Senate panel says immigration measures should be removed from border bill

The Senate social affairs committee has heard from witnesses who warned the legislation could violate human rights and lacks procedural fairness.

Senators on the social affairs committee want to see immigration-related sections in the government’s border security bill, C-12, removed or significantly modified by the Senate national security committee.

The national security committee is responsible for tabling amendments, while the social affairs committee has conducted an in-depth study of the bill’s immigration measures.

The national security committee began Monday with independent Senator Tony Dean reading a lengthy letter on behalf of Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree and Immigration Minister Lena Diab on the rationale for the bill, responding to issues raised in the social affairs committee study.

The letter stressed that there is bipartisan support for this bill as only “a handful” of MPs voted against it and B.C. Premier David Eby said it should be passed “without delay” after alleged extortionists made asylum claims in that province.

That study says the social affairs committee heard from witnesses who warned the legislation could violate human rights and lacks procedural fairness.

Bill C-12 has sections focused on immigration that deal with information-sharing and managing the asylum system. It also proposes giving the government new powers to modify or cancel existing immigration documents and applications.

The committee’s report says if the national security committee opts not to remove the sections on immigration, it should introduce more robust parliamentary oversight to the legislation and include a sunset clause to require a parliamentary review.

The report was broadly welcomed by civil society groups who testified before the Senate social affairs committee.