Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for his question.
I do not agree with the scenario he just presented. Section 9 of the bill, entitled “Canadian law” states the following:
9 For greater certainty, Canadian law applies, and may be administered and enforced, in preclearance areas and preclearance perimeters.
What this means is that officers can detain a Canadian, but they cannot arrest a Canadian or a permanent resident of Canada. The person may be detained so that the officers can ask them questions. However, in the end, a Canadian border officer will decide whether other questions should be asked or if criminal charges should be laid against a person.
I spoke about my border control experience. These were not border controls for the U.S., but for Poland, Germany, Denmark, and Sweden. These are all countries I have travelled to. Before the European Union was created, there were border controls. It was very different. Questioning was much more aggressive at the Polish and German borders.
In Canada, American and Canadian officers have a role under the law and they will have to use their judgment to decide whether or not to ask an individual more questions.