Jenny Kwan, a member of parliament from the left-leaning New Democratic Party, said the bill "should be alarming to many Canadians".
A big chunk of the new legislation deals with curbing the flow of fentanyl and illegal weapons across the US-Canada border - an issue that US President Donald Trump has used as justification for his tariffs on Canada.
NDP public safety and immigration critic Jenny Kwan disagreed with the minister, saying the bill "should be alarming to many Canadians" because it would allow the government to breach civil liberties.
Kwan said she was particularly concerned about the planned powers to share immigration-related information and cancel applications already in the system.
She said a prospective newcomer to Canada could follow the required steps and "out of the blue, after this bill passes, the government can then just decide, 'I'm sorry, I'm just going to withdraw your application. I'm going to suspend your application. I'm just going to deny your application.'
"Is that striking a fair balance of civil liberties? I think not."
International Consortium of Investigative Journalists: Members of Parliament have called on the newly elected government to enforce a law against transnational repression following reports of Chinese authorities targeting Canadian residents.
Jenny Kwan, a member of the left-leaning New Democratic Party who herself is an “evergreen” target of the Chinese government according to Canda’s intelligence agency, told ICIJ media partner CBC News that countering transnational repression has become an urgent matter.
“In light of the CBC investigation and the reports that have now come out, you would think that this would be a priority for the government,” Kwan, who was born in Hong Kong, said in an interview. “But so far, I have yet to hear the prime minister say foreign interference, transnational repression is a top priority for them.”
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Ottawa, ON – Today, the House of Commons passed Vancouver-East NDP MP Jenny Kwan's amendment calling for explicit inclusion of Indigenous peoples as part of a motion requesting the federal government present a full economic update or budget before Parliament rises for the summer recess.
Kwan’s sub-amendment seconded by Nunavut NDP MP Lori Idlout, called for explicit inclusion of Indigenous peoples in any economic planning or fiscal accountability measures, emphasizing that economic justice and reconciliation must go hand in hand.
"It is unacceptable to leave Indigenous peoples out of conversations that have significant financial, and policy implications on their communities," said Kwan. "Any economic update or budget must include targeted measures to address the ongoing social and economic disparities with respect to funding, infrastructure or social services facing First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples.”
Kwan’s sub-amendment strengthened the motion by mandating the economic update or budget to respect the rights of Indigenous Peoples in Canada's economic future and accountability measures.
Kwan’s proposal aligns with long-standing NDP calls for reconciliation through action. By embedding Indigenous rights and needs into fiscal planning, the sub-amendment aims to hold the government accountable to its commitments under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Recommendations and the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls' Calls for Justice.
"Economic planning that excludes Indigenous voices is unjust, and out of step with Canada’s stated values," Kwan concluded. "This sub-amendment ensures that reconciliation is reflected in the decisions that shape our country’s future. This is what the NDP can do in Opposition even with just 7 members without party status - fight for you and your community and hold the government to account.”
Nearly a year after Bill C-70, the Countering Foreign Interference Act, received royal assent last June following unanimous consent from opposition parties, Kwan noted that Carney’s government is already signalling the promised foreign influence registry is not on the fast track.
Alongside amendments to the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) Act, the Security of Information Act, the Canada Evidence Act, and the Criminal Code, Bill C-70 established a new Foreign Influence Transparency and Accountability Act, which allows for the creation of a foreign agents’ registry to be administered by an independent transparency commissioner.
The Canadian Press asked Robertson if he felt home prices need to go down to restore affordability.
“No, I think that we need to deliver more supply, make sure the market is stable,” he said.
When asked the same question Tuesday, Carney said that while there are things Ottawa can do now to help with affordability — such as cutting the GST on new builds for first-time buyers — the long-term solution is to boost supply.
Click link to read the news story - https://www.ctvnews.ca/vancouver/article/new-housing-minister-says-he-lacked-tools-to-tackle-homelessness-as-vancouver-mayor/
Cutting 3,300 immigration staff will only create further chaos and delays in processing at IRCC. Many of the immigration streams are already faced with severe processing delays. We have seen little to no improvements on the processing times of the vast majority of the streams. For some it’s worse.
For decades, successive Liberal and Conservatives have rigged the system to maximize the benefit for big corporations. Since 1980, the corporate income tax rate steady dropped throughout different Liberal and Conservative governments, dropping from 36% to 15%, taking in hundreds of billions more in profit.