Latest news with #BillC2
Toronto Sun
a day ago
- Business
- Toronto Sun
BATRA'S BURNING QUESTIONS: Carney Liberals cramming through controversial legislation
TORONTO, CANADA - JUNE 9: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks as he attends a tour of the Fort York Armoury in Toronto on June 9, 2025 in Toronto, Canada. Prime Minister Carney has pledged to meet NATO's 2% spending pledge this year. (Photo by) *** BESTPIX *** WATCH: Impatient Prime Minister Mark Carney and his Liberal's are cramming through controversial legislation. Sun Editor-in-Chief Adrienne Batra talks with political columnists Warren Kinsella and Brian Lilley talks about their concerns with Bill C2 and Bill C5. What do YOU think? Tell us your thoughts in the comment section below or send us a Letter to the Editor for possible publication to . Letters must be 250 words or less and signed. And don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube Channel. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account News MMA NHL Editorial Cartoons Soccer
CBC
a day ago
- Politics
- CBC
Officials defend Liberal bill that would force hospitals, banks, hotels to hand over data
The Liberal government's proposed border bill would empower police and the country's spy agency to seek information from a wide range of service providers — including medical professionals, banks and car rental companies — without a warrant, government officials spelled out Thursday. In defence of the fiercely criticized bill, federal officials held a briefing with reporters where they argued the changes are needed to stay apace with the changing crime landscape. They spoke to reporters about the "lawful access" portions of the bill under the agreement they not be quoted directly. The Strong Borders Act, also known as Bill C-2, was introduced earlier this month and has since received a wave of backlash from civil liberties groups, academics and some opposition MPs who argue it creates new surveillance powers infringing on personal privacy and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. An official on Thursday's call said they held the briefing to further explain the government's rationale for moving ahead on the headline-nabbing legislation. If passed, C-2 would compel service providers to hand over basic information to police and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) without judicial sign-off. It would also create a new order compelling the production of more detailed subscriber information with judicial authorization during a criminal investigation. Depending on the case, that production order would require third parties to hand over names, addresses, telephone numbers and what services they sought. The officials provided a hypothetical example: CSIS receives a tip that an individual associated with a Canadian telephone number may be planning a terrorist attack. In order to investigate, CSIS must first confirm which phone company is responsible for the phone number before it can seek a production order for more details, like the associated name and address. Critic says it's 'ripe for abuse' However, the bill also allows investigators to seize information and data (including subscriber information) without a warrant in urgent and time-sensitive circumstances Critics argue the bill would infringe personal privacy and could breach the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Tim McSorley, national co-ordinator of the International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group, said the way the bill is written is "ripe for abuse." "Without a warrant, police and spy agencies could demand information about our online activities based on the low threshold of reasonable suspicion," he said in a statement Wednesday. "Bill C-2 would undermine more than a decade of Canadian privacy-related jurisprudence to enable a massive expansion of domestic surveillance." An official briefing reporters said while internet service providers will likely receive the most requests, they confirmed the definition of public service providers is sweeping. That could include a car rental company, hotel or a financial institution. Medical professionals including hospitals, doctors and psychiatrists' offices could also meet that definition, they said. The official stressed that police have to believe there are reasons to suspect that the information in question will assist in a criminal investigation, and said there is a mechanism in the bill allowing service providers to apply for judicial review if they are not comfortable handing over information. But there are also legal consequences for those who don't comply. WATCH | Privacy concerns over Strong Borders Act: Strong Borders Act raises concern about police access to personal data 9 days ago Duration 2:28 Civil liberties groups are concerned that the federal government's proposed Bill C-2, the Strong Borders Act, will give law enforcement agencies sweeping new powers, like making it easier for police to search your internet activity and data without your knowledge or a warrant. The bill has support from Canada's police chiefs who argue the warrantless demands would garner the "bare-minimum information" but could make a difference early in an investigation. Child protection advocates have also been pushing for changes to compel internet providers to co-operate with law enforcement. Richard Fadden, a former director of CSIS, said a phone book once allowed police "to do more or less the same" as what's been sought in this bill — though critics argue the new warrantless requests would provide far more data. Since introducing the bill, the federal government has argued it's meant to keep borders secure, crack down on transnational organized crime and money laundering and stop the flow of deadly fentanyl across the border. Canada has faced pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to beef up border security. At times, his administration has justified its trade war by pointing to the southbound flow of irregular migrants and fentanyl.
