Gary Anandasangaree
Scarborough—Guildwood—Rouge Park, Ontario · Liberal · Canada
“Mr. Speaker, our government has always been committed to the safety and security of all Canadians. Any form of violence, intimidation or transnational repression targeting individuals and communities in Canada is unacceptable and punishable under Canadian law. We are taking action to protect Canadians.”
“Mr. Speaker, this is not how legislation works. We have put forward a comprehensive piece of legislation. We have consulted with a range of stakeholders, including law enforcement. Parts 1 and 2 go hand in hand. We cannot cherry-pick which parts of the act go into effect.”
“Mr. Speaker, the misinformation on firearms continues. Over 140,000 individual firearms have been declared by owners, as well as businesses. We are in the process of collecting them. We have invested in law enforcement. We are hiring 1,000 new RCMP personnel and 1,000 new CBSA officers.”
“Mr. Speaker, several weeks ago, this House, as well as the Senate, passed a motion declaring Anton Boegman as the commissioner for the transparency registry. We are working toward the establishment of the regulations, and the commission will be up and running in the upcoming weeks.”
“Mr. Speaker, the misinformation, sadly, continues on firearms. As members are aware, over 140,000 firearms have been declared by individual Canadians as well as businesses. We are in the process of collecting those firearms. What I will— Some hon. members: Oh, oh!”
“Mr. Speaker, as I have indicated before, we are deeply heartbroken that Constable Marc Pinizzotto of the Toronto Police Service and Constable Tarun Bali of the Ontario police service were killed in the line of duty last week.”
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“Madam Chair, as we were ready to table the bill, I was hoping it would be Bill C-1, but I was told that that had to be for the Speech from the Throne. With great respect, Bill C-2 is the first formal bill this 45th Parliament is debating, and we are debating it for a very good reason. It is to ensure that the safety and security of our borders are strengthened, that Canadians feel safe at home and that guns, fentanyl and illicit drugs and money do not come over our border. It is a very important step, but it is only a step. There is a lot more to do, including bail reform, which I look forward to coming back to the House for under the leadership of our Minister of Justice . As my friend heard and many in this House and I have heard, securing the border is a top priority for the Prime Minister and for this government.”
“Public safety is an issue that I have been seized with for a number of years in my riding and community, and as the Minister of Public Safety, I take great pride in this position of leadership, which has a direct impact on the safety of all Canadians and their communities. Once again, I am thankful for this invitation today. I look forward to questions.”
“The bill would keep Canadians safe by ensuring law enforcement has the right tools to keep our borders secure, to combat transnational organized crime, to stop the flow of illegal fentanyl and to crack down on money laundering. We will also train 1,000 new CBSA officers and 1,000 more RCMP personnel. Finally, further action will be taken over the coming months to keep our communities even safer, to get guns off our streets and to make bail harder to get for repeat offenders charged with car thefts, home invasions, human trafficking and drug smuggling. As the Minister of Public Safety, my top priority will always be to ensure that each and every Canadian is safe and secure in our country. As I have already mentioned, it is a responsibility that I do not take lightly.”
“The strong borders act would ensure that in addition to the increased financial support we are providing to the agencies tasked with keeping us safe, we will be, to quote the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, “modernizing legislation and equipping law enforcement with necessary tools to combat transnational organized crime in an increasingly complex threat environment.” (1925) We need to make it harder for organized crime to move money, drugs, people and firearms that endanger our communities. We need to ensure Canada's law enforcement is equipped with the tools needed to stay ahead of organized crime and is empowered to crack down on illicit activities. This is essential to maintaining the safety and security of our country. Bill C-2 , the strong borders act, would help us achieve just that.”
“For the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, the total funding sought is $980.1 million, an increase of $277.5 million, or 39.5%, over the previous year. Finally, for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the total funding sought is $6.08 billion, an increase of $1.23 billion, or 25.3%. As part of these estimates, $128.7 million has been designated to the CBSA and the RCMP to further enhance the integrity of Canada's border. As hon. members are aware, earlier this week we introduced Bill C-2 , the strong borders act. I want to thank members who have already lent their voices to debating this bill.”
