Debates of June 5th, 2025

Strong Borders Act

[Kelly Block, Conservative, Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, SK]

Madam Speaker, there it is: exactly what I said in response to the previous question.

The Liberals want us to believe that they are new, a new Prime Minister and new government, but they are not. They have been in power for 10 years and did nothing to address the issues regarding border security. They keep hearkening back to a decade ago. They have had a decade to do what needed to be done, to do what Canadians have been calling on them to do.

As I have stated, I know the Liberals want to ram the legislation through. As in many cases in the past, the imperative is created, and we have to get it done because they did not get it done over the last 10 years.

[Frank Caputo, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola, BC]

Madam Speaker, it is always a pleasure to rise on behalf of the people from Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola.

Before I begin, I want to recognize a young man named Jasper Phillips, who recently received the Chief Scout's Award for fundraising for robotics kits of over $1,000. We thank him for his service.

I always really enjoy speaking with my hon. colleague. I was just looking at a report from Staff Sergeant Josh Roda of the Merritt RCMP, a community of 7,000. Staff Sergeant Roda reported that the Merritt RCMP have already seized 69 firearms this year, two just this last month, with one being a sawed-off shotgun. This is what we need to address, in my view. The bill would do none of that. Would my hon. colleague agree?

[Kelly Block, Conservative, Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, SK]

Madam Speaker, the hon. member has been very instrumental in reviewing this piece of legislation, and I absolutely agree with his observations. We have heard more stories like the one he just cited for us in this place. The government needs to ensure that the legislation is going to be robust, and, as opposition, we are going to do the same in addressing the concerns that he just cited.

[Leah Gazan, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Madam Speaker, it is really troubling to me that the Liberal government is trying to push through an omnibus bill of over 120 pages. I am wondering if the member agrees with me that perhaps we need to push the government to ensure that we can look at the legislation separately and get it out of an omnibus bill.

[Kelly Block, Conservative, Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, SK]

Madam Speaker, I do agree with my colleague.

Despite the title of the bill, as I mentioned in my speech, it would go beyond its stated aim to secure our borders. It is a sweeping piece of legislation that stretches far beyond immigration, national security and securing our borders, and I do think it is an attempt to use the guise of border security to push through other unrelated measures and that the Liberals are hoping Canadians are not paying attention.

I would suggest that, as consultations are undertaken when the bill is referred to committee, each member of that committee, and certainly the opposition, should be calling for time to review this piece of legislation, every piece of it, in order to make sure that it addresses the concerns for which it is intended.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

Madam Speaker, before I give my question, I want to put something to rest, I hope once and for all.

We have heard the member for Winnipeg North and others repeat the same false narrative about everything being okay that they have not done in the last 10 years because of Harper's cuts. I would like him, the Liberals and everyone in this House to take a look at the public accounts. These are non-partisan numbers put forward by the government. These are real numbers on spending.

Adjusted for Liberal inflation, the Liberals are actually spending $200 million less on CBSA than when they took over, so the government should actually end that false narrative, stop misinforming Canadians and actually start spouting the truth about what is going on at the border.

I wonder if my colleague could answer this: Why does she think the government is pushing a false narrative instead of answering important questions today on this debate about the border bill?

[Kelly Block, Conservative, Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, SK]

Madam Speaker, I appreciate the attention that the member pays to the financial reports. I know that numbers do not lie, and I agree with him that it is time the Liberals came clean and admitted to their failures of the last 10 years.

[Guillaume Deschênes-Thériault, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

Madam Speaker, I would like to inform you that I will be sharing my time with the Secretary of State for Combatting Crime.

During the election campaign, Canadians across the country asked us to take concrete measures to build a safer Canada. We have heard them, and we take the issues of protecting our borders and cracking down on crime very seriously. That is why, at the beginning of this new Parliament, we introduced Bill C‑2, the strong borders act.