National Post
13-06-2025
- Business
- National Post
Jamie Sarkonak: New Liberals offer more of the same old attitude on immigration
Article content Hence a question from Saskatoon MP Brad Redekopp: 'How can you set immigration targets, minister, if you do not know how many people have left the country.' The reply: border services and the public safety department are responsible for exit numbers. It's as if Diab views immigration as a force of nature rather than a completely human-controlled process, under the complete responsibility of elected officials in Ottawa. Article content And while the new plan projects less extreme inflows than the post-COVID years, they're still uncomfortably high. It aims, for example, to issue 437,000 study permits in 2025. That's more than twice the number of new international students who came to Canada in 2017 (196,400), and quadruple that of 2012 (106,250), per Statistics Canada. Article content For permanent residents, the target number for this year is now 395,000 — better than the previous 485,000, but still vastly greater than 2014's 260,000. And yes, the Liberals are now looking to close some asylum-seeker loopholes with the proposed Bill C-2, but to actually pull off meaningful change, they will need a minister who's actually willing to say 'no.' Article content Whether Diab has that capacity, we've yet to see. Her words are little consolation for those who are currently feeling the most heat due to Canada's rapid population growth: last year, banks were warning that youth unemployment was under pressure from large inflows of unskilled workers; now, even the Bank of Canada admits that high immigration from low-income countries has depressed wages. Article content 'Does the minister believe that the large influx of foreign workers is depressing wages for young Canadians?' asked Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan MP Garnett Genuis. 'Immigration is our strength,' responded Diab. Article content Quebec MP Bernard Généreux noted the nationwide housing shortage in a question, which was met with moralizing from the minister. 'Once again, it is not the fault of immigrants,' Diab said, attempting to malign the observation that immigration is linked to housing pressures. Article content In 2023, the country saw 240,000 housing starts — relative to 1.2 million newcomers, per the Aristotle Foundation. That's one house for every five newcomers. Back in 2015, we built one home for every two-or-so new entrants. Anyone with a basic awareness of the real estate and rental markets will know that there have been real, painful consequences to this widening ratio. Article content Article content Even the Liberals are aware: Diab's department was warning in 2022 that immigration was outpacing construction, to the detriment of affordability, and their latest immigration plan explicitly aims to reduce the housing shortage. There's nothing wrong with understanding the critical, and obvious, link between these two factors. Article content
CTV News
08-06-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Montrealers protest against border security Bill C-2
Canadian border services officers walk past customs booths at the Highway 55 port of entry in Stanstead, Quebec, on Thursday, March 13, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press) Protesters gathered in Montreal on Sunday to voice their opposition to federal Bill C-2, which aims to strengthen border security. The bill includes several immigration measures that have raised concerns among organizations. About 80 people gathered in front of the offices of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada downtown for the protest organized by Solidarity Across Borders. They chanted: 'Status for all,' and 'Solidarity with refugees.' 'Bill C-2 was a real shock to us. Just a few years ago, the Liberal Party promised a mass regularization program. Instead, we are now faced with a bill that will greatly affect the situation of undocumented people in Canada and those with precarious status, and which will also increase the number of undocumented people in Canada,' said Mary Foster, a Solidarity Across Borders activist at the protest. For Foster, the bill that claims to ensure border security will not guarantee the safety of communities. 'It will be even more difficult to cross the border in a safe and healthy manner. We will have more people dying at the borders. We know that people will continue to cross the borders,' she said. The activist also deplores the ideas behind the bill, which she says portrays refugees and immigrants as a threat to Canadians. 'We are all human beings, we are all equal, we are all supposed to have the right to freedom of movement, liberty and security,' said Foster. Instead of Bill C-2, Solidarity Across Borders is calling for a mass program to regularize the status of immigrants. The organization is also asking that immigrant workers be granted permanent residence as soon as they are accepted into Canada, Foster said. Federal Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree tabled the bill, which includes a section dedicated to immigration, last Tuesday. Bill C-2 includes provisions that would give the government the power, 'if it considers it to be in the public interest,' to 'cancel or amend permanent or temporary resident visas, work permits, study permits, temporary resident permits, electronic travel authorizations, permanent resident cards or any other immigration document.' If the bill is passed, asylum claims filed more than one year after a potential refugee has entered Canada will be deemed inadmissible for referral to the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, which is normally responsible for assessing such claims. The same would apply to asylum claims made 14 days after a person arrived irregularly in Canada by land. This bill comes at a time when U.S. President Donald Trump has been pressuring Ottawa for months to take action to stem the flow of immigrants to the south. This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French June 8, 2025. Coralie Laplante, The Canadian Press - With information from Émilie Bergeron in Ottawa
National Post
06-06-2025
- Politics
- National Post
Jamie Sarkonak: Carney's border bill is bracing Canada for more Liberal neglect
Article content Now, India dominates the influx of foreigners to Canada, making up 27 per cent of new permanent residents in 2022, and 45 per cent of international students. It also comprises 22 per cent of temporary foreign workers. The downsides of this are wide-ranging, including the risk of cultural enclaves, as well as the proliferation of organized crime and exploitation thanks to the difficulty in tracing cross-border networks and investigating through language barriers. A country cap of, say 10 to 15 per cent — perhaps less, to make up for past years — wouldn't solve everything, but it would help. Article content The government's new open-minded approach to information sharing is another point of optimism — perhaps it could lead to better enforcement, and maybe, just maybe, greater ability for police to disclose the citizenship status of non-citizens charged with crimes. Canadians should have the right to know whether that 'Brampton man' charged with sexually assaulting a girl in a park was here by birthright, or was welcomed by an immigration system designed by politicians who are ultimately accountable to the public. Article content Article content As for the regulation of street drugs, Bill C-2 would also tighten our lax rules on ingredients — also called precursor chemicals — which have made this country a convenient staging ground for illicit manufacturing. It's about time. Article content Any optimism for this bill, however, can't be felt without doubt. Any provision that allows cabinet to make rules on a general subject remains vulnerable to not being acted upon at all, which means we may never see source-country limits. And regardless of a few more proposed restrictions on asylum, Carney's overall immigration plan is one that will largely maintain Trudeau-era intake numbers, leaving Canada an even more crowded place. Article content Also clouding the bill is a new regime for obtaining internet service provider information, which is loaded with a slew of privacy-infringing procedures, and its new border-security related powers at sea, whose purpose might be to simply count more of the coast guard's budget towards our NATO obligations. Article content One gets the impression that Carney is following in the footsteps of his British counterpart, Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is now taking a supposed hatchet to immigration in response to the population shock that's been hitting the United Kingdom for at least a decade now. But there, both Reform and Conservative critics believe Starmer's plan doesn't match the scale of the problem. Article content In Canada, we seem to be in a similar spot. The left now admits that immigration needs limits, and those in charge are striking a tougher tone to match the concerns of the people. If deployed effectively, it could be a lot of help — but if Bill C-2 turns out to be a mostly aesthetic exercise, our ship is going to continue sinking. Article content