“On a portfolio-wide basis, the total authorities sought in the main estimates for the fiscal year will result in funding approvals of $16.2 billion for the Public Safety portfolio. That will result in a net increase of $3.1 billion, or 23.7%, over the previous year's estimates. For Public Safety Canada, the total funding sought is $2.16 billion, which is an increase of $557.7 million, or 34.7%, over the previous year. For the Canada Border Services Agency, the total funding sought is $2.99 billion, an increase of $343.4 million, or 13%, over the previous year. For the Correctional Service of Canada, the total funding sought is $3.86 billion, an increase of $691.3 million, or 21.8%, over the previous year.”
“Every day, each of these individuals is dedicated to keeping Canadians safe and secure while they safeguard our rights and freedoms. One of the first things I did after being appointed Canada's Minister of Public Safety was meet with some of those 60,000 personnel. I went to Cornwall to meet with the CBSA and RCMP officers securing the border and protecting our country. I look forward to meeting with many public safety personnel over the coming months to thank them for their dedication to their communities and their country, and for all they do to keep Canadians safe. However, it is not enough just to thank them for their work. We must give them the tools and resources they need to do their jobs effectively.”
“Protecting the public is one of the government's foremost duties, and it is an obligation shared by all parliamentarians. As I serve in this role, I also commit to working with all members of this committee, and indeed all parliamentarians, as we aim to fulfill this fundamental obligation. These main estimates will ensure we can deliver on our collective duty to Canadians. To fulfill our obligation, we must first ensure that we can continue to support all of Public Safety's dedicated personnel, those who work hard each and every day to keep Canadians safe from harm. As a reflection of its importance to our country's security, the Public Safety portfolio is the largest non-military portfolio in the government. Altogether, the Public Safety portfolio includes over 60,000 personnel.”
“Madam Chair, I wish you and the hon. committee members a good evening. I want to thank everyone for this invitation. It is my privilege to appear before everyone as Canada's new Minister of Public Safety. Let me thank the officials who are here today. Let me also express my deepest condolences to the late Marc Garneau. His was one of the first names I learned when I came to Canada. He is a national hero. He impacted so many people and so many generations of Canadians. He served this House and Canadians with such grace and such incredible strength and integrity. I want to thank his family for sharing him with Canada. I am humbled and honoured by the Prime Minister 's appointment. I recognize it is a role that comes with great responsibility. I am to undertake my duties to serve Canadians with the utmost dedication and commitment.”
“Madam Chair, of course, Bill C-2 is one aspect of the way we are going to fix this. If members look at the provisions relating to the sharing of information within the IRCC and among different agencies of the federal government and provincial government, it is one way to track the number of people who are here or who have left. Of course, the role of the CBSA is also to enforce removals that are put in front of it, and we look forward to ensuring that expedited removals take place.”
“Madam Chair, we have already implemented the first part, which is obtaining firearms from businesses. I think around 12,000 firearms have been recovered. We look forward to launching the next phase of this in short order. We are in the process of looking at options, but I can assure the member that we will be moving forward with the second part of this.”
“Madam Chair, I was in Akwesasne about two weeks ago, and I met with the grand chief and many other chiefs. I had the opportunity to understand the complex nature of that border. I look forward to working with not just Akwesasne but other first nations and indigenous communities to strengthen their borders.”
“Madam Chair, Correctional Service Canada works to ensure that all offenders, including gender-diverse offenders, are in an environment that contributes to their safety, safe rehabilitation and reintegration. CSC may place or transfer a gender-diverse offender to an institution that better aligns with their gender unless there are overriding health or safety concerns that cannot be resolved.”
“Madam Chair, I completely agree with my colleague opposite. The recruitment of officers solely in English is unacceptable. We are a bilingual country, and the RCMP is a bilingual organization. We believe in official bilingualism, and we will ensure that the RCMP improves its methods and ensures that there are bilingual processes for recruitment.”
“Madam Chair, the best way to support Canadians is deterrence. One of the things Bill C-2 incorporates is deterrence of those who may be crossing through irregular ports of entry. We believe that other measures contained in the bill would support deterrence of those who are crossing the border irregularly.”
“Madam Chair, we are investing $1.3 billion to strengthen our border. That includes armed personnel who will be deployed. We also are now using Black Hawk helicopters. There are three of them deployed across Canada. I have had a chance to visit the border in a Black Hawk helicopter to see the impact they are having on border crossings.”
“Madam Chair, we have committed to hiring, training and deploying 1,000 new RCMP officers. The plan has not been fully fleshed out yet. I look forward to sharing that plan, once it is available, with my colleague opposite.”
