Joël Lightbound

[Public Safety, December 3rd, 2021]

Madam Speaker, sadly, last night, Montreal was once again witness to a shooting that took the life of a young man and injured another.

It is imperative to our government that we take every measure at our disposal to stem the flow of guns that are illegally diverted through theft, fake purchases or smuggling at the border. On that, I would ask the Minister of Public Safety to inform the House of the measures being taken to vigorously combat gun trafficking in Canada and Quebec.

[Public Safety, June 18th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, the case the member raised is certainly very disturbing. The Parole Board of Canada operates independently and makes decisions based on well-established criteria. I would definitely like to take a look at this case with the opposition member to find out more.

[Public Safety, June 18th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, we want to thank Amnesty International for its report. We will certainly take the time to read through it.

I do want to make a few reminders. Immigrant detention is a measure of last resort. It is used only in certain circumstances. Furthermore, long-term detention is used only when the individual in detention poses a danger to the public, when alternatives to detention do not adequately mitigate that danger, when there are doubts about the individual's identity, or when it is unlikely that the individual will show up for their legal hearing.

All detention decisions are reviewed by a member of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada.

[Public Safety, June 18th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, last year we introduced major reciprocal border restrictions with countries like the United States for public health reasons. That was an evidence-based decision to protect the health of Canadians.

We ensure that our border services officers have the most relevant, up-to-date information so they can make quick decisions for citizens who have to cross the border for essential reasons. We will continue to monitor and assess the situation as it evolves, and we will make decisions focused on protecting Canadians from COVID‑19.

[Louis-Hébert Constituency Team, June 18th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, as the summer approaches after a tougher-than-usual year, I want to pay tribute to my constituency team in Louis‑Hébert. I have the best team in the country, if I do say so myself.

Filip Novakovic, a Bosnian refugee, dearly loves both his country of origin and his adopted country. He is a humanist in both his ideals and his everyday actions. Everyone in the riding loves him because he is always ready to help. Thank you, Filip.

Marie-Claude Gagnon, our office manager and its heart and soul, always welcomes constituents and organizations with sunshine in her voice, a compassionate outlook and a healthy dose of the typical Beauce pragmatism we all need. Thank you, Marie-Claude.

My constituency assistant, Gabriel Bergevin-Estable, has done more than anyone would ever have thought possible from a modest MP's office. That is what happens when extraordinary intelligence meets gumption. Thank you, Gabriel.

Claudine Boucher also pushes the limits with just as much heart and soul. She has a fierce sense of justice. She is a mother of five bright, lively children, with one more on the way, and she is studying for her master's degree. She even managed to get blocked on Twitter by the leader of the Bloc Québécois, like thousands of other Quebeckers, I am told. It is an achievement that we are all rather proud of around the office.

It is an honour to work alongside them for the people of Louis‑Hébert. I thank them and wish them a restful summer, because they have earned it.

[Questions on the Order Paper, June 16th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, with regard to part (a), the Canada Border Services Agency, CBSA, works in close co-operation with the Public Health Agency of Canada, PHAC, to implement and operationalize the travel restrictions and public health measures at the port of entry. The measures that have been implemented are layered, and together, aim to reduce the risk of the importation and transmission of COVID-19 and new variants of concern of the virus related to international travel.

The regulatory framework that has been developed to minimize the risk of exposure to COVID-19 at the border is complex. At time of seeking entry, the CBSA officers are required to consider various facts and make multiple decisions related to a single traveller.

While the border services officers, BSOs, are focusing on the eligibility to enter under an order, as well as their public health requirements, they are also assessing all relevant obligations under other acts or regulations including their admissibility under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

The CBSA has issued a number of operational bulletins, shift briefing bullets, annexes and job aids to support officers in the decision-making process. As the orders in council, OICs have evolved over time, so has the guidance issued to frontline officers.

All guidance is point in time and is updated on an ongoing basis as more clarity is required, or where there are changes to the OICs. The CBSA and PHAC regularly consult on interpretations of restrictions and public health measures and collaborate on adjustments and improvements where issues have been identified.

