Citizenship and Immigration Committee on Oct. 21st, 2025

[Costas Menegakis, Conservative, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON]

How many people with removal orders in Canada have been convicted of a crime?

[Aaron McCrorie]

I don't have that number readily at hand. If I look in our inventories, I can tell you the number of people—

[Costas Menegakis, Conservative, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON]

Could you table that for the committee, please?

[Aaron McCrorie]

Yes.

[Costas Menegakis, Conservative, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON]

Thank you very much.

What is the total number of individuals currently in CBSA's removal backlog who have been flagged by the RCMP as a national security threat?

[Aaron McCrorie]

I don't think any have been flagged by the RCMP as a national security threat.

Something to bear in mind when we're looking at these inadmissibilities when they're involving criminality or a national security threat, for example, is that these are people who have served their time in prison. That crime and serving of the time has rendered them inadmissible, but it doesn't necessarily mean they're a current, existing threat.

[Costas Menegakis, Conservative, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON]

Do you have an estimate or can you predict how long CBSA thinks it will take to clear up the removal backlog?

[Aaron McCrorie]

I think just the nature of the business is that as people move through the immigration system, there are always going to be people who are coming in—

[Costas Menegakis, Conservative, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON]

Of the number there right now, what do you estimate if you—

[Aaron McCrorie]

I wouldn't hazard a guess. Again, our expectation is that people comply with the law and leave voluntarily. If they don't, then we will enforce it.

[Costas Menegakis, Conservative, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON]

The average length of time it takes to finally remove somebody is how long?

[Aaron McCrorie]

The time really varies. A lot depends on a whole bunch of different circumstances.

A lot depends on whether we have their travel document or they have gone through the entire process of appealing to the IRB and doing Federal Court appeals, or asking for a pre-removal risk assessment, getting the travel documents or making travel arrangements.... It can take some time.

[Costas Menegakis, Conservative, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON]

We—

Is that it? Okay.

[The Chair, Liberal, Julie Dzerowicz]

Thank you, Mr. Menegakis. You're way past two minutes.

We have two minutes now for Ms. Sodhi.

[Amandeep Sodhi, Liberal, Brampton Centre, ON]

Perfect. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you to our witnesses for being here today.

My question is for any or all of the witnesses.

In contrast to the Harper government, which laid off over 100 CBSA officers during its time in government, our new government, through Bill C-12, is committed to hiring 1,000 new CBSA officers and 1,000 new RCMP officers and improving information-sharing abilities by IRCC.

Can you tell us how these and other measures introduced in Bill C-12 will improve your agencies' abilities to protect and uphold public safety for Canadians?

[The Chair, Liberal, Julie Dzerowicz]

Maybe we'll begin with Mr. Baylin, please, who hasn't had a chance to speak.

Then we'll go to you, Mr. McGuire.

[Richard Baylin]

From a Bill C-12 perspective, there is information sharing relative to the national Sex Offender Information Registration Act. There will be some enhancement of our ability to share information collected there. Some of the thresholds will change. That will be an investigative improvement.

There are amendments relative to the CDSA and things around precursors and law enforcement justification, which give certain immunities for specific drug investigations and an ability to classify precursors more quickly when identified.

There are provisions in there for illicit finance and amendments to the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act.

Specifically for the RCMP, those are some key pieces that we're looking forward to seeing.

[The Chair, Liberal, Julie Dzerowicz]

Mr. McGuire.

[Mike McGuire]

I would maybe add just one more to that list. There are the amendments to the Oceans Act that Bill C-12 contains. They would provide the Canadian Coast Guard with a security mandate and an ability to conduct security patrols, for example, and to share information intelligence with law enforcement and border enforcement. It will be a really important measure that will add an additional tool to the government's tool kit in terms of securing our borders.

[The Chair, Liberal, Julie Dzerowicz]

Thank you, Ms. Sodhi. That's it.

The last two minutes go to Monsieur Brunelle-Duceppe.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

I have a question for you, Mr. Baylin. What activities did the RCMP have near Roxham Road when it was open?

[Richard Baylin]

Our operations are multi-faceted. Some of that work is in co-operation with our U.S. partners. It is a matter of patrols, as well as of sensors and cameras, and just patrols reacting to crossings. That is still what we do in a number of different areas across the country.

As it existed then, although the volume was high there, it was also a challenge that we worked through, with our partners at CBSA and IRCC, from a processing perspective. As we would meet and deal with people who were crossing at that time, we would be turning them over to CBSA for processing.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Correct me if I am wrong, but when individuals crossed the border through Roxham Road, they would often be met by the RCMP. These individuals were asylum seekers. Would you take these individuals to designated facilities on Mr. Guay’s land?

[Richard Baylin]

I don't have any information in relation to anything to do with the land or what we had associated to it. If we did anything, I don't have anything.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

So none of the people here can tell me about the contracts with Mr. Guay. Were these additional facilities where your officers were working to take in asylum seekers and process them expeditiously due to the huge volume? Is there someone here who can tell me why the federal government signed contracts with Mr. Guay?