Yes, we have. In fact, let me tell you something honestly. The genesis of this bill was probably shortly after I became minister four years ago—four years ago this week. My goodness.
I was approached by members of the Vietnamese community in Calgary whom I knew who were outraged that a notorious gangster named Jackie Tran, who had multiple criminal convictions, had successfully delayed his deportation through precisely these IAD appeals.
Jackie Tran, like many sophisticated crime bosses, was smart enough to get other people, often young people, to do his dirty work for him, so he never got picked up on a major offence such as murder, although it was well known that his thugs were responsible for many gangland murders of the kind you just described. The community was being terrorized because he and his gang, the so-called “Fresh Off the Boat Killers”—their own name—were going around terrorizing Vietnamese shop owners and people in the community.
The community came to me and said to me, “Why are you allowing Jackie Tran to stay in Canada?” I went to the department and asked, “Why are we allowing Jackie Tran to stay in Canada?” They said, “Well, Minister, here's the case, and here's how he's been able to delay his removal by appealing to the IAD.” Maybe there was a technical problem and it got sent back; then they went to the Federal Court, and that got sent back. It went on for years. I think the case of Jackie Tran went on for nearly six years of delay.
So, Mr. Menegakis, the departmental officials will tell you that I've been bugging them about coming up with amendments like this now for the better part of four years, and it came out of what I learned about the Jackie Tran case, about the victims—the indirect murder victims—of his gang in Calgary.
This is why, for example, Sharon Rosenfeldt, president of Victims of Violence, has said that Victims of Violence supports Bill C-43 and is very pleased with the government’s announcement of changes to legislation that would make it easier for the government to remove dangerous foreign criminals from our country:
As an organization that works with victims of violent crimes and their families, we applaud this proposed change. We feel that streamlining the deportation of convicted criminals from Canada will make our country safer. Limiting access to the Immigration and Refugee Board’s Immigration Appeal Division...is an important proactive step in ensuring the safety of all Canadians.
I have a long list of other endorsements from similar organizations.