Mr. Speaker, I am thankful for the opportunity to be here today to speak to Bill C-12. The bill proposes amendments to various acts that would make our laws even stronger and that would keep our families, children and communities safe while protecting privacy and charter rights. The bill would help the government fight the flow of illegal fentanyl, enhance the integrity of our immigration and asylum systems, and combat money laundering. The focus of my speech today will be with respect to parts 2, 3 and 4 of the bill.
I will begin by stating that I do not think there is any member of the House without stories about how their communities have been touched by the fentanyl overdose crisis, the flow of precursors and the significant impact those have on families and communities across the country. According to Health Canada, in 2022 an average of 21 lives were lost each day because of opioid-related overdoses.
Part 4 of the bill would amend the Canada Post Corporation Act to enable police to search the mail as part of a criminal investigation. The amendments would remove a legal barrier to otherwise lawful seizure of mail, but would not create new search and seizure authorities. With this change, law enforcement could rely on existing search and seizure provisions in federal legislation, which is most commonly a search warrant issued under the Criminal Code.
The need for judicial pre-authorization would ensure that mail seizures are conducted in accordance with the law and the charter. This would bring Canada Post into alignment with other courier and parcel delivery service providers such as Purolator that are already subject to lawful search and seizure. The bill would also expand inspection powers for postal inspectors. These changes would enable the police to stop the mail service from being used to traffic drugs and other illegal materials.
With the measures in the bill, we would be in a stronger position to prevent dangerous drugs such as fentanyl and their precursor chemicals from finding their way onto our streets and into our communities, to keep Canadians safe. Right now, police officers are not allowed to search and seize letter mail as part of an investigation, not even with a warrant; as a result, fentanyl and other synthetic opioids can be easily trafficked in small amounts by drug traffickers exploiting the postal system by sending illicit drugs through this method. The amendments to the act outlined in part 4 of Bill C-12 become crucial to correcting the issue and stopping the flow of illegal drugs into our communities.
The amendments to the Canada Post Corporation Act would allow police to search and seize contraband, including fentanyl, from Canada Post mail with a warrant. If I may, I will repeat, “with a warrant”, because I have heard many times a lot of misinformation coming from the other side of the House. Police could not just open our mail; they would be required to obtain a warrant from a judge to lawfully search and seize letter mail during an investigation.
The provisions would bring Canada Post in line with other mail couriers such as FedEx and Purolator.
The change would, notably, help remote indigenous communities and rural municipalities in their efforts to intercept dangerous illegal drugs such as fentanyl, which is often delivered through the mail via Canada Post. The Minister of Public Safety has heard from these communities, and they are supporting the measures. ln fact, they have been calling on us to do this. The Mushkegowuk Council stated that the government's proposed amendments to the Canada Post Corporation Act are a good first step in addressing current enforcement gaps.
We also need to address the flow of chemicals used to produce fentanyl. Criminal groups mislabel precursors used to produce fentanyl to smuggle them into the country. Often these chemicals enter Canada legally to support the production of legal goods. To disrupt the flow of illegal fentanyl, the bill would create a new accelerated scheduling pathway to make it easier for the Minister of Health to order limits on precursor chemicals to ensure that they are used legitimately.
We have already made significant progress toward strengthening our border, but the measures in the bill would make our country even safer. By stopping the flow of illegal fentanyl, reinforcing our immigration and asylum systems and cracking down on money laundering and terrorist financing, we will keep our country strong and safe.
Like all of my hon. colleagues in the House, I too want fentanyl off our streets. Together, let us keep our communities and children safe by supporting the bill.