“Madam Chair, I had a chance to meet with the CBSA union. I had a really good conversation with its members. There are about 10,000 frontline officers who currently secure our border, including the RCMP and the CBSA. Our commitment is to add 1,000 RCMP and 1,000 CBSA officers so that our border could be strengthened with those resources.”
“Madam Chair, whether it is with respect to people retiring or people going into other careers, we often do replenish them within the CBSA. A thousand additional officers will be hired and trained. I do not have a specific plan right now, but I look forward to presenting that to the member.”
“Madam Chair, the number of border service officer graduates from the Canada Border Services Agency has continuously increased over the years since 2016, with the exception of 2020 due to COVID. We look forward to hiring and training the 1,000 CBSA officers over the next couple of years.”
“Madam Chair, day in and day out, approximately 8,600 Canada Border Services Agency frontline personnel play a crucial role protecting communities. We committed in the campaign, which I have reiterated a number of times, to hiring 1,000 new CBSA officers. I had a chance to meet some of them, and they do a phenomenal job in protecting our borders.”
“Madam Chair, I have met with many of those who have been impacted by intimate partner violence. In my previous role as parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Justice, I met with many, many organizations and women who—”
“Madam Chair, there are many elements to the border bill, including ensuring that those who are convicted under this have information disclosed when they travel. There are many other elements I will be—”
“Madam Chair, the government is willing to invest in order to get guns off our streets, guns that legitimately should not be in the hands of individuals. Of course, there are legitimate hunters and farmers and others who have guns. The number he cited is patently false. There is a certain number of weapons that we want to get off—”
“Madam Chair, Bill C-21 was brought in to protect the safety and security of Canadians. There are legal gun owners. There are hunters who legitimately hunt. It should not be impacting those individuals.”
“Madam Chair, once again, Correctional Service Canada makes that determination. It is an independent body. It is up to Correctional Service Canada to make the decision, and this is the way it should be.”
“Madam Chair, I have been the minister for three weeks. Based on my understanding of my portfolio, this matter falls under the purview of Correctional Service Canada, and it is up to it to make these determinations, not the minister.”
“Madam Chair, I have already addressed this issue. The Correctional Service of Canada contributes to the safety of our institutions and communities by ensuring that all inmates are placed in institutions that match their security level. Inmates are classified based on the necessary degree of supervision.”
“Mr. Speaker, I look forward to having a longer discussion with my friend opposite. We were elected on April 30. The Prime Minister had a mandate to ensure that we address the border issues. As a first act of Parliament, we brought in this legislation, and we are looking for support from all parties to get this bill through the House.”
“Mr. Speaker, there are two elements that I want to highlight. First and foremost, the sharing of information is subject to judicial oversight, and it is clearly written in the bill. I invite my friend, who I know is a learned individual and whom I have worked with extensively in the past, to understand that it is a safeguard built into the bill. This is not about taking away privacy rights or in any way impinging on the privacy rights of Canadians. It is about securing the ability of law enforcement to have limited access, with judicial oversight. That is in there. With respect to the sharing of information with third countries, again, safeguards relating to IRPA are in place and are embedded in the bill.”
“Mr. Speaker, let me be very clear. The issue around lawful access requires modernization in Canada. We are the only Five Eyes and G7 country that does not have a lawful access regime. Every other country in our category has provisions to ensure that as new technology emerges, new techniques are available for law enforcement. Having said that, this bill does not violate the civil liberties or rights of individual Canadians. It is subject to judicial oversight. This bill was only introduced two days ago. There will be a charter statement coming, and there will be a robust debate on this issue.”
“Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend and colleague for her hard work and her comments. One thing the member has been advocating for for many years is the issue of auto theft. While we know the numbers with respect to auto theft are coming down, whether it is in the city of Toronto or across Canada, the tools that law enforcement need have to be strengthened, and this bill would ensure that. I highlighted the issue of inspections upon export. Right now, although the legal authority to do them exists, the physical space and capacity do not exist in most ports of exit, and this is one tangible thing included in this bill that would enable the CBSA to do searches.”
“Mr. Speaker, let me see if I understood the question properly. With respect to the measures, the additional tools that are given to the Minister of Immigration, particularly the suspension of documents, are subject to an order in council that has to go through cabinet, and it has to be approved before the minister can exercise control. If I misunderstood the question, I would be glad to speak with the member further, but the tools are in place to ensure that the Minister of Immigration has additional tools so that in the modern era, whether we have, for example, a pandemic or issues around cybersecurity, she will have the tools to make those decisions.”
