We're talking about Canadian citizens and their having equal access. With respect, however, to permanent residents and those who have, as you put it, close ties to Canada—their children are living here, say—it becomes more complicated. I think we would all agree, especially those of us who have people in our constituencies with a parent or a sibling in jail, that it is really hard to tell these people you can't help them because they don't have Canadian citizenship. All of us would love to be able to find more avenues, but under the Vienna convention, most states don't have to grant us access when it comes to those who are not Canadian citizens.
On February 13th, 2018. See this statement in context.