Bob Dechert

[Faster Removal of Foreign Criminals Act, January 30th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, the member will know that it is not only Conservative members of Parliament who have been making this case about Clinton Gayle and Constable Baylis. In fact, The Globe and Mail said exactly the same thing.

The Globe and Mail said:

The infamous example of Clinton Gayle underscores the need for such legislation.

A Jamaican citizen who was convicted in Canada of multiple criminal offences, Mr. Gayle was able to remain in the country long after a 1991 deportation order, because of the immigration appeals process. In 1996, he shot two Toronto police officers, killing one of them.

The member will know that if Mr. Gayle had not had the opportunity to make the appeal in the first place, he would not have been in Canada and had the opportunity to kill that police officer.

[Faster Removal of Foreign Criminals Act, January 30th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, when I left off earlier I was telling the hon. members here that under the current law a foreign criminal may be ordered deported if they could receive a maximum sentence in Canada of at least 10 years for their crime, or if they receive an actual sentence of more than six months.

The problem is that under the current law, as long as the sentence is less than two years, a permanent resident can appeal their deportation to the immigration appeal division. If they lose that appeal, they may then apply for leave and judicial review of that decision to the federal court.

As a result, serious foreign criminals, even violent and dangerous ones, are often able to take advantage of a sentence of two years less a day to delay deportation from Canada for many months, even years on end. Not surprisingly, those serious convicted foreign criminals have all too often gone on to commit new crimes in Canada and to victimize even more innocent Canadians.

Let me give just one example of how convicted foreign criminals have made a mockery of our judicial and immigration systems, while endangering the safety and security of ordinary Canadians. As Canadians have read in the media, Patrick Octaves De Florimonte arrived as a permanent resident from Guyana in 1994. Within two years of his arrival he was convicted of a serious crime, assault with a weapon. Less than a year later, he was convicted of two more crimes, theft and possession of a narcotic. One year later, he was convicted once again of assault. Just six more months passed and he had already faced yet another conviction for uttering threats.

Members can imagine where the story goes. In December 2005, Mr. De Florimonte was convicted of five counts of trafficking in crack cocaine. For this crime, he received his first sentence of longer than six months. Shortly after serving his 13-month sentence, he was convicted once again of assault with a weapon and for uttering threats. Mr. De Florimonte was reported for criminal inadmissibility in October 2006, but he was able to delay his removal when he filed an appeal with the immigration appeal division. His appeal was declared abandoned after he failed to show up for his hearing, but he was then able to reopen his appeal.

The immigration appeal division ultimately dismissed his appeal but he was able to further delay his removal once again when he asked the federal court to review the decision. The court denied his request in March 2011, and in October 2011, when he failed to report for his removal, a warrant was issued for his arrest. That was five years after he was initially reported for criminal inadmissibility.

Enough is enough. This has to stop. It is time to send a clear message to foreign criminals, such as Mr. De Florimonte, that if they commit a serious crime in Canada, we are going to give them a one-way ticket out of Canada as fast as we can. With Bill C-43, we are doing just that. We are putting a stop to convicted foreign criminals who rely on appeal after appeal in order to delay their removal from Canada during which time they continue to terrorize innocent Canadians.

Living in Canada is a privilege and we require very little of people to maintain their permanent residency. One of the very few things, however, that we do require is that they do not go out and commit a serious crime. We do not think that is too much to ask of someone who we have welcomed into our country with open arms. If people do commit serious crimes, they will get their day in court because everyone, even a foreign criminal, deserves that.

With Bill C-43 foreign criminals would still get their day in court, but what they will not get is years in court. Abusing our process is a desperate, last ditch effort to delay their removal from Canada. In other words, foreign criminals deserve due process but not endless process.

Shortly after its tabling, media commentary and editorials were enthusiastic in their support of Bill C-43. The Globe and Mail wrote that the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism had made a convincing case for a new law allowing the swift deportation of convicted criminals. The tiny share of immigrants and refugees who lack citizenship and are convicted of serious crimes on Canadian soil forfeit their right to be here. Sun Media columnist, Lorne Gunter, meanwhile wrote that Bill C-43 is “so sensible it will probably surprise most Canadians that the new policy isn't already the law of the land”.

We think that virtually every Canadian would agree with the need to implement the fair and reasonable measures found in the faster removal of foreign criminals act. I am confident that my hon. colleagues in the House share this sentiment and will express this by supporting the bill.

[Faster Removal of Foreign Criminals Act, January 29th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to rise in the House today on Bill C-43, the faster removal of foreign criminals act. I think that title is very important.