I would like to congratulate my colleague, the Minister of Public Safety, who sponsored this bill, as well as all my other ministerial colleagues who contributed to it, for the quality of their work on this important issue for Canadians. Over the next few minutes, I will explain why I support this essential bill, which will enable us to advance our government's priorities of keeping Canadians safe by strengthening Canada's border, fighting transnational organized crime and improving the integrity of Canada's immigration system.

The first objective of this bill is to make our border more secure. This is an especially important issue for me as the member for Madawaska—Restigouche, a riding with five border crossings. I want to point out that Canada's borders are already strong and secure and that CBSA staff do remarkable work. I want to commend them for the work they do every day to protect our borders. During the election campaign, I had the opportunity to meet many of these border services officers at various community activities in my riding and discuss their important work with them. Through Bill C‑2, we will make our borders even stronger. We will do that by making it easier for border officers to examine goods destined for export that are crossing the border and to intercept more drugs, guns and stolen vehicles as they leave Canada. For example, border officers will have more power to inspect containers destined for export and prevent car theft rings from smuggling stolen vehicles out of the country. During the election campaign, I heard many stories about stolen vehicles, like that of a young entrepreneurial couple from my riding, who work hard to earn a living and who, upon returning from vacation, found that their truck had disappeared from their hotel's long-term parking lot. We need to increase the responsible authorities' capacity to fight this type of crime. It is also important to understand that the strong borders act complements our other measures to strengthen our borders. Once passed, this legislation will strengthen Canada's border plan, which involves funding of $1.3 billion, the largest investment in border security in Canadian history. When we talk about strengthening our country's security, it is not just talk. We are taking real action.

We are also taking important steps to preserve the integrity of our immigration system while honouring our humanitarian commitments. Canadians expect us to maintain a strong, effective immigration system well suited to present conditions. That is why we made changes to create two ineligibility measures in the asylum system. The goal is to reduce pressure on the system and deter those who may seek to abuse it. Let me reiterate, however, that we will do this while upholding our humanitarian traditions and ensuring that refugees who genuinely need protection can get it.

The second objective of Bill C‑2 is to combat transnational organized crime and fentanyl. We understand that a strong Canada requires strong crime prevention measures. That is why we are taking steps to prevent crime, give police the tools they need to fight it, and hold criminals accountable for their actions. Opioids are wreaking havoc across the country. Thousands of lives are being lost; not a day goes by without hearing heartbreaking stories of lives cut short. We cannot remain indifferent to this situation, and we must act. That is why we will continue our efforts to stop the flow of fentanyl. In particular, we will further empower law enforcement agencies in the fight against the production and trafficking of illicit drugs. We will allow law enforcement agencies to search goods crossing the border. We will facilitate the listing of precursor chemicals in the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act to prevent their importation and illegal use. We will also allow the police to search for, intercept and seize drugs and other prohibited items that are being shipped through the postal system. To that end, we will amend the Canada Post Corporation Act.

This bill will also strengthen our ability to prosecute transnational child sex offenders. To do this, we are amending the Sex Offender Information Registration Act to improve the RCMP's ability to share information with its national and international partners.

The third pillar of our bill is to stop illicit financing by strengthening our ability to fight money laundering and stop the flow of financial proceeds from organized crime to deprive it of its illegal profits.

Our government was elected on a platform of protecting and defending Canadians from foreign threats, which includes protecting our financial system. We will therefore impose tougher penalties for financial crimes. We will also facilitate the exchange of information between Canada's largest banks and law enforcement agencies responsible for combatting money laundering, so that banks can receive and use the information sent to them by the RCMP.

As such, Bill C-2 is an important step forward in implementing our plan to build a safer Canada. This bill strengthens law enforcement's ability to detect and investigate serious crimes, while respecting the rights guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the rule of law. It is important to stress that the amendments we are proposing have been carefully crafted to balance privacy interests with the tools law enforcement needs to fulfill their mandate.

