Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise today as the member of Parliament for Windsor West to speak to Bill C-12, an act respecting certain measures relating to the security of Canada's borders and the integrity of the Canadian immigration system and respecting other related security measures.
Let us begin with how we got here. The original version, Bill C-2, was deeply flawed. It would have given the government warrantless access to Canadians' financial data and unchecked powers to manipulate platforms. It would even have allowed Canada Post to open private letters without a warrant. All of this was proposed without consulting the Privacy Commissioner, of all people. Conservatives and Canadians said it was enough, so our Liberal friends backed down.
Now we have Bill C-12. It is more focused, yes, but it still misses the mark, especially when it comes to public safety, border integrity, and fentanyl and meth trafficking.
Windsor is Canada's busiest border crossing, handling over half a billion dollars in trade every single day, yet our frontline agencies there are stretched thin, underfunded, understaffed and overwhelmed. When President Trump raised concerns earlier this year about the northern border, Ottawa scrambled. The government spent $5.3 million leasing Black Hawk helicopters and flew 68 patrol missions in just six weeks. That program has ended, by the way. The RCMP called it rapid response capability, but only one interdiction came out of all that effort. That is not enforcement; it is border security theatre.
Senator Sandra Pupatello, who hails from Windsor, recently raised the alarm about illegal crossings by kayaks and motorboats in southwestern Ontario. She is absolutely right that if it floats, it can be used to smuggle guns, meth, fentanyl and cash. It is all moving across the river, yet the federal government continues to ignore the voices of those on the ground who are sounding the alarm.
Canada's failure to act has had consequences far beyond our borders. After an investigation done by W5, a report aired this past week. According to W5, a young man named Aiden Sagala died in New Zealand in 2023, after unknowingly drinking liquid meth disguised as beer, which was exported from right here in Canada. He was just 21 years old. Authorities in New Zealand seized 29,000 cans shipped from Toronto. Did we do anything about it? Sadly, no. There were no charges, no suspects and no answers. The RCMP has remained silent. That is not just negligence; it is a public safety failure.
Since 2016, 49,000 Canadians have died from opioid overdoses, and I have been to a few funerals myself. Seventy-nine per cent of those deaths involved fentanyl, yet Bill C-12 does not include mandatory minimum sentences for fentanyl or meth traffickers or for gang members using firearms. That is not progress. That is abdication of the government's responsibility to Canadian citizens.
In British Columbia, labs are producing kilograms of fentanyl every week. These criminals are profiting from addiction and misery. Canada has become a low-risk, high-reward destination for traffickers, and not just for drugs. We have also become a haven for money laundering, with billions flowing through shell companies, real estate and even casinos. TD got fined last year by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for these kinds of activities. This is not just a health crisis but a national security emergency.
Our bail system is broken. Known traffickers and repeat violent offenders are walking free, sometimes the very same day they are arrested. In Windsor and across Ontario, auto theft is up 167%, extortion is up 350%, and firearms violence is up 97%. Roughly 90% of the guns that are used in crimes are smuggled across our borders. There are no answers to that either. What is not up, one might ask? Resources, helicopter patrol hours, Coast Guard funding and border surveillance equipment are not up. We are asking our officers to do more with less while criminals operate with complete impunity.
Windsor is not just the front line of Canada's economy; it is now the front line of the drug crisis and the fight to secure our borders. If the government cannot track lethal drugs hidden in beverage cans that are exported overseas where innocent people are dying, how can we trust it to protect our own communities?
We are not just risking lives; we are also risking our relationship with other nations, and our reputation as a reliable security partner is also being questioned. The question we need to ask ourselves is this: What message are we sending to our allies, our citizens and the brave officers who are out there? Whether they are from CBSA, the RCMP or municipal or provincial police services, what are they expecting of us, and how are we helping them to stay safe?
Conservatives support sending the bill to committee. There are elements worth exploring, but we will be pushing for serious amendments to ensure that law-abiding Canadians are protected, criminals are held accountable and border communities like Windsor are no longer left behind. Canada's border is not just a line on the map; it is a front line in crisis, and it is time we started treating it that way, with urgency, investment and real leadership.