Public Safety / Bill C-2

PUBLIC SAFETY #15: Bill C-12 NDP-1 Amendment

HANSARD: Table petition calling government to withdraw Bill C-2

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/

Globe & Mail: Public Safety Minister set to table new version of strong borders bill after slew of criticism

The NDP’s public safety and immigration critic, Jenny Kwan, has also expressed serious concerns about the bill and, at its second reading debate last month, called for it to be withdrawn entirely.

The bill has yet to progress to its committee stage or to the Senate. But as this is a minority government, it will need the support of MPs from other parties to push it through.

Parliamentary papers that indicate future business in the House of Commons show that Mr. Anandasangaree is due to present another strong borders bill within days.

An analysis by the Library of Parliament, reported by The Globe and Mail in August, warned that the government’s proposed strong-borders legislation risked infringing on Canadians’ Charter rights if passed, including the right to be treated equally under the law.

The study by experts at the library, which carries out research for MPs and senators, also noted that Bill C-2 could lead to discriminatory profiling and targeting by law enforcement and that some of its provisions – including a proposal to allow Canada Post to open letters – would jeopardize the privacy of Canadians.

Click link to read the news story - https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-strong-borders-bill-c-2/

HANSARD: Debating Bill C-8 An Act Respecting Cyber Security

Globe & Mail: Strong-borders bill could compromise cybersecurity in Canada, experts warn

Ottawa’s proposed strong-borders legislation could compromise cybersecurity in Canada by prohibiting electronic service providers from warning each other of vulnerabilities found in their systems so they can bolster their defences against hackers, experts warn.

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association said the proposed legislation, known as Bill C-2, contains a “sweeping provision” that, if the bill becomes law, would introduce a secrecy requirement running counter to how cybersecurity works.

The “prohibition on disclosure” covering electronic service providers includes a ban on disclosing “information related to a system vulnerability or potential systemic vulnerabilities in electronic protections employed by that service provider.”

Bill C-2 is currently at second reading in the Commons. On Tuesday, NDP public safety critic Jenny Kwan called in the Commons for the bill’s withdrawal, saying it was flawed and would give the government fresh surveillance powers and compromise Canadians’ privacy.

She said it could allow law enforcement to demand information, without a warrant, about whether Canadians have used a range of services, including psychiatrists.

Click link to read the news story - https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-strong-borders-bill-could-compromise-cybersecurity-experts-warn/

HANSARD: Bill C-2 Strong Border Act debate