By implementing these rigorous measures, the Government of Canada will strengthen security at our borders while increasing safety in our communities. These measures will also show our international partners that Canada takes seriously our shared responsibility to combat fentanyl, car theft, human trafficking and transnational organized crime.

In conclusion, protecting our borders and fighting crime and illicit financing are issues that transcend party lines. Canadians have high expectations of us. They expect us to work together with the seriousness that the issues we are addressing demand.

Like all my colleagues on the government side, I will support this important bill. I hope that all other members of the House will work with us constructively to pass this bill, which is essential to making Canada stronger, safer and more secure.

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Madam Speaker, I do not think I have had a chance to congratulate you on your appointment as Deputy Speaker. As my colleague from Lac-Saint-Jean said earlier, I am happy to see you again. You are my favourite too, so it is good to see you again.

I was also pleased to hear our new colleague from Madawaska—Restigouche say that he will support Bill C‑2. I am glad to hear that. However, I would add that, since this is a government bill, I would imagine that he does not really have a choice in the matter.

That said, I appreciated his passion, and I congratulate him on his speech, but there is something in the bill that concerns me.

I am talking about respect for privacy and people's information. The bill proposes allowing Canada Post, among other entities, to inspect mail and packages sent to citizens. I understand the objective and I agree with it.

However, how does my colleague intend to respond to the concerns of citizens who will be surprised by the fact that the government wants to open their mail and monitor their parcels? I get the feeling that there will be an outcry at some point.

I would like to know whether the Liberals are anticipating such an outcry. How are they going to respond to it, and how are they going to reassure people in that regard?

[Guillaume Deschênes-Thériault, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

Madam Speaker, I am proud to support this bill. It will implement strict measures to strengthen security at our borders while making our communities safer.

To be clear, these amendments have been carefully crafted to strike a balance between privacy concerns and the tools that law enforcement needs to carry out its mandate.

The bill strengthens law enforcement's ability to detect and investigate serious crimes, while upholding the rule of law and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. We can strengthen our border security and fight crime while respecting the fundamental rights of our citizens.

As a government, we are committed to building a safer and more secure Canada. That is what we are doing.

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Madam Speaker, one of the things I am concerned about is this. It is great to know that we are hiring more law enforcement officials, but has the government read the Mass Casualty Commission report on the Portapique shootings and the quite substantial recommendations that RCMP officers need more extensive and better training that lasts years?

Are we going to see the implementation of the Mass Casualty Commission report recommendations before hiring more RCMP officers, who will, according to the Mass Casualty Commission, lack the training to save lives?

[Guillaume Deschênes-Thériault, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her important question.

In the recent election campaign, Canadians asked us to bring in measures to strengthen security in Canada and fight crime. That is what we are doing. To demonstrate how seriously we are taking this matter, in the first weeks of this Parliament, we introduced Bill C-2, which includes several strong measures to strengthen our border and fight crime here at home. This is a first step.

Our election platform and the Speech from the Throne both include a number of other measures to fight crime and keep Canadians safe.

This is a first step, and I would say that it is a big step forward in our plan to make Canada an even safer and more secure country.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

Madam Speaker, I am very happy that someone brought up the issue of the casualty report. One of the items, specifically, was a lack of heavy body armour. We had an Order Paper question come back just recently, about a year ago, which was 10 years after the mass casualty issue, where the government has still not provided heavy body armour to the RCMP.

The government is repeatedly saying that it is going to add 1,000 RCMP officers, but there is no commitment to provide the heavy body armour, even for the existing ones. The government has not provided the heavy body armour to existing, much less additional, ones. In fact, it does not even know how much heavy body armour is available, because it has to put out an RFP, apparently, to hire a consultant to count how many items it has for the heavy body armour.

I wonder if my colleague across the way would commit, to the House, to talk to the minister to ensure that the RCMP officers are provided with the heavy body armour they require.

