House of Commons photoLost his last election, in 2019, with 34% of the vote.
Public Safety May 15th, 2017
Mr. Speaker, everyone crossing the border has the right to be treated fairly and respectfully with consistent professional treatment. If the standards fall below that, in the hands of an American border officer, that failure should in fact be reported so that there is a statistical record of the failure, but I would point out that so far this year the numbers are actually going down, not up.
Correctional Service of Canada May 11th, 2017
Mr. Speaker, the Correctional Service of Canada is establishing an expert panel to help with re-establishing penitentiary farms in the Kingston area. The panel's eight volunteer members have expertise in business, agriculture, employment, and the rehabilitation of offenders.
Last summer, more than 6,000 people participated in consultations on this issue. We will continue working with the community to implement evidence-based policies that promote effective rehabilitation and public safety.
Public Safety May 9th, 2017
Absolutely, Mr. Speaker. The government operations centre in my department is closely in touch with its counterparts in the Province of British Columbia. The situation is being monitored very carefully, and we have indicated to the Province of British Columbia that if it needs federal assistance, it will be provided, and we will give our answer instantly.
Public Safety May 8th, 2017
Mr. Speaker, some weeks ago, it was my privilege to visit Emerson. I had the opportunity to meet with the reeve and the council. I had the opportunity to meet with many of the citizens there.
I noticed that members of the opposition paid a visit last week. It is interesting that a good many of the citizens of that community challenged the opposition members for the kind of attitude that they were displaying on this issue.
It is important to respect Canadian law. It is being enforced in every way. It is also important to honour Canada's international obligations in the proper treatment of asylum seekers. We are applying both in a measured way.
Citizenship and Immigration May 8th, 2017
Mr. Speaker, our priority is applying Canadian law and keeping Canadians safe. In fact, crossing the border in an irregular fashion is no free ticket to Canada. Those people are apprehended, they are identified biographically and biometrically, and their information is checked against data systems in Canada as well as internationally. If there is a danger, they are detained and they go before the IRB to hear their claims, and if their claims cannot be justified, then deportation proceedings are commenced. The law is applied, as are Canadian treaties.
Public Safety May 8th, 2017
Mr. Speaker, our thoughts are with the people affected by these tragic events, including those whose loved ones have gone missing.
Since receiving Quebec's request for assistance on Friday, 1,650 Canadian Armed Forces personnel have been deployed. Yesterday Ontario asked for help as well, and we are getting them an extra 250,000 sandbags, as requested. We are also in touch with British Columbia and New Brunswick.
We will keep working with all provincial partners to provide all the help we possibly can.
Public Safety May 5th, 2017
Madam Speaker, our thoughts are with the Canadians affected by the flooding. Our government is always willing to assist any province or territory that asks for help.
The government operations centre in my department is on standby. We are speaking to all of the provincial governments involved, including later today.
The first call for assistance is up to the provincial government to determine. If asked, the Government of Canada will respond quickly.
Public Safety May 4th, 2017
Mr. Speaker, the current situation has been monitored from the very beginning by the Government Operations Centre. We have indicated to all the provincial governments that we are on standby, ready to assist as required, and if a provincial government should make a request for assistance from the Government of Canada, we will respond very, very quickly.
In terms of the future in dealing with climate change, I advise the hon. member to examine very carefully the budget, because it includes $2.6 billion for this very purpose.
Questions on the Order Paper May 1st, 2017
Mr. Speaker,
With regard to (a), the CBSA is working with partners such as Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada, IRCC, to redistribute workloads to meet the needs of certain impacted locations. Although processing asylum seekers is a significant part of normal CBSA activities, in response to the recent increases in asylum seekers in Quebec, Manitoba, and Ontario, the CBSA has already taken steps in adjusting staff schedules and deploying temporary infrastructure in Emerson to meet the current influx.
With regard to (b), border services officers have been and will continue to be regionally relocated as required to assist the CBSA’s front line.
With regard to (c), the CBSA is working with IRCC to further prioritize refugee processing within the two departments with a view to further enhancing claimant processing capacity while limiting the impact on other services provided by both departments. In addition, the two departments are working in collaboration with the RCMP and other departments to develop planning options to respond to a wide range of contingencies in both the near and medium term. Federal officials have engaged with provincial and American colleagues at multiple levels over the past several weeks, and this will continue to grow as contingency and response planning advances.
As for the RCMP's response:
With regard to (a), the RCMP has been temporarily reallocating personnel to the areas most affected by the recent increase of asylum seekers entering Canada between ports of entry, including near Emerson, Manitoba, and St-Bernard-de-Lacolle, Quebec.
With regard to (b), temporary deployments have primarily occurred from within the implicated divisions through a combination of member overtime and/or relief shifts. Resources from other divisions are also being deployed as required.
With regard to (c), the RCMP adjusts enforcement efforts and resources in accordance with emerging events in the operating environment. The RCMP will continue to monitor the situation and will reassess resource requirements as necessary.
Justice May 1st, 2017
Mr. Speaker, the government has embarked on a major transformational change in the law that will do a far better job than the old law in protecting our kids and keeping the proceeds of crime out of the hands of organized crime. That is a major undertaking. It is a process that will take time.
We intend to reach that objective by the summer of next year. In the meantime, it is important for Canadians to respect the existing law, and we will examine every possible way to ensure that this transition is fair.