Hill Times: Government’s border security bill draws heavy criticism from civil rights groups

Since Bill C-2’s introduction, vocal critics of the legislation in the House have included NDP MP Jenny Kwan (Vancouver East, B.C.), her party’s critic for public safety, immigration, and citizenship. On June 11, Kwan told the House that the “so-called stronger borders act makes Harper’s Bill C-51 look like child’s play.”

“Bill C-2 is a sweeping attack on Canadian civil liberties. It would allow the RCMP and CSIS to make information demands from internet providers, banks, doctors, landlords and even therapists, without judicial oversight. This is not about border security. It is about government overreach and Big Brother tactics, plain and simple. It is a violation of our privacy, and it will be challenged in court,” she said in the House.

In response to Kwan, Anandasangaree defended the bill, saying the Strong Borders Act would help keep Canadians safe.

 

City TV: Vancouver MP urges federal government to reinstate port police

The federal NDP says the Liberals need to include provisions to reestablish a port policing program in the government’s new border security bill.

The original Ports Canada Police was disbanded back in 1997. A 2023 report to the City of Delta, B.C., by former Mountie and money-laundering expert Peter German says the move has allowed organized crime to take root and proliferate through Canada’s ports.

“With its disbandment, policing of port property became the responsibility of the police force of jurisdiction. For Greater Vancouver, this meant a multitude of different municipal police forces and the RCMP,” German’s report explains.

NDP MP for Vancouver East Jenny Kwan says gang activity and trafficking through the country’s ports has “increased exponentially” since then.

She says harmful goods are entering Canada and also leaving its ports for destinations like Australia, New Zealand, and some African countries.

“We have actually left a giant hole for criminal activities to target us, and that has to be closed,” said Kwan.

Globe & Mail: PMO won’t say if Carney spoke with Modi about India’s alleged role in killing of Canadian Sikh leader

Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree says Ottawa continues to have “difficult conversations” with New Delhi about the 2023 killing of a Canadian Sikh leader, but the Prime Minister’s Office has declined to say if the matter was raised earlier this week in talks between Mark Carney and his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi.

Mr. Carney ducked a question Tuesday about whether he and Mr. Modi had discussed the killing of the Sikh leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, during a one-on-one meeting that day at the G7 leaders’ summit in Kananaskis, Alta.

The Globe and Mail pressed the PMO on Wednesday about whether Mr. Nijjar’s slaying and Indian foreign interference were part of the discussions. Sikh organizations and human-rights activists have also sought clarification on what was discussed.

Mr. Carney’s press secretary, Audrey Champoux, would not comment on Wednesday. She referred The Globe to a statement the two leaders released Tuesday: “Prime Minister Carney raised priorities on the G7 agenda, including transnational crime and repression, security, and the rules-based order.”

After the meeting, the two leaders announced that they would designate new high commissioners and restore regular diplomatic services to citizens in both countries.

Bilateral relations went into a deep freeze in 2024, after then-prime minister Justin Trudeau and the RCMP said there was evidence linking agents of the Modi government to Mr. Nijjar’s slaying.

Canada expelled the Indian high commissioner and five other diplomats over the killing. India denied any role and responded with similar diplomatic expulsions.

NDP MP Jenny Kwan, an outspoken human-rights activist, said in a June 17 letter to Mr. Carney that re-establishing diplomatic normalcy with India when it has yet to account for its role in the death of Mr. Nijjar “sends a deeply painful message to Sikh Canadians who continue to live under threat.”

Major Sikh organizations and human-rights advocates also wrote a separate letter to Mr. Carney on Tuesday, saying the Nijjar killing was part of a co-ordinated campaign of transnational repression that “continues to violate Canadian sovereignty.”

Global Editorial: Another sneak attack on your privacy rights

Like another government before them, the Liberals are trying to satiate law enforcement’s perennial desire for warrantless access to personal information in the digital age by linking it to a perceived emergency.

The Conservatives under Stephen Harper did it in 2013, when Vic Toews, the public safety minister, famously said of a Liberal opposition critic that, “He can either stand with us or with the child pornographers.”

Mr. Toews was talking about the 2012 Protecting Children from Internet Predators Act, which would have given police unprecedented powers to monitor Canadians’ internet activities without a warrant.

The bill did not in fact mention children or internet predators anywhere except in its title, and the Conservatives abandoned it in 2013 under a withering public outcry.

The Carney Liberals are now throwing around the words “fentanyl,” “sex offenders” and “money laundering” in Bill C-2, and suggesting Canada’s borders are porous, for the same purpose.

Michael Geist: “Big Brother Tactics”: Why Bill C-2’s New Warrantless Disclosure Demand Powers Extend Far Beyond Internet and Telecom Providers

The government’s inclusion of warrantless information demand powers in Bill C-2 may make this the most dangerous lawful access proposal yet, exceeding even the 2010 bill led by Conservative Public Safety Minister Vic Toews. The initial concern regarding the bill’s warrantless disclosure demand unsurprisingly focused on whether the proposal was consistent with Supreme Court of Canada jurisprudence upholding the reasonable expectation of privacy in basic subscriber information (there is a strong argument it is not). The application of this new power was generally framed as a matter for telecom and Internet companies, given that companies such as Bell, Rogers, and Telus are typically the focal point for law enforcement seeking information on subscriber activity. However, it has become increasingly apparent that this is an overly restrictive reading of the provision. The Bill C-2 information demand power doesn’t just target telecom providers. It targets everyone who provides services with the prospect of near limitless targets for warrantless disclosure demands.

The Catholic Register: Pope Leo’s aid sought in freeing Hong Kong activist

A group of parliamentarians was recently thwarted in its efforts to see a motion passed in the House of Commons to grant honorary Canadian citizenship to Jimmy Lai, the prominent Catholic political prisoner jailed for his role in Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests. 

