The committee was studying Bill C-12, the strengthening Canada's immigration system and borders act, and heard from officials from the Department of Public Safety, the Canada Border Services Agency, the Canadian Coast Guard, and the Department of Citizenship and Immigration.
Mike McGuire, Director General at Public Safety, opened by explaining that the bill aims to protect Canadian sovereignty and safety through measures to combat illegal migration, fentanyl trafficking, organized crime, money laundering, and terrorist financing, while enhancing border surveillance and information-sharing. He noted the bill would give border officers better access to inspect exports, expand Coast Guard security services, and create new inadmissibility grounds for asylum claims, but did not make specific recommendations or disagree with other witnesses.
Brett Bush, Director General at CBSA, stated that about 1,000 officers work in land enforcement activities but could not immediately provide the exact number dedicated to tracking individuals with removal warrants, undertaking to provide that data later. He clarified that the immigration authorities in Bill C-12 are not designed to address transnational organized crime, as existing law already covers that area.
Graeme Hamilton, Director General at CBSA, explained that while trains are not physically searched at the border, advance commercial information is used for risk assessment before goods enter Canada, with examinations occurring at inland ports. He said the bill would provide a legal basis for existing informal practices allowing searches of export goods, including stolen vehicles, in rail yards and warehouses, and that new technologies would help minimize trade disruptions, though no new internal audit mechanisms for these authorities are proposed.
Ryan Tettamanti, Senior Director at the Canadian Coast Guard, confirmed the Coast Guard remains a civilian organization under National Defence and will not engage in defence activities, but Bill C-12 would allow it to share security information with partners. He acknowledged no additional budget has been received for new responsibilities, though the intent is to seek funding through parliamentary processes, and he disagreed with any suggestion that officers would be put at risk, noting such information-sharing is already routine.
Christopher Hamilton, Senior Director at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, defended the pre-removal risk assessment process as robust and sufficient to prevent refoulement, despite concerns about lower success rates compared to Immigration and Refugee Board hearings. He stated that the bill's one-year time limit for asylum claims does not prevent claims but applies to eligibility, and that exceptions for unaccompanied minors will be set out in regulations.
Tara Lang, from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, stated that the mass cancellation powers in Bill C-12 were not created with any specific country, nationality, or situation in mind, and that no current plans exist to use them. She outlined oversight mechanisms requiring Governor in Council approval and publication in the Canada Gazette, and disagreed with suggestions that the minister misled another committee or that the bill admits to systemic immigration fraud.
The committee briefly debated a motion by Frank Caputo to require the Minister of Public Safety to appear for two separate one-hour meetings on Bills C-8 and C-12, which led to a challenge of the chair's ruling, but no vote or resolution was recorded in the transcript.
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