Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, committee members.
I want to begin by acknowledging that we are gathered on the unceded traditional territory of the Anishinabe Algonquin people.
Let me just acknowledge and thank the officials who are here today, who have been acknowledged by you, Mr. Chair. I also want to acknowledge Talal Dakalbab, senior assistant deputy minister at Public Safety. I want to thank all the members here for this invitation.
As the Minister of Public Safety, I am focused on ensuring the safety and security of our country and all Canadians. I've been clear that enhancing our border security and tackling cross-border crime are among my top priorities. Yesterday, I introduced important legislation, Bill C-12, that will help tackle these two challenges.
This is the latest step we have taken to strengthen and secure our border while facilitating the flow of legitimate travel and trade. This measure is essential to our economy.
Backed by an investment of $1.3 billion, Canada's border plan delivers concrete actions to further strengthen border security, disrupt the illicit fentanyl trade, improve operational coordination, expand information sharing and minimize unnecessary border volumes.
We have enhanced security at the ports of entry and between them and increased surveillance via drones, towers, helicopters and other resources to allow 24-7 surveillance. Under our border plan, there has been a 99% reduction in illegal southbound movement from Canada to the U.S. since June 2024. This demonstrates real success in deterring illegal cross-border movement. Further, the CBSA has increased its removals of inadmissible people from Canada.
In 2024, CBSA also intercepted 2,277 stolen vehicles in rail yards and ports. Between January and the end of May this year, CBSA intercepted an additional 666 stolen vehicles. These are just some of the positive results from our national action plan on combatting auto theft. In 2025, auto thefts continue to decline nationally, with a 19% decrease reported in the first half of this year.
This progress comes through collaboration with our federal, provincial, territorial, indigenous and law enforcement partners, as well as police of jurisdiction. For example, the appointment of a fentanyl czar and the creation of a joint operational intelligence cell have resulted in better coordination on disrupting the fentanyl trade.
In September, I met with my Five Eyes counterparts in the United Kingdom to discuss pressing border and national security issues, and next month I will be welcoming our G7 partners to an interior ministers meeting in Ottawa to continue the conversation on these important themes. With the increasing sophistication and borderless nature of transnational organized crime, cybercrime, migrant smuggling and illegal synthetic drugs, the G7 meeting will provide Canada with an opportunity to showcase our efforts and signal the importance of multilateral co-operation.
Every person, regardless of their background, deserves to feel safe in Canada. However, we have all seen a troubling rise in hatred across the country.
This past summer, along with the senior deputy commissioner of the RCMP, Bryan Larkin, I met with community representatives from across Canada. They told me that they are concerned for their safety and that they expect tangible action from all levels of government and law enforcement. I want to highlight one success story: the Canada community security program. Since 2007, the Government of Canada has invested over $40 million in more than 950 projects to help communities at risk of hate-motivated crimes further enhance the security of their gathering spaces, such as synagogues and mosques.
You cannot be serious about crime unless you're serious about guns. The assault-style firearms compensation program is another important piece of our government’s comprehensive approach to combatting gun violence. It is working. So far, the business buyback program has removed over 12,000 firearms from our communities, with over $22 million in compensation. We're now implementing the program for individuals, beginning with a pilot project in Cape Breton that will later be expanded nationwide. This will help us get even more guns off our streets and protect Canadians.
