Citizenship and Immigration Committee on Oct. 21st, 2025

[Amandeep Sodhi, Liberal, Brampton Centre, ON]

Thank you.

My next question is for IRB.

Can you tell us about the current trends in terms of the decreased number of asylum seekers that Canada has seen arrive this year in comparison to last year and previous years?

[Manon Brassard]

As you know, we don't control intake, and we manage the cases as they arrive with us. I can say that 155,000 and 176,000 were a record intake numbers for the last two years. Looking at trends of claims referred, we're looking at about 100,000. What can create those is world events, conflicts and a multitude of events.

[The Chair, Liberal, Julie Dzerowicz]

Thank you so much, Ms. Brassard.

We now have a final two minutes with Mr. Brunelle-Duceppe.

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

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Welcome to the committee, Ms. Brassard.

A number of migrant rights advocacy groups have reached out to the committee recently after Bill C‑12 was tabled. If the bill is passed as drafted, the proposed changes will have significant consequences on the way you do things.

I understand that you may not be able to share your opinion on a government bill, but I suppose you have reviewed this document. Can you tell the committee what organizational changes you will need to make if Bill C‑12 were passed?

[Manon Brassard]

It is a little early to say because we do not yet have the regulations. Many aspects in the bill refer to regulations.

Nevertheless, we are starting to look at our computer systems and how we can change the systems, obviously. If there are changes pertaining to abandonment, we will need to adapt hearings to the new process under the law. We will also look into how we will organize ourselves if there are changes to how the information in these files is delivered to us.

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

I do understand that the minister can no longer be called before you.

How do you perceive the withdrawal of this right for some individuals who may have wanted to see the minister or an official testify before you?

[Manon Brassard]

It will be case-specific. The minister can always send a representative if they want to bring forward an issue. The bill will not take away our ability to summon the minister, but we will decide cases based on the evidence in front of us.

[The Chair, Liberal, Julie Dzerowicz]

Thank you so much.

I'm sorry, Mr. Brunelle-Duceppe. That is your time.

Thank you, Ms. Brassard.

I want to thank all the witnesses for the excellent testimony over the last hour; it's gone by very quickly.

We're now going to suspend for five minutes, so that the current witnesses can leave. We will then invite the witnesses from the second panel to set up.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Julie Dzerowicz]

Welcome back.

I would now like to welcome our witnesses for the second panel.

From the Canada Border Services Agency, we have Aaron McCrorie, vice-president of intelligence and enforcement. From the Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, we have Mike McGuire, director general of international and border policy. From the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, we have Richard Baylin, assistant commissioner of federal policing, and Jennifer Gates-Flaherty, director general of Canadian criminal real time identification services.

I extend a warm welcome to all of you.

Each group will have five minutes for opening remarks, after which we will proceed with rounds of questions.

I believe Mr. McGuire will start for the first five minutes. Mr. McGuire, please, go ahead.

[Mike McGuire, Director General, International and Border Policy, Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

Thank you, members of the committee, for inviting us here today.

My name is Mike McGuire. I'm the director general of international and border policy at Public Safety Canada.

I am very pleased to join my public safety colleagues here today to talk about the work we are doing to manage our border and immigration systems in close partnership with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, IRCC.

The administration of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act is a shared responsibility between the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship and the Minister of Public Safety.

The Minister of Public Safety has specific authorities under the IRPA that are primarily related to serious inadmissibility due to security concerns and the enforcement of the IRPA and border legislation at the border and inland. These specific responsibilities include supporting the immigration security screening process upon the referral of applications from IRCC, enforcing detention and removal orders for individuals who are inadmissible to Canada, and developing policies related to immigration and security.

Specific grounds of inadmissibility for which the Minister of Public Safety is responsible include national security grounds, including engaging in active espionage, subversion, terrorism or violence against Canada, or being a member of an organization that engages in such activities; human or international rights violations, including gross human rights violations, genocide, a war crime or a crime against humanity; organized criminality, including people smuggling, trafficking in persons or laundering of money, or other proceeds of crime; and transborder criminality on entering Canada for prescribed offences.

