Canada has introduced the Strong Borders Act bill to give more powers to law enforcement officers at Canadian borders, including land and sea.
The bill proposes an amendment to Oceans Act, Sex Offender Information Registration Ac, Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to enable multiple law enforcement agencies to share data and information.
The Bill gives law enforcement the right tools to keep cancel suspend immigration documents immediately, combat transnational organized crime, stop the flow of illegal fentanyl, and crack down on money laundering. It will bolster Canada’s response to increasingly sophisticated criminal networks, and enhance immigration system while protecting Canadians’ privacy and Charter rights.
It will authorize Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to share client information, such as identity, status and immigration documentation with federal, provincial and territorial partners through signed information-sharing agreements.
It will amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to strengthen control over immigration documents for the public interest., These new authorities, which could be used for matters of public health or national security, would allow Canada to Cancel, suspend or change groups of immigration documents immediately. It will also allow Canada to Pause the acceptance of new applications, and Pause or cancel the processing of applications already in the inventory.
The bill will amend Criminal Code and the Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Act to facilitate law enforcement’s access to basic information and data, and amend the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) Act to ensure CSIS’s investigative tools also keep pace.
“Canada’s criminal laws must keep pace with an evolving landscape. This legislation strengthens the tools available to law enforcement to detect and investigate serious crimes, while upholding the Charter rights of people in Canada and respecting the rule of law,” said Sean Fraser, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada.
The bill will allow the CBSA access to premises under the control of transporters and warehouse operators to perform examinations in places where goods destined for export are reported, loaded, unloaded, or stored.
It will change how asylum claims are received, processed, and decided. Under current law, refugees can claim asylum in Canada either when they arrive at a port of entry, like an airport, or when they are already in Canada, with no restrictions on how long they can be in the country before claiming asylum.
The bill will also address some of the most prevalent types of money laundering, including through new restrictions on large cash transactions and ‘third party deposits’ to strengthen Canada’s anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing regime, including through stronger anti-money laundering penalties.
“Our government made a commitment to keep our communities safe and work with our American partners to strengthen our border. The Strong Borders Act will help us tackle organized crime, and further equip our border and law enforcement agencies with the authorities and resources they need to keep our border secure – for both American and Canadian communities,” said Gary Anandasangaree, Minister of Public Safety.