[Guillaume Deschênes-Thériault, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

Madam Speaker, as I said, Bill C‑2 is an ambitious bill containing several crime-fighting measures. We want to give our law enforcement agencies more flexible tools so they can take effective action to combat crime in our communities and make Canada safer and more secure.

That means we will introduce more concrete measures. For example, the Liberal platform includes more resources for the RCMP. It is a commitment to make Canada stronger and safer.

[Ruby Sahota, Liberal, Secretary of State (Combatting Crime)]

Madam Speaker, now that I am not as crunched for time as I am in question period or at other opportunities, I would like to congratulate you on your reappointment as Assistant Deputy Speaker.

I also want to thank the constituents of Brampton North—Caledon for electing me for a fourth mandate. I am committed to making sure that their voices are heard and that the issues they brought up to me during the election and in years prior are worked on effectively and efficiently. I want to thank my campaign team and my family at home, who have always supported me completely.

I will now start my remarks on Bill C-2, the bill we are talking about today. This is a wonderful opportunity, and it allows me to fulfill some of the commitments I have made to my constituents. As the Secretary of State for Combatting Crime, I am really proud to play a role in supporting this government's initiative to keep Canada and our communities safe and secure.

In April, Canadians gave this House a mandate to ensure the safety and security of all Canadians. Our country has professional, highly trained and hard-working security personnel. However, it is clear that the current tools and policies are insufficient to effectively counter the modern and emerging threats and challenges we face today.

Now is the time for action. We must do more to equip our law enforcement and intelligence agencies with the latest tools and technologies, do more to stop transnational organized crime from damaging communities and destroying lives with illegal guns and weapons, and do more to enable collaboration and information sharing among our security agencies, law enforcement partners and international allies.

Bill C-2 is a crucial legislative step we must take to secure our border, support law enforcement and improve community safety. This government's top priority is to keep our communities safe and our economy thriving. Both of these objectives depend upon decisive measures to combat crime and keep our border safe and secure. The effects of improving our border security will be felt in cities and towns across Canada. By giving border officers the authority to search goods for export, we are ensuring they have additional tools to recover stolen vehicles and seize illegal firearms and drugs.

This legislation is building on the Government of Canada's $1.3-billion investment in border security through our Canada border plan. This spending is helping our law enforcement and intelligence agencies investigate and prosecute transnational organized crime groups, which have become increasingly more sophisticated in their use of new technologies like drones, 3-D printers and encrypted communications to carry out cross-border crimes.

We cannot have a strong border without good intelligence. The border plan has built up our information and intelligence-sharing capacity among federal, provincial and territorial authorities, as well as with our international partners. Investment in drones, helicopters, sensors and other detection technologies ensures that we are effectively monitoring our whole border.

We will continue to work with Canada's fentanyl czar to coordinate all levels of government and law enforcement to dismantle these networks. To support that aim, we have taken a major step in the fight against organized crime by listing seven transnational criminal cartels as terrorist entities under our Criminal Code. Listing is an important tool that helps support criminal investigations and strengthens the RCMP's ability to prevent, disrupt and prosecute criminal activities.

It is now time to take our efforts further through legislation. Bill C-2 would improve the tools and authorities that Canadian law enforcement needs to fight crime. For instance, communities across Canada have been shocked by the increase in deaths caused by illegal fentanyl. Fentanyl's devastating effect can be felt on individuals, families and communities. Every member of this House knows someone who has been affected by this public health crisis. Through this proposed act, our work to secure the border, we are tackling the fentanyl crisis and its precursors head-on. To increase our detection capabilities, we are training and deploying new border detector dogs that specialize in uncovering smuggled drugs.

Amendments to the Canada Post Corporation Act would allow police to search and seize contraband such as fentanyl from Canada Post mail with a general warrant. This charge would help indigenous communities and rural municipalities in their efforts to intercept dangerous illegal drugs that are clandestinely shipped through the mail.