I'd like to take a moment to expand on the role the Public Safety portfolio plays in keeping bad actors from coming to Canada through its immigration security screening program. With support from the RCMP, the Canada Border Services Agency and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service lead the portfolio's efforts to ensure that individuals entering Canada are subject to appropriate security screening and do not pose a threat to the security of Canada.

Here is how it works. IRCC conducts an initial assessment of all foreign nationals who apply from outside Canada. This initial assessment includes a review of departmental databases and risk indices. Based on the results of this assessment, IRCC identifies applications that warrant further security screening by the Public Safety portfolio. Following a security screening that looks at the inadmissibility criteria I referred to earlier, the CBSA provides a non-binding recommendation to support a final decision by IRCC officers or the Immigration and Refugee Board. The ultimate decision to grant status to a foreign national, including after considering the result of security screening, lies with IRCC.

I would now like to take a moment to talk about the link between immigration and the Government of Canada’s Border Plan.

The plan provides $1.3 billion in funding and introduces a suite of concrete measures to further strengthen border security, disrupt the illegal trade in fentanyl and other drugs, and improve operational coordination and information sharing.

Let me highlight some of the major immigration-related outcomes and measures in the plan.

Since July 2024, the number of illegal crossings from Canada to the United States is down by 99% from its June 2024 peak. This is due to tighter visa integrity measures taken by our colleagues at IRCC, improved enforcement along the border, and expanded information sharing between Canada and the United States.

Security at points of entry and exit has also been strengthened through increased surveillance using drones, patrols and helicopters, and the deployment of more resources. This has enabled us to have ongoing surveillance and patrols to detect threats along the border, respond as necessary and investigate the threats.

More resources have been assigned to enforce removals of inadmissible individuals from Canada. Last fiscal year, more than 18,000 removals were enforced, the most in over a decade.

Finally, as you are aware, Bill C-12 proposes several new measures to enhance the integrity of the immigration system.

Public Safety Canada continues to play a strategic role in border management, focusing on policy leadership and coordination, in close collaboration with portfolio partners and IRCC.

I will now hand over to my colleagues for a more detailed explanation of the role their agencies play in the day-to-day application of the ministerial powers of the Minister of Public Safety under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Julie Dzerowicz]

That was perfect timing, Mr. McGuire, thank you.

Now I'm going to turn to the Canada Border Services Agency and Mr. McCrorie, vice-president, intelligence and enforcement, for five minutes.

[Aaron McCrorie, Vice-President, Intelligence and Enforcement, Canada Border Services Agency]

Thank you, Madam Chair, and good afternoon.

I'm Aaron McCrorie, the vice-president of intelligence and enforcement at the Canada Border Services Agency. It is a pleasure to be here today with my colleagues from Public Safety and the RCMP.

The CBSA's work contributes to many of the objectives of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, or IRPA. These include protecting public safety by denying access to Canada for criminals or security risks while facilitating the entry of legitimate travellers. In doing so, we maximize the benefits of immigration, strengthen the multicultural fabric of Canada and protect public safety.

To help maintain the integrity of our immigration system and keep Canada safe and secure, the CBSA exercises its mandate prior to the border, at the border, at official ports of entry and after the border.

Prior to arrival, as noted by my colleague from Public Safety, the CBSA works with IRCC and CSIS to screen visa applicants and all refugee claimants. When we identify those who are inadmissible due to serious concerns such as criminality, complicity in war crimes, crimes against humanity and national security issues, we provide a non-favourable recommendation to IRCC, which is the decision-maker. So far this fiscal year, we have closed over 37,465 cases, with 394 non-favourable recommendations.

In addition, our national targeting centre assesses all air travellers coming to Canada for security threats, or travellers who may be inadmissible. So far this calendar year, the national targeting centre, working with our network of international liaison officers, helped stop 2,480 inadmissible individuals from coming to Canada. So far in 2025, about 64 million travellers have arrived at Canada's ports of entry, where CBSA facilitates the flow of legitimate travellers, grants temporary resident status, supports acquisition of permanent resident status and processes claims for refugee protection.

Our border services officers also identify those who may be inadmissible and either allow them to leave or prepare an inadmissibility report. To date, 5,512 individuals have been reported at ports of entry as being inadmissible.