Though essentially a symbolic gesture, it was understood to be an important one taken at the outset of the June 15-17 G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alta.

The cross-party coalition seeking support for Lai included Liberal MP Judy Sgro, Conservative MPs Tony Baldinelli and Shuvaloy Majumdar, NDP MP Jenny Kwan, Bloc Québécois MP Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, Senator Pierre Dalphond and Senator Julie Miville-Dechêne.

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If Pope Leo XIV were to refer to Lai publicly it would be a divergence from papal practice since the Sino-Vatican accord on the appointment of bishops was signed in 2018. Though the late Pope Francis spoke of human rights abuses in Gaza, Sudan and Myanmar, he never spoke of China.

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In an email, a spokesperson for Lai’s defense team told the Register, “The Vatican has historically played a very important role in defending human rights around the world, and it could play a very important role in arguing for Mr. Lai's release.” 

Vancouver Archbishop Emeritus J. Michael Miller was one of 10 Catholic bishops, including Americans Cardinal Timothy Dolan and Bishop Robert Barron, who signed a 2023 petition demanding the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region “immediately and unconditionally release” Lai. At the time, Miller told the B.C Catholic, “Mr. Lai is a person of faith who is being silenced and imprisoned for his pro-democracy convictions. Justice demands that we speak up for them and give them a voice.”

Canadian Press: CSIS says India still poses a foreign interference threat as Canada renews diplomacy

B.C. NDP MP Jenny Kwan is calling on the government to suspend all security sharing and intelligence agreements with India and publicly call on the Modi government to “fully co-operate” with investigations into extrajudicial killings in Canada, including Nijjar’s murder.

Kwan sent Anandasangaree a letter saying it is “beyond disappointing” that Carney invited Modi to the G7 as security issues with India persist.

“Continuing to engage the Modi government without full transparency and accountability undermines Canada’s credibility in defending human rights and the rule of law — both at home and abroad,” Kwan wrote.

Global News: India, Iran using crime groups to target opponents in Canada, CSIS report says

On Tuesday, B.C. Premier David Eby called on Carney to add the Bishnoi gang to the government’s list of designated terrorist organizations.

The federal NDP’s public safety critic, Jenny Kwan, also wrote to Carney on Wednesday to urge his government to list Bishnoi as a terrorist group, among other things.

The letter added that Modi’s right-hand man Amit Shah “has been credibly accused of approving illegal activities on Canadian soil, yet Canada appears to be proceeding with diplomatic normalcy.”

“This is no longer simply a matter of foreign policy—it is about justice, accountability, and the safety of Canadians.”

Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said listing terrorist groups was “an independent process” done through national security agencies.

CBC: Canada 'must remain vigilant' about Indian foreign interference, CSIS report cautions

MP Jenny Kwan, the NDP public safety critic, also wrote to Carney on Wednesday calling for the government to list the Bishnoi gang as a terrorist group. She urged Carney to suspend any security and intelligence-sharing agreements with India.

Media Release: Statement by NDP Leader Don Davies

June 18th, 2025

Statement by NDP Leader Don Davies

“I have the good fortune of working with six incredible NDP MPs from across the country. They are all strong voices advocating for working people and their communities in Parliament. It is an honour to be on a team with these MPs.

I also deeply appreciate the trust that our Federal Council has placed in me to lead our party as we prepare to select a new leader.

As a political process, the selection of an interim leader is an opportunity to unite New Democrats. It is important to me that the decision of our Federal Council has the full support of our parliamentary caucus. To ensure that all in our caucus feel they are accorded the respect within the process they are due, this morning I submitted my leadership to the ratification of our full caucus.

I am pleased to report that I have received their unanimous endorsement as interim leader.

I am deeply grateful for their support and pledge that I will work diligently with them to advance the progressive policies and values that are so important to working families across our nation.

In addition, this morning our caucus requested our Caucus Chair to administer the votes prescribed under section 49 of the Parliament of Canada Act - the so-called Chong bill - so that I and my caucus colleagues could consider how we can be more accountable to each other.

By majority vote, Caucus chose to adopt sections 49.2 and 49.3, regarding expulsion and readmission of caucus members, and section 49.4, regarding election of caucus chair. By majority vote, Caucus declined to adopt section 49.5 (1) to (3), regarding leadership review.

Over the past 4 weeks, NDP MPs have already proved in the current Parliament that we punch far above our weight.

Notable achievements so far include the following:

• Passing a sub-amendment to the Speech from the Throne respecting the rights of Indigenous Peoples in determining Canada's economic future:  MP Jenny Kwan (Vancouver East)
• Tabling the first Private Members' Bill: C-201 An Act to amend the Canada Health Act (mental, addictions and substance use health services), MP Gord Johns (Courtenay - Alberni)
• Securing an Emergency Debate on wildfires in Manitoba and Saskatchewan:  MP Leah Gazan (Winnipeg Centre)
• Tabling the first Private Members' Motion: calling on Canada to recognize Palestinian statehood: MP Heather McPherson (Edmonton Strathcona)
• Advocating for the full implementation of Jordan's Principle and Inuit Child First Initiative, and pressing for an Emergency Debate in the House of Commons: MP Lori Idlout (Nunavut)
• Fighting against unfair government interference in collective bargaining at Canada Post: MP Alexandre Boulerice (Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie)
• Tabling amendments so that many marginalized Canadians, including those living with disabilities, are not hurt by tax cuts:  MP Don Davies (Vancouver Kingsway)

As a strong and united caucus dedicated to building a Canada that works for everyone, we look forward to continuing to hold this government to account while offering positive, effective and constructive proposals to make life better for all Canadians.”