“Mr. Speaker, first, I want to acknowledge my critic opposite. I have worked with him before at committee, and I look forward to working with him in this role. Let me be very clear. We will be bringing forward criminal justice legislation in due course. This is the first bill that our government has introduced, which is to ensure that we have a safer border and safer streets. With respect to changes to the Criminal Code, once again, we look forward to working with all parties in order to keep Canadians safer.”
“The bill that we have brought forward is a response to what we heard at the doors. Many of us heard about the concerns that Canadians have. This is a moment when all of us can come together and ensure that our borders are safer and secure. As a result, our communities and our streets would be safer and more secure. This should be a non-partisan exercise, and I invite our friends opposite, all of the parties, to support this bill.”
“In all of these steps, whether it is on the basis of reasonable grounds to suspect or reasonable grounds to believe, it is through judicial authorization. It is something that I want to be very, very clear about. It is a tool that is so essential right now for law enforcement to be able to investigate many of the crimes that are now evolving in a modern era, where so much information is within individuals' control. Bill C-2 would enact significant penalties for illicit financing, and it would enable law enforcement and agencies to enforce, in a much stricter way, penalties for any form of illicit fundraising that takes place. Let me just conclude by saying that we committed to investing in 1,000 new CBSA officers and 1,000 new RCMP officers. They are critical.”
“If it is with that company, then, if additional information is required, law enforcement would go to court and seek a production order, which is through an affidavit and an application to court, to be able to get, on the basis of what is called reasonable grounds to suspect, authorization to get information on a subscriber, very basic information on a subscriber. It oftentimes includes name, address and phone number, very basic information. The fourth element is this. If there is a much more serious investigation taking place, where law enforcement believes that something may have happened, it can file, on the basis of reasonable grounds to believe, an application to the court, once again, to seek authorization toward additional investigation.”
“Let me just quickly walk through some of the major components of the amendments related to lawful access. First and foremost, we are seeking for CSPs to be able to have the capacity to share data. Right now, not all service providers have that capability. This essentially compels service providers to have the capacity to share data. Second, it would enable law enforcement to go to a service provider and ask if the phone number they have is with that company. It is simply a yes-or-no question.”
“To combat transnational organized crime and fentanyl, we are proposing to amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act to change the pathway to allow precursor chemicals that can be used to produce illicit drugs to be rapidly controlled by the Minister of Health. Currently, it can take up to a year. This would happen within days or weeks, which would enable us to be close to changes in precursors and the impact of new precursors on the drug supply. It would be an important tool for us. We are also introducing amendments to support authorized access to information, to ensure that electronic service providers have the capabilities in place to support legally authorized requests from law enforcement and CSIS. I have already heard some misunderstandings of what we are trying to do.”
“For example, it would limit the safe third country agreement provision where someone makes a claim after 14 days when they come through an irregular port of entry; they would no longer be eligible for an asylum claim. Similarly, those who have been in-country for more than a year and have not sought asylum before the one-year period are ineligible. In both cases, the safeguard that is in place is the availability of what is called a pre-removal risk assessment, which would ensure that those seeking protection and those in need of protection will have protection within Canada. It abides by our commitments to the UN convention on refugees.”
“We would amend the act to disclose information for the purpose of co-operation with federal partners and to uphold the integrity and fairness of the asylum system, including by streamlining the intake, processing and adjudication of claims. As an example here, the sharing of information between federal and provincial partners is critical. However, it does not lead towards sharing of information with foreign actors without the express written consent of the minister of IRCC, which is subject to many multilateral and bilateral agreements that currently exist. It will ensure, once again, the safety and privacy rights of those who come to Canada. (1125) The strong borders act would also create new ineligibility measures to make certain claims ineligible to be referred to the Immigration and Refugee Board.”
“We would be amending the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and the Department of Citizenship and Immigration Act, and we would secure and extend legislative authorities to cancel, suspend or vary immigration documents and cancel or suspend processing of new applications en masse for reasons determined to be in the public interest. A perfect example of this is the number of applications that came in for temporary resident permits during COVID. We were compelled to process them, because there was no mechanism under IRPA to be able to cancel or suspend those applications. This essentially gives additional tools to the minister of IRCC to do just that.”
