Rahim Jaffer

[Immigration, November 21st, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, then the minister should agree with the official opposition because that is exactly what we have been saying all along. Not only is the immigration minister risking national security. She is doing incredible damage to Canada's legitimate refugees.

Those who abuse Canada's refugee system bring into question the legitimacy of all refugees. If the government will not include measures in air safety regulations, will the immigration minister immediately announce measures to detain undocumented refugee claimants until their identity and background can be verified?

[Immigration, November 21st, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, each year about 18,000 people arrive at this nation's airports without documentation. Somehow they get on a plane in another country and yet arrive here without papers and claim refugee status.

If the government ever gets around to air safety legislation, will the minister ensure it has provisions to stop this mysterious cycle of disappearing papers?

[National Security, November 2nd, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I wish the minister would address the particular point because the U.S. has been urging Canada to participate in a continental security perimeter to secure our trade links. This includes sharing information on foreign travellers entering each country. Air Canada says it is not complying with the U.S. law because Canadian law does not allow it to do so.

The minister has talked repeatedly about harmonization, but we have to wonder how committed he really is. Why will he not agree to this reasonable U.S. request?

[National Security, November 2nd, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, the revenue minister has bragged in the House that the advance passenger information provisions of Bill S-23 would allow Canada customs to scrutinize airplane manifests prior to landing in Canada. Oddly enough U.S. officials released a list of countries not complying with the same measures they have put in place. Along with Syria and Saudi Arabia is Canada.

My question is for the revenue minister. How does he expect foreign carriers to comply with the new Canadian security measures when Canada will not comply with its closest ally?

[Petitions, October 31st, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I too have a petition to present to the House pursuant to Standing Order 36. The petition has just over 100 names and encourages the Canadian government to take immediate action to urge China to release Falun Gong practitioners who are being persecuted and to stop the persecution immediately.

It also urges the establishment of Canada's SOS rescue team to travel to China for an international investigation to help stop the persecution.

[National Security, October 30th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, in order for business in this country going south to be effective, security has to be a priority. The Americans have walked away from harmonization talks in the past but they have just put a plan on the table that is in the best interests of Canadian security and the Canadian economy.

Will the minister stop this political posturing and for once act in the best interests of Canadians by agreeing to President Bush's proposal?

[National Security, October 30th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, President Bush is now taking steps toward a common security perimeter with Canada and Mexico. He wants greater harmony in customs procedures, including a shared database of foreign nationals entering each country. Such a system will give all three countries early warning of potentially dangerous travellers.

Will the minister assure the House today that Canada will fully co-operate with the implementation of such a plan?

[National Security, October 25th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, it is obvious the U.S. is more concerned with domestic security than international trade. Earlier this week U.S. immigration officials announced that exit and entrance controls would be implemented at border points within two years. This would create incredible backlogs inflicting a death blow to Canadian exports.

The minister has stated that no new security measures have been requested of Canada by the U.S. However, did Tom Ridge assure the minister that the exit and entrance controls announced by U.S. officials this week would not be implemented?

[National Security, October 25th, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, provincial premiers, business leaders and the U.S. ambassador to Canada have been urging the government to develop a continental security perimeter in order to secure our trade.

The foreign affairs minister met yesterday with Tom Ridge to discuss border delays and domestic security issues. My question is for the foreign affairs minister. Did he discuss the concept of a continental security perimeter and if not, why not?

[Customs Act, October 24th, 2001]

Madam Speaker, those are both relevant questions and I would say that the Alliance would concur with both of those positions of the NDP.

Pre-clearance is obviously a solution that would help deal with the flow of traffic at the airports. If proper security checks were put in place, the identities of passengers bound anywhere, especially if they were travelling through Canada, could be checked to make sure they were the same people with the same information they had when they got on the plane at the point of origin. Our party would obviously that.

The idea of ports police has been raised by a number of our colleagues who have ridings, as does my hon. colleague, in places where there are large bodies of water. With the loss of the ports police, some of those ports have not been patrolled as effectively as they should, which has been of great concern to a number of our colleagues. We would like to see some direction maybe even pointed to that.

The hon. member raised perfect questions that basically addressed the fact that we in this place have to make some serious decisions over the course of the next months and should be continuously making these decisions on how to prioritize our spending most effectively, especially in times of crisis, but also on how to provide adequate security for all Canadians. If that means putting in measures like pre-clearance and ports police, then let us really look at ways to do that within our budgets and within our means and allocate those resources effectively.