ARCHIVED - Human Smuggling and the Abuse of Canada’s Refugee System

Marine Base, Unit 3, Vancouver, BC
October 21, 2010
As delivered

Thank you.  Good morning and thank you all for joining us for this important announcement here on the Lower Mainland in front of the illegal migrant vessel, the Ocean Lady.  I am pleased to be here with my colleagues, the Honourable Jason Kenney, Canada's Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism and the Honourable Stockwell Day, President of the Treasury Board and of course the regional Minister for British Columbia.

Ladies and gentlemen, on Tuesday Prime Minister Harper addressed a number of new Canadians at a citizenship ceremony in Ottawa, welcoming these newcomers into the Canadian family.  I know that Ministers Kenney and Day and myself as well as many other members of the Harper government have done the same at countless other citizenship ceremonies over the last several years.

Canada welcomes thousands of new immigrants and refugees every year through one of the most generous and fair refugee systems in the world. This is a source of pride for our government and a reflection of the generosity of our nation.

Minister Kenney has recently met with our international partners about the benefits of increased immigration to Canada.  I understand that they discussed ways our nations can work together to combat immigration fraud and crack down on immigration related crimes.  One such criminal activity, human smuggling, was a major topic of discussions in his meetings in France and Australia.

Minister Kenney has kindly agreed to briefly talk about these efforts and some of the other ways our government is working to improve Canada's immigration and refugee systems.  We will hear from him in a few minutes but first in August Canadians were given a sober reminder that our country is not immune from organized criminal groups intent on making a profit from human smuggling.

The illegal arrival of the vessel MV Sun Sea came less than one year after the illegal arrival of the Ocean Lady, which as I mentioned is here behind us.  The fact that these two vessels reached our shores in less than 12 months clearly demonstrates that human smuggling networks are targeting Canada as a destination and that they believe our generous immigration system can be exploited for profit.

Even more recently, in the port of Montreal a sea container was uncovered containing yet more individuals who had participated in a dangerous and illegal human smuggling operation in order to enter Canada.  So in addition to knowing that Canada is a target destination for human smugglers, what else do we know?  We know that human smuggling is a despicable crime that recklessly endangers human lives.  We know that jumping the immigration queue is fundamentally unfair to those who follow the rules and wait their turn to come to Canada.  We know that abusing Canada's generosity for criminal financial gain is utterly unacceptable.

The bottom line is this.  As the Prime Minister recently stated, Canada welcomes and will continue to welcome those who wait their turn to come to Canada in search of a better life.  Such brave and industrious people from around the world have enriched the wealth and culture of our great nation for hundreds of years.  Yes, Canada is a welcoming nation but our government has clearly stated that we will not tolerate the abuse of our immigration system either by human smugglers or by those who are unwilling to play by the rules.

That is why today our government introduced Bill C49, the Preventing Human Smugglers from Abusing Canada's Immigration System Act.  Through this Act our government is cracking down on those criminals who would abuse our generous immigration system and endanger the safety and security of Canadian communities.

We are providing a strong deterrent for those who are considering using human smuggling operations to jump the queue into Canada.  We are ensuring the integrity and fairness of Canada's immigration system for years to come.  Under the Preventing Human Smugglers from Abusing Canada's Immigration System Act our government is enabling the Minister of Public Safety to declare the existence of a human smuggling event and make those involved subject to the Act's measures.

It makes it easier to prosecute human smugglers.  It imposes mandatory minimum prison sentences on convicted human smugglers and it holds ship owners and operators to account for use of their ships in human smuggling operations.  Our government is also taking action to ensure the safety and security of our streets and communities by establishing the mandatory detention of participants in human smuggling events for up to one year to allow for the determination of the identity of these individuals, their inadmissibility and their illegal activity.

Under the Act our government is also reducing the attraction of coming to Canada by way of an illegal human smuggling operations.  These include measures like preventing those who come to Canada as part of a human smuggling event from applying for permanent resident status for a period of five years, including those that successfully obtain refugee status.  Ensuring the health benefits that participants receive are not more generous than those received by the Canadian public.

We are enhancing the ability to terminate refugee applications of those who return to their country of origin for a vacation or demonstrate in other ways that they are not legitimately in need of Canada's protection.  It will prevent individuals who participate in human smuggling events from sponsoring family members for a period of five years.

In addition, our government is also appointing a special advisor on human smuggling and illegal migration, Mr. Ward Alcock, a special advisor who will coordinate a whole of government response to human smuggling. This is a broad and wide ranging approach to combating human smuggling containing measures to firmly and decisively deal with those who consider testing Canada's resolve on this matter.

Are these measures tough?  Yes undoubtedly, because in order to make human smugglers and fraudsters think twice they have to be.  But they are also fair, fair to those who legitimately and legally wait or have waited in line for a better life in Canada and fair for all Canadians who rightfully expect that our borders and shores are protected and secure and our generous systems are protected from abuse.  To those who want to jump the queue or to target Canada for criminal gain, the measures have a message and it is clear and direct.  Canada will not tolerate human smuggling.

If you want to come here, there are fair, legal and legitimate means to do so.  Ladies and gentlemen, these measures will enhance our ability to crack down on those who engage in human smuggling and try to exploit Canada's generous immigration system.  It will strengthen our ability to protect Canadians from criminal or terrorist threats and they respect our international obligations to provide assistance for those legitimate refugees who need our protection and help to start a new and better life.

From coast to coast to coast Canadians want to help those in need or those who genuinely need our protection but that does not make us naïve and it does not make us pushovers.  Canadians want tough but fair measures to stop those who would abuse our generosity from becoming part of Canadian society.

We know that threats exist and that we must remain vigilant.  That is why our government is taking action.  That is why our government has taken the steps it has taken today.  This is what we are going to do in the future.  Thank you and thank you once again for coming. 

Date modified:

2015-11-24