“This amendment would ensure that space will be available for that inspection to take place, which is a critical tool for us to fight, for example, auto thefts. We are proposing to amend the Oceans Act to add security-related activities, such as countering criminal activity and drug trafficking, and enable the Canadian Coast Guard to conduct security patrols and share information with security, defence and intelligence partners. We would be amending the Sex Offender Information Registration Act to enhance the ability of law enforcement agencies to share information collected under the act with domestic and international partners.”
“When developing the legislation that is before the House, the government had three major objectives: one, secure the border; two, combat transnational organized crime and fentanyl; three, disrupt illicit financing. To secure the border, we propose to amend the Customs Act to compel transporters and warehouse operators to provide access to their premises to allow for export inspections by CBSA officers, and require owners and operators of certain ports of entry and exit to provide facilities to export inspections, just as they currently do for imports. Just to be clear, currently the law allows the CBSA to do inspections upon exit of goods from Canada. However, there is no compulsion of any of these organizations to provide the adequate space and resources to do the inspection.”
“Transnational organised crime groups are exploiting this gap to victimize our communities across the country through serious crimes such as human, drug and firearm trafficking, auto theft, and violent profit-driven crime. The provisions contained within the Strong Borders Act are an important step in advancing Canadian law enforcement's ability to effectively combat the ever-evolving nature of transnational organized criminal groups. The Insurance Bureau of Canada added that the strong borders act is “an important step toward combating auto theft & organized crime. This legislation shows leadership and is a win for Canadians.” The strong borders act is a win for Canadians and deals a blow to transnational organized crime.”
“(1120) The Canadian Centre for Child Protection, an incredible organization, a national charity dedicated to the personal safety of all children and whose goal is to reduce the sexual abuse and exploitation of children, said that the changes proposed in the strong borders act “would reduce barriers Canadian police face when investigating the growing number of online crimes against children [and] have the full support” of the organization. Let me also quote from the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, which made a statement yesterday: Canada’s legislation related to lawful access is significantly outdated and urgently needs to be revised to align with modern technology. Canada lags behind its international law enforcement partners in the ability to lawfully access electronic evidence associated with criminal activity.”
“Speaker, permit me to share the comments by Marta Leardi-Anderson, the executive director of the Cross-Border Institute at the University of Windsor, who said that the new measures are “long overdue”. Équité, the national authority on insurance crime and fraud prevention, said: This legislation directly supports law enforcement and the CBSA in strengthening their ability to combat sophisticated criminal networks threatening the safety and security of communities across Canada.... [T]he enhanced authorities granted to CBSA and law enforcement agencies...will strengthen our collective ability to disrupt illegal operations, including the trafficking and distribution of drugs and firearms funded by the proceeds of auto theft.”
“First off, the Canadian Police Association, the largest law enforcement advocacy organization in Canada and the national voice for over 60,000 frontline law enforcement personnel serving across every province and territory, said: [T]his proposed legislation would provide critical new tools for law enforcement, border services, and intelligence agencies to address transnational organized crime, auto theft, firearms and drug trafficking, and money laundering. It's important to emphasize that these are not abstract issues, our members see first-hand that they have real impacts in communities across the country and require a coordinated and modern legislative response. Mr.”
“The bill would give us the tools needed to, for example, clamp down on clandestine drug production by stopping the flow of precursor chemicals that are used to make fentanyl. We would go after transnational child sex offenders by sharing more information with domestic and international policing partners and crack down on money laundering to hit organized crime groups where it hurts. Further, the strong borders act would strengthen measures to stamp out immigration fraud, improve the asylum system and protect the integrity of our visas. My colleagues do not have to take my word for it; let me share some of the perspectives already offered on this bill.”
“When I spoke to them, they spoke about some of the challenges and limitations they have and some of the basic tools they are missing, tools they need in order to do their work effectively and efficiently to ensure that our borders are safer. It is a safe border, but we want to make it safer. The strong borders act would keep Canadians safe by, for example, equipping law enforcement with the tools needed to disrupt, dismantle and prosecute the organized criminal networks threatening our communities. It would grant border officers more powers to search export containers to stop auto theft rings from smuggling stolen cars out of the country. It would update the Coast Guard's mission and responsibilities to protect our sovereignty and conduct security patrols to collect, analyze and share information and intelligence for security purposes.”