not undo the principle of restraint that the Liberal government embedded in the Criminal Code in Bill C-75, which is a provision that law enforcement officials have told us has directly caused the early releases of repeat, often violent offenders and, yes, drug traffickers on bail. They have told us this, by the way, every week as we investigate this at the justice committee. This Criminal Code provision says that they must be released at the earliest opportunity and under the least onerous conditions.

There is no meaningful bail reform if the Liberal government does not commit to repealing the principle of restraint. That is the commitment that Canadians, who are looking at rampant criminality on their streets, deserve to hear from the Liberal government.

The reason this is so important is that crime has victims. Even non-violent crime, property crime, is a menace to communities. Businesses are dealing with the consequences of people addicted to drugs; those people absolutely deserve treatment and support, but this cannot come at the expense of looking at public safety as the first priority.

Therefore, my question for the government is this: Will it, once and for all, put public safety first and repeal the principle of restraint to fix Liberal bail?

[Patricia Lattanzio, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to address the concerns about public safety in our justice system.

Canadians expect the government to act decisively to keep communities safe, and that is exactly what the Liberal government is doing. After a productive summer and after working closely with provinces, territories and frontline law enforcement, the Prime Minister announced last week that our government will be introducing new bail and sentencing reform legislation this week.

The bill would aim to end conditional sentences for sexual assault offenders and introduce a tough reverse-onus bail provision for major violent crimes. This means that repeat violent offenders would now have to prove in court why they are not a risk to public safety and are worthy of obtaining a release, rather than have the Crown prove the contrary. The bill would also provide consecutive sentences for multiple offences committed by repeat offenders.

Canadians can count on us. We are delivering on our commitments by taking strong actions to keep violent and repeat offenders off our streets. Our government is assuming a responsible leadership, one where it listens to law enforcement, victims, survivors and provinces before drafting laws.

While our government is working in collaboration with police, prosecutors, survivors and families of victims to develop serious bail reforms, what is the Conservative leader doing? He attacks our brave men and women who put their lives at risk to protect them and all Canadians. Last week, the Conservative leader called the RCMP “despicable” and accused it of covering up supposed crimes committed by a former prime minister. That is dangerous and puts in question our rule of law. Even a top aide to Stephen Harper called the attacks made by the Conservative leader reckless and “Trumpian”.

It is time for the Conservatives to take bail reform seriously and rise above the politics of division. Instead of smearing institutions that keep Canadians safe, the Conservatives should join us in strengthening them. Conservatives like to talk tough on crime, but their record tells a different story. Let me remind the House that when they were in power, they introduced more than half a dozen crime bills, and every single one of them has been struck down by the Supreme Court of Canada. The most recent, the Hills decision in 2023 made it clear that their approach was not only unconstitutional but ineffective. In April, Canadians clearly rejected the failed Conservative divisive agenda at the ballot box, and they continue to do so today.

Our reforms are tough but fair, rooted in evidence and developed in collaboration with the provinces and territories, which are responsible for the administration of justice. We are not chasing headlines; we are building a safer, stronger Canada grounded in the rule of law. The new government is laser-focused on keeping Canadians, from coast to coast to coast, safe.

[Andrew Lawton, Conservative, Elgin—St. Thomas—London South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is rich for a representative of the party that claims it wants to rein in and regulate misinformation to peddle so much of it in such a short period of time. I have only a minute, so I will say that the law enforcement officials whom the parliamentary secretary claims to be respecting are the ones who have been sounding the alarm about what the last 10 years of Liberal policy have done to handcuff them and prevent them from doing their jobs as effectively as they want.

The greatest respect in the House for law enforcement comes from Conservatives, who have been calling members of law enforcement across the country to the justice committee. They have all been saying the same thing, which is that the Liberal government has failed them and, by extension, has failed Canadians.

That is enough of the bloviating from the government about how it is going to be the saviour of the problem it created. Will it repeal the principle of restraint, yes or no?

[Patricia Lattanzio, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite may have missed what frontline law enforcement had to say about the Prime Minister's announcement last week on our upcoming bail and sentencing reform legislation, which will be introduced by the Minister of Justice this week. Allow me to share with him the news.

The Toronto Police Association called our plan “a step in the right direction”. The Canadian Police Association, the association for police across the country, said that this “should be a moment for collaboration, not division”, urging all parties to pass the legislation quickly to strengthen public safety and rebuild confidence in our justice system.

What does the hon. member opposite know that police officers do not know?

Housing

[Warren Steinley, Conservative, Regina—Lewvan, SK]

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to address some of the questions I had about a month ago regarding housing starts.

I watched a very interesting interview with the housing minister on one of our local political panels, which I think was this past weekend. He was asked a question about why he would not take the GST off all homebuilding. He stuttered and stammered and said the Liberals did not want to make big changes and that was a really big change. He said they were going to nibble around the edges. However, this party ran a campaign on building faster than the speed of light, building faster than anyone has ever seen houses being built.