Inland, or after the border, the CBSA conducts criminal investigations and immigration investigations. The agency employs over 200 criminal investigators whose mandate includes investigations into those organizing or facilitating immigration fraud, those unlawfully acting as consultants, and those suspected of offences with respect to illegal employment of foreign nationals. As an example, in 2024, an Indian national was convicted by the courts and sentenced to three years in prison following a CBSA investigation into allegations of counselling misrepresentation, making false statements and giving advice without being a licensed consultant in relation to a large number of foreign students.

As a second example, following a CBSA joint investigation with the OPP in April 2025, three Ontario businesses were convicted and fined a combined total of $450,000 for having employed a large number of foreign nationals without authorization.

The agency also employs approximately 550 personnel dedicated to immigration investigations and removals. Their work includes investigating allegations of inadmissibility and overstays and enforcing compliance with IRPA, including the removal of those who are inadmissible. Under our immigration laws, inadmissible persons who are the subject of an enforceable removal order are required to leave Canada immediately. The removal of foreign nationals found admissible upholds and protects the integrity and fairness of Canada's immigration system. It is also one of the most effective ways to deter others who might seek to abuse the system.

It's also important for me to note that there are multiple steps built into the removals process to ensure procedural fairness. We action removal orders only once all legal avenues of recourse that constitute a stay of removal have been exhausted.

Last fiscal year, the CBSA removed more than 18,000 inadmissible individuals, the most in a decade. Canada's border plan provided CBSA funding to increase the rate at which it removes inadmissible individuals. The goal is to enforce 20,000 removals for each of the next two fiscal years.

Finally, we also manage a detention program that is critical to supporting our removals program. Detention is always a measure of last resort. We currently have 156 detainees in our four facilities, while there are 14,227 individuals in alternatives to detention. However, for those who are public safety or flight risks, detention is necessary.

Canada reaps important social and economic benefits from immigration. The CBSA helps Canada to realize those benefits through enforcement of IRPA, which helps to ensure the integrity of the system and helps to protect Canadians.

Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you. I would be more than happy to answer any questions you may have.

[The Chair, Liberal, Julie Dzerowicz]

Thank you, Mr. McCrorie. You spoke very quickly. Our interpreters did a great job, so thanks to them.

Lastly, from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, we have assistant commissioner of federal policing, Richard Baylin.

[Richard Baylin, Assistant Commissioner, Federal Policing, Royal Canadian Mounted Police]

Thank you.

Good afternoon, Madam Chair and honourable members.

I would first like to acknowledge that I am speaking today on the traditional and unceded lands of the Algonquin Anishinabe people.

Thank you for the invitation to appear before this committee to talk about the RCMP's involvement in supporting citizenship and immigration and the management of the Canada-U.S. border.

My name is Richard Baylin. I am the assistant commissioner of the RCMP's federal policing border integrity program. I'm joined by my colleague, Jennifer Gates-Flaherty, director general, Canadian criminal real time identification services.

I will begin by providing some background on the RCMP's responsibility with respect to Canada's borders. The RCMP's duties and authorities related to border security stem from the RCMP Act and regulations, the Customs Act, and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and regulations.

The RCMP is responsible for securing Canada's borders between official ports of entry against inbound and outbound criminal threats in all domains: air, land, marine and Arctic.

To delineate areas of shared responsibility and co-operation on border security, various memoranda of understanding, or MOUs, were established between the RCMP and CBSA. The CBSA-RCMP MOUs detail the divisions of responsibilities and specific areas of co-operation and investigative responsibility related to border enforcement and administration, public safety and support of national security outcomes.

Border integrity is a priority for the RCMP. I can assure members of this committee that we continue to work with our portfolio, law enforcement, and indigenous partners across the country to ensure we are prepared to address any border concerns.

The RCMP also participates in numerous cross-border initiatives with the U.S. that allow for joint operations and investigations. Highly integrated and multimodal cross-border teams investigate criminal threats to the Canada-U.S. border, including irregular migration and human smuggling. These teams allow for shared communications, improved response times to border incursions, and enhanced investigative capacities.

