Help us stop smuggling ships: Canadian PM
February 22, 2011 09:49 am
OTTAWA - The Harper government stepped up pressure on the opposition Monday to pass a bill that would crack down on human smuggling.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper personally toured the Ocean Lady on Monday. The ship was used to bring 76 passengers of Tamil ethnic origin to Canada in October 2009. Last August the Ocean Lady was followed up by the MV Sun Sea, which brought 492 would be refugees to Canada.
“While our government continues to encourage legitimate immigration by those who play by the rules, we are cracking down on illegal human smuggling,” Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in Vancouver.
“With the Preventing Human Smugglers from Abusing Canada’s Immigration System Act, our government is sending a clear message that we will not tolerate the abuse of our generous immigration system.”
The Conservatives are hoping public pressure will get at least one opposition party onside to pass the bill.
The Liberals, Bloc Quebecois and New Democrats have all come out against Bill C-49, which the government claims will make it easier to prosecute human smugglers and establish stiffer sentences.
The bill would also allow the minister to designate certain vessels as “mass arrivals,” a designation that would then allow authorities to hold passengers and would-be refugee claimants for up to one year while their case is heard.
The opposition parties all claim the bill would be unconstitutional.
Liberal MP Justin Trudeau has said the Conservatives are trying to “divide” Canadians with this bill. Trudeau has also said the Conservatives are muddying the waters on who the bill would affect by using immigrant and refugee interchangeably.
Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe has said his party will not support the bill. NDP immigration critic Olivia Chow has said that her party supports cracking down on smugglers but views this bill as an attack on refugees.
Recently released documents show that the government spent more than $25 million dealing with the arrival of the Sun Sea alone.
A senior government source told QMI Agency that they will continue to push for the bill to be supported but will not bring it forward for a vote while all three opposition parties are set to vote it down. The source also claimed the government has the support of Canadians, including immigrants to this country.
“Canadians strongly support this legislation regardless of where they come from or where they came,” a senior government source told QMI Agency.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper personally toured the Ocean Lady on Monday. The ship was used to bring 76 passengers of Tamil ethnic origin to Canada in October 2009. Last August the Ocean Lady was followed up by the MV Sun Sea, which brought 492 would be refugees to Canada.
“While our government continues to encourage legitimate immigration by those who play by the rules, we are cracking down on illegal human smuggling,” Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in Vancouver.
“With the Preventing Human Smugglers from Abusing Canada’s Immigration System Act, our government is sending a clear message that we will not tolerate the abuse of our generous immigration system.”
The Conservatives are hoping public pressure will get at least one opposition party onside to pass the bill.
The Liberals, Bloc Quebecois and New Democrats have all come out against Bill C-49, which the government claims will make it easier to prosecute human smugglers and establish stiffer sentences.
The bill would also allow the minister to designate certain vessels as “mass arrivals,” a designation that would then allow authorities to hold passengers and would-be refugee claimants for up to one year while their case is heard.
The opposition parties all claim the bill would be unconstitutional.
Liberal MP Justin Trudeau has said the Conservatives are trying to “divide” Canadians with this bill. Trudeau has also said the Conservatives are muddying the waters on who the bill would affect by using immigrant and refugee interchangeably.
Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe has said his party will not support the bill. NDP immigration critic Olivia Chow has said that her party supports cracking down on smugglers but views this bill as an attack on refugees.
Recently released documents show that the government spent more than $25 million dealing with the arrival of the Sun Sea alone.
A senior government source told QMI Agency that they will continue to push for the bill to be supported but will not bring it forward for a vote while all three opposition parties are set to vote it down. The source also claimed the government has the support of Canadians, including immigrants to this country.
“Canadians strongly support this legislation regardless of where they come from or where they came,” a senior government source told QMI Agency.