Government of Canada
Introduces the Faster Removal of Foreign Criminals Act
Ottawa,
June , 2012 — The Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship,
Immigration and Multiculturalism, introduced legislation to expedite the
removal of foreign criminals from Canada and to enhance the safety and
security of Canadians.
“The
Harper Government is putting a stop to foreign criminals relying on
endless appeals in order to delay their removal from Canada during which
time they continue to terrorize innocent Canadians,” said Kenney
“Canadians are generous and welcoming people, but they have no tolerance
for criminals and fraudsters abusing our generosity.”
The
Faster Removal of Foreign Criminals Act focuses on three areas which
would:
1.
Make it
easier for the Government to remove dangerous foreign criminals from our
country;
2.
Make it
harder for those who may pose a risk to Canada to enter the country in the
first place; and
3.
Remove
barriers for genuine visitors who want to come to Canada.
Through the Faster
Removal of Foreign Criminals Act, the Government is delivering on its
commitment to streamline the process to deport convicted criminals by
limiting their access to the Immigration and Refugee Board’s Immigration
Appeal Division. This will reduce the amount of time certain criminals may
remain in Canada by up to 14 months, reducing their chances of committing
more crime on Canadian soil.
Another
change in the proposed legislation would ensure that foreign nationals who
are inadmissible on the most serious grounds - security, human or
international rights violations, or organized criminality - will no longer
be able to delay their removal by applying for a program that is meant for
cases deserving of humanitarian and compassionate consideration. This
change is consistent with the government’s no safe haven policy.
Other
amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to protect the
safety and security of Canadians include a new Ministerial authority to
refuse temporary entry in exceptional cases, and increased penalties for
those who try to cheat the system.
In
contrast, the legislation will facilitate the temporary entry of low-risk
individuals who would have previously been refused entry because one of
their family members was deemed inadmissible for non-security reasons,
such as health.
“These measures are
tough but fair,” said Minister Kenney. “We want an immigration system
that is open to genuine visitors, while at the same time prevents the
entry of foreign criminals and denies them the ability to endlessly abuse
our generosity.”
These
amendments, which would update the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act
and our immigration program, complement the recent measures in the
Protecting Canada’s Immigration System Act as well as the Action Plan on
Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness.
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