Humanitarian, Refugees and Foreign Affairs

HANSARD: Order Questions of Budget reductions for IRCC

HANSARD: Speech and Debate Opposing Bill C-12

Click below to read the Hansard of the debate

Media Release: Response to Prime Minister Carney’s Statement on Public Safety

MP Jenny Kwan’s Response to Prime Minister Carney’s Statement on Public Safety

The NDP wants a fair and balanced system that ensures public safety, due process and protects the civil liberties of Canadians.  The Carney government’s introduction of Bills C-2 and C-12 are deeply flawed attempts to rebrand executive overreach as ‘border reform’ to appease Trump.  These bills would strip away due process for refugee claimants, hand sweeping cancellation powers to the minister, and quietly expand surveillance and data-sharing authorities with minimal oversight. Canada should not let Trump shape our future.  Canada’s immigration and privacy systems are being rewritten in ways that undermine fairness, transparency, and fundamental rights. While some of the most extreme elements were watered down in C-12, the core problems remain: too much power in the hands of cabinet, too few safeguards for vulnerable people, and virtually no accountability.

The hiring of 1,000 CBSA officers is a re-announcement that is long overdue.  In 2012, the Conservative government, with Pierre Poilievre in cabinet, cut 1,100 border officers in one day, leaving Canada more vulnerable to illegal guns and drugs crossing into Canada.  The Liberals have been in government for 10 years and they have failed to act.  

The Customs Immigration Union (CIU), representing our CBSA officers, estimates that we currently lack as many as 3,000 border officers across the country. This means that border crossings are consistently operating with reduced staff who just do not have the time, means or support to effectively search for illegal firearms, contraband, stolen vehicles and work with asylum seekers.

The shortage of frontline workers has contributed to an escalation of illegal activities. For example, regarding auto theft at the Port of Montreal - the on-site space available for officers to perform expected inspections is severely limited with only eight officers to search the containers intended for exports. 

In Vancouver, the elimination of the Port police by the Conservatives has escalated the drug trafficking problem for our communities.  

The announcement today is only the first step. 

There is an urgent need of increasing the number of frontline CBSA officers by 3000 as stated by the CIU. Furthermore, the Carney government needs to ensure these officers have the proper working tools and facilities to do their jobs and provide new CBSA training centre for new recruits.  The NDP is further calling for the Carney government to bring back the Port police in Vancouver. 

Toronto Star: Carney government tables toned-down version of tougher immigration law

Jenny Kwan, the NDP’s critic on immigration, said in a social media post before the bill was tabled that the “sudden reversal” shows it was flawed from the start.

“Why was the ‘safety’ border bill rushed without consultation or due diligence?” she said. “Public safety legislation should never be driven by Trump or foreign politics. Canadians deserve better.”

The new legislation includes the other elements included in Bill C-2, including restricting access to asylum, increasing authorities’ control over immigration documents, expanding border officers’ ability to inspect exports, giving the Canadian Coast Guard security patrol powers and allowing more information sharing with other levels of government and the United States.

Click link to read the news story - https://www.thestar.com/politics/federal/carney-government-tables-toned-down-version-of-tougher-immigration-law/article_f341b3c5-b107-4127-8cd5-4f1059871643.html

Globe & Mail: Public Safety minister says he wants to push through refined warrantless powers to help police

Ms. Kwan signalled that the NDP would not support Bill C-2 without substantial changes.

“Even if the bill is adjusted somewhat, it is still very disturbing that warrantless access provisions remain intact. This allows intelligence agencies, police and other public officials to conduct surveillance operations without proper authorization,” she said in an e-mail. “If those are the only changes, the NDP still cannot support this bill.”

Mr. Anandasangaree told reporters that he would be open to possible amendments to immigration provisions, which remain unchanged in Bill C-12. They restrict the ability to claim asylum and give the immigration minister the power to cancel visa applications en masse.

On Thursday, a coalition of civil-society organizations, including civil liberties, and refugee and migrant-rights groups, called for the withdrawal of both bills.

“Bill C-12 does not fix Bill C-2; it fast-tracks some of the most-egregious aspects, while still moving forward with the rest,” Tim McSorley, national co-ordinator of the International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group, said in a statement.

Click link to read the news story - https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-strong-border-bill-c2-c12-anandasangaree-police-rcmp/

HANSARD: Petition to speed up Gaza family reunification applications

Canadian Press: NDP calls on Ottawa to do more to get approved refugees out of Gaza

OTTAWA - NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan said Monday the government needs to do more to get people out of Gaza who applied for temporary visas through an extended family reunification program.

The program stopped accepting visa application on March 6, 2025, when the 5,000-applicant cap was reached. As of Aug. 1, just 860 people had arrived in Canada under the program.

Kwan, who held a press conference Monday in the foyer of the House of Commons alongside Palestinians whose family members are stuck in Gaza, said the government can find other ways to gather the necessary biometric data in war zones.

"There has been zero political will to try and bring people to safety. We have had situations whereby it is difficult for families to get their biometrics," Kwan said.

"So we are demanding action from the government. We want alternatives to the biometric measure, we want the government to evacuate and bring people out. We want the government and (Global Affairs Canada) to get on with it so we can negotiate exit visas."

The Canadian Press has reached out to Immigration Minister Lena Diab for comment but has not yet received a response.

Click link to read the news story - https://www.thecanadianpressnews.ca/national/ndp-calls-on-ottawa-to-do-more-to-get-approved-refugees-out-of-gaza/article_12053642-d4b5-510c-be8b-a3f180ce5286.html

CPAC Headline Politics: NDP MP Raises Concerns over Gaza Family Reunification Program

Speaking with reporters on Parliament Hill, NDP MP Jenny Kwan raises concerns about the federal government’s temporary resident visa (TRV) program for Palestinian Canadians’ family members in Gaza.

She is joined by Omar Omar (founder of the Gazan Canadians League), Najla Alzaanin (Gazan-Canadian with family members awaiting evacuation under the TRV program), Hana Marku (immigration and refugee lawyer), and Gur Tsabar (member of Jews Say No to Genocide Coalition and The Movement Media Hub). (no interpretation)

Click link to watch the press conference in Ottawa - https://www.cpac.ca/headline-politics/episode/ndp-mp-raises-concerns-over-gaza-family-reunification-program?id=bf9593e7-c636-446a-b77b-fab057086ae5

HANSARD: Tribue to John McCallum

Click below to read the full speech

Immigration News Canada: Canada’s $1.1-Billion Hotel Crisis For Asylum Seekers Sparks Outrage

NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan has called the approach illogical, urging the government to find more affordable and sustainable housing solutions. “Renting hotel rooms for asylum seekers at these costs doesn’t make sense,” Kwan said.

“We need a system that supports newcomers without straining public resources.”