The RCMP is responsible for the stewardship of the national repository of criminal records, which largely consists of information regarding charged Canadians but also includes foreign charges if they're reported by the FBI or Interpol, when they're supported by fingerprints and are equivalent to a federal charge in Canada.

On behalf of IRCC, the RCMP conducts criminal record checks and fingerprint analyses for individuals applying for immigration or refugee status or citizenship. These checks help IRCC assess whether applicants pose a security risk or have a criminal background that could affect their admissibility to Canada.

In the 2024-25 fiscal year, the RCMP processed more than three million fingerprint-based criminal record checks in support of IRCC applications. The criminal record check process is largely automated and is completed within minutes of a search request. Search results are returned to IRCC through their global case management system.

In addition, the RCMP sends automated system notifications to IRCC when a subsequent criminal fingerprint submission by a law enforcement agency positively identifies to an immigration record. This allows IRCC and/or CBSA to follow up and investigate as required for enforcement and decision-making.

While CBSA is the primary enforcement body at borders, the RCMP supports the CBSA in investigating human smuggling, human trafficking and organized crime related to immigration, and in enforcing laws in remote border areas where CBSA may not have a presence.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you today. I'd be glad to take your questions.

[The Chair, Liberal, Julie Dzerowicz]

That is wonderful, thank you.

Thanks to all of you for keeping your time. I know there are many questions.

We are going to begin with six-minute rounds.

First, we have Mr. Redekopp for six minutes.

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you to the witnesses for being here today.

I want to first start with CBSA and asylum claimants. When there's an inadmissible asylum claimant, does CBSA intervene in every case, or does it assume that some people with inadmissible claims leave on their own?

[Aaron McCrorie]

If I understand the question, the decision is made by the IRB. We'll intervene at the IRB to make the argument for inadmissibility.

We do expect individuals to comply with the law. The law is that you're supposed to leave the country within 30 days of being given an inadmissibility order. We don't necessarily track each and every individual. We will track some people, and we will intervene. We take a risk-based approach to who we focus our efforts on for removals.

I would also note that the initial IRB decision will often be appealed to the IRB itself. It can be appealed to the Federal Court, and there may be a request for a pre-removal risk assessment.

It would not be an efficient use of our resources to track each and every individual when we get that IRB decision and go through that process. We manage it through our systems.

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

When people have exhausted all of their options, what percentage would you intervene with versus assuming that they left the country?

[Aaron McCrorie]

It's hard for me to give you a percentage. I could talk to you a little about how we have a series of removals inventories where you look at, for example, the number of people who have a removal order, but it's not active because they are going through the process, those who we can't remove because they're subject to an administrative deferral for removals, and then those who we're actively working on the cases for. If you can bear with me, I can give you those numbers.

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

Related to that, do you have an exit tracking method, then? Do you know that somebody has left the country when they're supposed to have left the country, once all options have been exhausted?

[Aaron McCrorie]

Yes, at the CBSA we gather exit information in two different ways. When you go out through the land border, our colleagues at the CBP will provide us information. When you depart by air, we'll get that information from the airlines. The nature of the information will be who you are, your travel document, your date of birth, your mode of travel and that sort of thing.

Unfortunately, the systems aren't designed in a way that allows us to do that analysis that I think you're looking for at a systematic level. We can do it on a case-by-case basis, which is very labour-intensive, but we can't do it at a systematic level.

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

If person A is supposed to have left the country, are you able to guarantee, by looking at the data you mentioned, that he or she really did leave the country?

[Aaron McCrorie]

What we will do as part of, for example, our warrant reviews is active case management. We review a case and look in terms of trying to determine where they are. We'll use that exit information. We'll use other information to determine if they have left. In some instances, we're the ones who will go to the airport with the individual to make sure that they board a plane. In other instances, we will escort them out of the country and take them to their destination.

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

Since the safe third country agreement changes took effect in 2023, how many people crossed from the U.S., waited 14 days or more and then claimed asylum here, making them exempt from being sent back under the agreement?

[Aaron McCrorie]

I think the IRCC would be the holders of that data in that, when they come in and they've spent their 14 days in the country, they're making the application with IRCC rather than with the CBSA. I apologize.