Canada recently demonstrated it can move quickly to ban precursor chemicals used in the production of fentanyl via the temporary accelerated scheduling pathway under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. Bill C-2 proposes amendments that would allow chemicals in this pathway to quickly be regulated under the precursor control regulations.

It is clear that we must strengthen our laws to disrupt the supply of illegal drugs both within Canada and around the world. This important step would give the government and law enforcement the ability to stay ahead of those who would profit from fentanyl production and distribution.

Furthermore, we are creating a new Canadian drug analysis centre that would allow for a more specialized analysis of synthetic drug samples. This centre would be able to go beyond simply identifying the components of a sample and would instead look at markets to determine how and where the substances were manufactured. Knowing that transnational organized crime groups depend on illicit money to keep their operations going—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. secretary of state will have three and a half minutes left after question period.

Wildfires in Manitoba and Saskatchewan

[Leah Gazan, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, after being elected as the member of Parliament for Winnipeg Centre for the third time, I rise to express my sincere gratitude to my family, my campaign team, our Winnipeg Centre team and all those who gave me their support this election. Regardless of whether they voted for me, I am committed to working to gain their trust and to doing my best to be their voice in Ottawa. I will waste no time ensuring that our community receives the attention it deserves.

Today is World Environment Day, yet our province is in a state of emergency due to wildfires, which are becoming the new normal. We must act to address this climate emergency. I uplift all frontline workers risking their lives, leaders advocating on behalf of their communities, community members taking evacuees into their homes, indigenous rights holders, and climate leaders who refuse to sit back and let the planet burn, including one we are joined by today, Dr. David Suzuki.

Newton Tennis Club

[Sukh Dhaliwal, Liberal, Surrey Newton, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Newton Tennis Club, a remarkable volunteer-driven organization in my riding. Founded in 2019, the organization has grown to nearly 150 members and has built state-of-the-art facilities through a partnership with the City of Surrey.

The club runs a strong youth program and hosts the popular Surrey Open tournament. This past Sunday, I was proud to attend its annual food drive, an inspiring community event where members came together to support local food banks.

The Newton Tennis Club continues to show true community spirit, athletic excellence and a commitment to giving back. It is a great example of how sports can bring people together and make our communities stronger.

Conservative Party of Canada

[Richard Bragdon, Conservative, Tobique—Mactaquac, NB]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to thank again the great people of Tobique—Mactaquac for the honour of serving them here in the people's House. I also want to express my deep gratitude to my wife Crystal, our family and the dedicated team of staff who do the important work every day so that we can be here. I could not do this without them.

In the days ahead, we will continue to champion those who are too often overlooked and forgotten: the bucket carriers, the table waiters, the farmers, the builders and the workers. These hard-working Canadians, past and present, form the foundation of our great country, and they will be the key to our nation's comeback.

We as the opposition will offer a clear alternative vision to Canadians, a vision that encourages increased Canadian self-reliance, security and prosperity for all, a vision that brings us together from every region, both urban and rural, to ensure that our beloved nation always remains the true north strong and free.

Though the waters we face are turbulent, I still believe that our best days are ahead. As our beloved national anthem declares, may God continue to keep our land glorious and free.

Knox United Church

[Shaun Chen, Liberal, Scarborough North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, two weekends ago, I was pleased to participate in the annual Doors Open Toronto event by visiting a storied institution in my riding of Scarborough North. For over 175 years, Knox United Church, in the heart of the former village of Agincourt, has stood as a beacon of faith, compassion and community service.

On June 25, 1848, Knox held its first worship service and communion in a wood-framed building attended by 40 congregants. In 1872, the church was rebuilt, resulting in its enduring brick structure, which remains a prominent example of Gothic revival architecture. Today, Knox United Church lives by its motto, “Diverse in Culture, United in Faith”, opening its doors to share the stories and deep legacy within the brickwork of this iconic church.

To church council chair and former MPP David Warner, Reverend Bright Yun, the entire staff team, volunteers and members, I offer my deepest gratitude and congratulations.