I went back to Statistics Canada, and I saw that in July, housing starts rose by 3%, and in August they dropped by 16%. The member across is shaking her head, but I can read it. It said that housing starts dropped sharply in August, with housing starts in Canada declining 16% in August 2025. I know the Liberals are not big on numbers and factual information, but that is what Statistics Canada said. It also said housing starts went up by 14% in September. If they go up 3%, down 16% and up 14%, that is not as fast as anyone has ever seen housing being built.

The Prime Minister talks about big, major projects and getting stuff built, but his minister is very concerned about moving too quickly on certain policies. I know imitation is the finest form of flattery, but the Liberals stole some of our campaign ideas, like taking the GST off houses costing $1.3 million and below. That is a good policy. As our leader has said, we are happy if they steal our good ideas. We want to make Canada a better place for Canadians to live. The Liberals can take all the good ideas they want from our platform.

How does the parliamentary secretary to the housing minister reconcile her minister's inability to move quickly with the Prime Minister's desire to get things built faster than they have ever been built? Those two things do not go together.

Another thing I would ask is, how does the parliamentary secretary have faith in her housing minister, who, as the former mayor of Vancouver, left Vancouver, one of the highest-priced housing markets in North America, possibly in the world, in a dumpster fire? Why would he do any better for Canadians?

[Caroline Desrochers, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure]

Mr. Speaker, let me start by saying that the facts are clear: Housing starts are up, not down. Housing starts are up 10% year over year. In Montreal, it is 32%; in Vancouver, it is 46%.

With that said, I will reiterate that the Government of Canada is committed to solving the housing crisis. We have put forward the most ambitious housing plan in our country's history, and we are creating positive change in Canada's housing system. I would like to remind my colleague that the last time the Conservatives were in power, they lost 800,000 affordable homes and built six.

We are building on our successes, making historic investments in new housing and working to lower housing costs for Canadians. As the member opposite should know, we just launched Build Canada Homes, a new agency to speed up the construction of housing at a pace not seen in generations, with a focus on affordable homes across the full continuum of affordability. To restore affordability and meet the demands of a growing Canada, we need a drastic increase in housing supply of all types. Through Build Canada Homes, we are building new homes to drive up supply and bring housing costs down.

We are also taking action to help first-time homebuyers, with such measures as the tax-free first home savings account and the homebuyers' plan to help Canadians save for their first home. In addition, we are eliminating the GST for first-time homebuyers on new homes at or under $1 million and reducing the GST on new homes up to $1.5 million. We expect the Conservatives to get on board with this and help provide nearly $4 billion in tax cuts to first-time buyers.

Together with our partners in the private and non-profit sectors, indigenous communities and municipal, territorial and provincial levels of government, we are removing the barriers to new home construction and increasing the supply of affordable housing. Through targeted investments and financial measures, we are helping to restore affordability for Canadians.

We need to build more homes, and we need to build them faster. One of the programs we have used to do this is the housing accelerator fund, which is removing barriers to housing development. We have signed agreements with more than 200 communities across the country to cut red tape and streamline the development process. We are also making significant investments in affordable housing through such programs as the affordable housing fund. As of June 30, over 50,000 new units have been committed through the affordable housing fund, and more than 30,000 of those units are under 80% of the median market rent, with rents expected to average $717 a month. Another 175,000 units have been repaired or renewed through this fund, with 135,000 of those units falling under 80% of median market rent.

We are taking bold, decisive action to build homes across this country and to ensure that every Canadian has a place to call home. I hope the opposition will join us.

[Warren Steinley, Conservative, Regina—Lewvan, SK]

Mr. Speaker, forgive me if I do not trust a government that bought a pipeline, spent an extra $38 billion to build a pipeline and had time extended on how long it took to build that pipeline. The Liberals have never seen a problem they did not think government could fix. I do not believe building a bigger government bureaucracy is going to build more homes for Canadians.

I do see, though, 30 mills closing and a shortage of lumber as a problem for building homes. I see 106,000 people out of work, many of them in the construction industry, as an issue for building homes. The softwood lumber industry is in crisis because the Liberals cannot get a deal done, and mills are shutting down. Therefore, we do not have the people to build the homes, and we do not have the material to build the homes. I have never seen a bureaucrat pound a nail. I do not think more bureaucrats are going to get homes built for Canadians.

[Caroline Desrochers, Liberal, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada is committed to solving the housing crisis. We are focused on delivering meaningful results for Canadians, not slogans, by creating transformative change in Canada's housing system. To lower costs for Canadians, we need a drastic increase in housing supply of all types, including affordable housing. To reach that goal, we are moving forward with Build Canada Homes, starting with 4,000 homes on day one and tens of thousands more to come.

We hope the Conservative Party will stop playing games and help us do the work Canadians sent us here to do. I encourage them to join us in supporting Build Canada Homes, so we can get more homes built faster, and to support Bill C-4 so that we can deliver $4 billion in tax cuts for young first-time buyers trying to get into the housing market.

[The Deputy Speaker, Tom Kmiec]

The motion that the House do now adjourn is deemed to have been adopted. Accordingly, the House stands adjourned until tomorrow at 10 a.m. pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).

(The House adjourned at 7:08 p.m.)