With regard to part (b), every day, BSOs make over 35,000 decisions across the country and those decisions are made based on all laws and information made available to the BSO at the time of entry. To facilitate decision-making, the CBSA provides support to frontline BSOs through operational guideline bulletins, 24-7 live support access and regular case reviews. In addition, the CBSA conducts detailed technical briefings prior to the implementation of new or amended OICs to support the accurate implementation of new provisions and ensure clarity for frontline employees. The CBSA has also established a process to monitor decisions made by BSOs as they relate to the application of OICs for essential service providers and will continue to make adjustments or review the CBSA operational guidance to BSOs, as required. If the CBSA discovers that an incorrect assessment has been made at the border, it works with PHAC to rectify the situation.

With regard to part (c), the operational guidance referenced in the response to part (a) of this Order Paper question includes passages specific to cross-border workers and how specific public health requirements within the OICs may apply in these circumstances.

More specifically, in those instances, when assessing whether an exemption may apply, BSOs have been instructed to remain mindful of the following points. The traveller must be able to demonstrate that their purpose of crossing was specific to attending their normal place of employment. “Regular” is typically interpreted to mean daily or weekly, but a person able to establish a regular pattern of travel for this purpose could qualify. This exemption applies to persons who must cross the border regularly to go to their normal place of employment on either side of the Canada-U.S. border. There may be some circumstances where travel to another country could qualify, e.g., weekly or biweekly travel required. Those who are looking to establish that they must cross regularly must demonstrate to an officer that they will be crossing on a regular basis going forward when being processed. If the cross-border work involves medical care for persons over age 65, i.e., nurses, home care specialists, pharmacists etc., an individual request outlining the precautionary public health measures intended for interaction with this older age group must be submitted for determination of the Chief Public Health Officer of Canada.

Officers are trained to reach a decision on the basis of the entirety of the information made available to them over the course of an interaction with a traveller. As such, information and circumstances beyond the items listed above will be considered by BSOs when determining a traveller’s admissibility to Canada, as well as in relation to any applicable exemptions from public health requirements.

Furthermore, in an effort to assist cross-border workers who by virtue of their employment are required to enter Canada regularly, the CBSA has also published guidelines on its website.

[Questions on the Order Paper, June 14th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, in response to (a), (i) no decision has been made specific to tier 2; (ii) tier 3 volunteers were approved pending the drafting and signing of a memorandum of understanding.

In response to (b), (i) the Alberta RCMP, in consultation with the Government of Alberta, decided to allow the resumption of the usage of tier 3 volunteers, pending the drafting and signing of a memorandum of understanding; (ii) November 14, 2019; (iii) the Government of Alberta; (iv) in the absence of a memorandum of understanding, this decision was not released publicly. However, Albertan communities that have inquired about the status of the auxiliary program have been advised that the program remains in abeyance until a mutually acceptable position on insurance liability is reached.

In response to (c), the decision will be made after the signing of a new memorandum of understanding.

In response to (d), no outside organizations were consulted except for the Government of Alberta, which is our contract partner.

[Public Safety, June 11th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, first and foremost, our thoughts are with the family and friends of Chantel Moore through these difficult times.

Following the tragic passing of Ms. Moore after an interaction with the Edmundston Police Force, the minister has spoken with the New Brunswick regional chief and the president of the Nuu-Chah-Nulth Tribal Council to discuss wellness checks and the different roles of police in our communities.

In situations such as these, it is essential that there be a timely, transparent and independent investigation in order to provide answers to the many difficult, but important, questions people have. While questions about the investigation and the findings should be directed to the province, we continue to do our important work of modernizing police structures, updating standards regarding the use of force and establishing increased oversight of law enforcement.

[Public Safety, June 11th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, I would first like to thank the hon. member for Saint John—Rothesay for all he has done over the years in advocating for pardon reform. The presence of a criminal record has led to indigenous, Black and other racialized communities being disproportionately represented in our criminal justice system. These records create barriers to accessing a job, housing and education, which can, in turn, perpetuate the cycle of crime.

Yesterday we introduced legislation to reduce barriers in accessing a pardon and allow law-abiding citizens to safely reintegrate into their communities. This is a smart approach to crime, and we thank the public safety committee for its essential work in bringing this about.

[Questions on the Order Paper, May 31st, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, in response to part (a), the official who signed the statement of completeness, SOC, for the original input provided by the Canada Border Services Agency, CBSA, is the vice-president, intelligence and enforcement branch.

The official who signed the SOC for the original input provided by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, RCMP, is the senior director, strategic policy and government affairs.

In response to parts (b) and (c), no revised SOC was produced for the revised response as it did not require the agencies to consult new records, analysis or consultations.