Justice

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant South—Six Nations, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are living in fear. Violent crime is up 50%, gang-related homicides are up 78% and gun crime has skyrocketed 116%. These are not just numbers. They reflect shattered families, terrified communities and lives forever changed.

The heartbreaking truth is this: Many of these crimes are being committed by repeat violent offenders, individuals who should have never been out on the streets in the first place. Why? It is because of the Liberal government's so-called justice reforms, Bill C-5 and Bill C-75, which enshrined the principle of restraint into law and weakened and gutted our bail system.

Police chiefs, premiers, frontline officers and victims' families are pleading for change. It is time to listen, and that starts by repealing Bill C-5 and Bill C-75 and replacing them with real reforms that put public safety first. Protecting our communities should never be a partisan issue. Canadians deserve better.

Ottawa—Vanier—Gloucester

[Mona Fortier, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier—Gloucester, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is with great humility that I rise today for my first statement in this 45th Parliament. I am very grateful to the voters of Ottawa—Vanier—Gloucester for placing their trust in me for a fourth term. None of this would have been possible without the unwavering support of hundreds of volunteers, my campaign team and my family.

I welcome the community of Blackburn Hamlet, which is now part of the riding.

I remain committed to advancing the issues that matter to our citizens. We are addressing affordability with a middle-class tax cut and building one strong, fair and united Canadian economy for everyone. From affordable housing to the revitalization of our downtown core, including the ByWard Market, to protecting the public service, I am committed to strengthening the vibrancy of our neighbourhoods.

I once again thank residents, my family, volunteers and my team. It is a privilege to represent them in the House of Commons.

Public Safety

[Vincent Ho, Conservative, Richmond Hill South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, after 10 years of the Liberal government, Canada is barely recognizable. We used to be a country where seniors could walk to the park in peace and where parents could let their kids walk to school safely, but not anymore.

Just yesterday, York Regional Police executed 15 search warrants in Richmond Hill and neighbouring communities against criminal organizations. Twenty-three people were arrested, with over 300 charges laid and 32 illegal firearms seized, and 700,000 doses of fentanyl, enough to kill a city, were found. In another case from the Toronto Police Service, 10 criminals were arrested after a mass shooting on March 7, multiple guns were seized and 200 criminal charges were laid, including 24 counts of murder. This is what happens when the Liberals govern with ideology instead of common sense.

It is time to punish organized crime, stop the flow of deadly drugs going across our borders, keep criminals behind bars and bring home safety to our streets. Enough is enough. The Liberal government needs to stop handcuffing our police officers and finally start handcuffing the criminals and keeping them in jail.

Graduation Congratulations

[Sonia Sidhu, Liberal, Brampton South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share my heartfelt congratulations to all the graduates of 2025 from Brampton South and across Canada.

Graduation marks the completion of years of hard work and perseverance. Through their academic journey, each graduate has shown incredible growth as a young scholar and Canadian. I thank all parents, teachers and mentors for all their hard work to support our graduates on the path to their dreams.

As the 2025 graduating class embarks on a new chapter filled with possibilities, I would like to wish every graduate all the best in their future endeavours. I look forward to celebrating their continued successes. Congratulations to the class of 2025 and best wishes.

Housing

[Gabriel Hardy, Conservative, Montmorency—Charlevoix, QC]

Mr. Speaker, housing prices are skyrocketing across Canada. In the Toronto area, the market dropped by 89% in recent months compared to the past 10 years, with seven consecutive months of crisis.

In Montmorency—Charlevoix, housing has become so inaccessible that businesses can no longer attract people to come and work there, and this is having a significant economic impact.

Can we finally put common sense back at the heart of our policies and do what the Conservative Party is proposing, which is to lower taxes, build more housing, and make the dream of home ownership accessible again so that families can finally settle in the beautiful Montmorency—Charlevoix region?