Thank you very much.
Minister, it's really good that you can be here for two hours today. I know you have a very busy schedule and a very active file that keeps you and the rest of us busy.
Minister, I believe all Canadians want a tough approach to non-citizens who commit serious, often violent crimes in our communities. Newcomer communities, the vast majority of whom are law abiding and follow the rules, would be among the first to agree with this sentiment.
As you know, I made it clear when this legislation was introduced that as a responsible opposition we are ready to work with the government to ensure that criminals of all backgrounds are not allowed to abuse our appeals process. But I want to make it clear to you today that our support in principle at second reading is not a blank cheque, and I am serving notice to you today that we expect the government to work with us to make sure that we protect Canadians and respect due process and the rule of law at the same time.
I will be blunt. We have serious concerns about the bill being proposed here. We are concerned with both its effectiveness in dealing with the issue of non-citizen criminality as well as its extraordinarily wide scope. In particular, Bill C-43 grants you sweeping new powers. The last thing your immigration system needs is to be criticized even more. The reality is we have a good independent system for determining admissibility, and we don't need it to be replaced at the whim of any minister.
What you've handed out here today, the handout we've just received—and just taking a cursory look at it, what struck me is that what you've handed out here are just guidelines. They will still be guidelines to you, with the discretion resting with you or with another minister.
Three times since I became the official opposition critic for immigration on refugee health cuts, on Bill C-31, and again on this legislation, you have introduced sweeping reforms only to have to backtrack under pressure. It is a clear sign that these reforms are being rushed through without proper consultation. We are hoping that on this piece of legislation you will be willing to listen to the stakeholders and the opposition to ensure that we have a piece of legislation at the end of the day that protects both Canadians and the rights of newcomers.
I notice, Minister, that your presentation gives some examples of some very egregious cases, which we agree with you we would want to have removed. However, I always hesitate when we make sweeping changes based on a few anomalies, instead of trying to attack those specific anomalies by fine-tuning the system.
On the note of consultation and listening to the opposition, my first question to you relates to your comments in the media last week when you promised to engage members of this committee on the section of this law that would allow you to bar foreign nationals from entering Canada for overly broad public policy considerations, which, I think even you must agree, captures almost everything in the world. While we appreciate the olive branch, my question is, why do we need this at all? Our border services already have the power to bar people who are a threat to our security or whose actions constitute crimes, including hate speech in Canada.
Would you be open to scrapping this ill-considered part of the legislation?