As we all know, Canada has long been a destination of choice for immigrants. We have one of the highest per capita rates of permanent immigration in the world, and we accept so many immigrants that one in five Canadians today was born outside of Canada. In my riding of Mississauga—Erindale, 65% of my constituents were born outside of Canada.

I raised the issue of the bill just this last Sunday at a New Year's levee in my riding. There were 400 people in the room. I would say 300 of those 400 people were born outside of Canada. When I raised the topic of the bill, there was a standing ovation. This is what Canadians want us to do.

Canadians are generous and welcoming people, but they have no tolerance or patience for foreign criminals who abuse our generosity by fighting a futile battle to stay here long after they have worn out their welcome. Make no mistake, there are countless examples of convicted criminals who have done just that, including drug traffickers, murderers and even child abusers.

The faster removal of foreign criminals act would ensure that foreign criminals, who had been sentenced in Canada for serious crimes, cannot endlessly delay their deportation. It would do so by removing the right of appeal to the immigration appeal division at the Immigration and Refugee Board, which would help expedite the removal of anyone who receives a sentence of six months or more.

The legislation would also bar those who have committed serious crimes outside of Canada from accessing the immigration appeal division. By limiting access to the immigration appeal division, the government estimates that the amount of time certain criminals may remain in Canada would be reduced by 14 months or more.

Currently, a foreign criminal may be ordered deported if they could receive a maximum sentence in Canada of at least 10 years for their crime, or if they receive an actual sentence of more than six months. The problem is that under current law, as long as their sentence is less than two years, a permanent resident may appeal their deportation to the immigration appeal division, and if they lose that—

[International Trade, January 28th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the treaty entitled “Agreement between the Government of Canada and the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to Taxes on Income”, done at Hong Kong on November 11, 2012.

An explanatory memorandum is included with the treaty.

[Committees of the House, December 12th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, Canada has moved 11 times, from the very early stages of the violence in Syria, to put specific sanctions on the Assad regime and on particular individuals within the regime. In addition, more sanctions were announced earlier today against several more members of the Assad regime. Another 10 individuals and three entities were added to the list of designated persons who are subject to prohibitions on dealings under existing Canadian sanctions.

We continue to call upon Russia, China and the United Nations to put further sanctions on the Assad regime through the United Nations Security Council. We believe that if they were to do that, those sanctions would have a real impact on ending the violence in Syria. We continue to call upon our colleagues at the United Nations to make sure that the United Nations Security Council passes those sanctions resolutions.

[Committees of the House, December 12th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, that member has shown up on other occasions. He did not on that particular occasion. The point I wanted to make was that had he been there, he would have known that we received comments from members of the Syrian-Canadian community about the funds they had been raising. We thanked them for the funds they had raised, but they were not clear about the amount that had been raised. The Canadian government has gone far beyond any amount the Syrian community has raised to date, to my knowledge.

We always stand ready to consider what more can be done. Canadians are encouraged to donate through the International Red Cross, which Canada has also done for humanitarian relief.

Our government will continue to assess the situation, as the Minister of Foreign Affairs has done today, and to provide humanitarian assistance, as necessary, to support the countries in the region that are doing such a good job caring for those people who have fled the violence in Syria.

[Committees of the House, December 12th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, had that member come the day the committee was studying--

[Committees of the House, December 12th, 2012]

Maybe I will just wait until the member finishes ranting, Mr. Speaker.

As I mentioned earlier, our government is supplying more humanitarian relief on a per capita basis than any other country in the world, including an additional $5 million today for Jordan. We are responding to the need as quickly as we can.

That member did not bother to show up at the committee meetings a few weeks ago when we were studying this--

[Committees of the House, December 12th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the “tone” of the hon. member, and I use that term loosely, is rather unfortunate. People are dying every day for the cause of freedom.

Our government has, as I mentioned--

[Committees of the House, December 12th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I share the hon. member's concern about the possible use of chemical weapons in Syria. It would not surprise me if that brutal regime did something so heinous.

Our government has actually provided more humanitarian relief to Lebanon, Jordan and other countries in the region on a per capita basis than any other country in the world. Earlier today, more humanitarian relief assistance to Jordan was announced by the Minister of International Cooperation of an additional $5 million. I hope that will help. We will continue doing more as and when it is necessary.

With respect to the acceleration of family-class immigrant applicants, the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism has announced that we are accelerating those applications and will continue to review the situation as it unfolds.