Minister Toews and M.P. Joy Smith Meet With Community to Discuss Preventing Human Smugglers From Abusing Canada's Immigration System Act

WINNIPEG, MANITOBA--(Marketwire - Oct. 23, 2010) - Today, the Honourable Vic Toews, Minister of Public Safety, and Joy Smith, Member of Parliament for Kildonan-St. Paul, met with members of the community to discuss Preventing Human Smugglers from Abusing Canada's Immigration System Act, the Government's commitment to crack down on human smugglers who seek to abuse Canada's immigration system.

"The legislation our Government tabled this week clearly shows 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," said Minister Toews. "At the same time, this legislation will allow us to continue offering protection to the world's most vulnerable."

The Preventing Human Smugglers from Abusing Canada's Immigration System Act will ensure law enforcement have the tools they need to crack down on human smugglers. The new measures in the proposed legislation include:

--  Making it easier to prosecute human smugglers; 
--  Imposing mandatory prison sentences on convicted human smugglers; and 
--  Holding ship owners and operators to account for use of their ships in
    human smuggling operations. 

The Act will also help to ensure the safety and security of Canadian communities by:

--  Ensuring mandatory detention of illegal migrants for up to one year to
    allow for the determination of identity, inadmissibility and illegal
    activity. 

The Preventing Human Smugglers from Abusing Canada's Immigration System Act also contains numerous measures to deter individuals from using human smugglers to come to Canada. Included are the following deterrence measures that would specifically apply to illegal migrants who come to Canada by way of a human smuggling operation:

--  Seeking to ensure that illegal migrants who obtain refugee status can be
    re-assessed within five years to determine whether they still need
    protection or can be returned to their country of origin; 

--  Ensuring that the health benefits the illegal migrants receive are not
    more generous than those received by the Canadian public from the
    government; 

--  Ensuring that refugee or refugee applicants who were illegal migrants
    are not able to come back to Canada if they return to the country from
    which they sought refuge, or if they demonstrate in other ways that they
    are not legitimately in need of Canada's protection; and 

--  Preventing illegal migrants from sponsoring family members for five
    years. 

"Human smuggling, illegal immigration and other abuses of Canada's immigration system cannot and will not be tolerated," said M.P. Joy Smith. "The ringleaders of human smuggling operations are ruthless profiteers who cause misery and risk the lives of those they consider little more than human cargo that they bring to our shores."

In addition, Prime Minister Stephen Harper has appointed a Special Advisor on Human Smuggling and Illegal Migration, Mr. Ward P.D. Elcock, as part of the Government's efforts to strengthen Canada's ability to detect human smuggling operations overseas and prevent them from reaching Canada. The Special Advisor will advance Canada's engagement with governments in source and transit countries, partner states and in regional and/or international fora which address human smuggling.