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Strengthened Immigration Measures
to Counter Terrorism
October 12, 2001
The Government announced today an investment of $49 million to accelerate
work on a five part security strategy for Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration
system.
These measures are an important part of the Government’s $280 million
Anti-Terrorism Plan – a plan that brings to $1.8 billion the amount the
Government of Canada has invested in policing, security and intelligence since
Budget 2000.
These measures include:
- Fast-tracking the permanent resident card for new immigrants by June,
2002. This state-of-the-art, tamper-proof card will replace the existing
paper record of landing document. This secure proof of status will
facilitate international travel, as well as access to services in Canada.
- Increasing front end security screening for refugee
claimants.
- Increasing Canada’s detention capacity.
- Increasing Canada’s deportation activity.
- Hiring one hundred new staff to enforce upgraded security at ports of
entry.
Additional resources, including $9 million for additional employees, are
being assigned to key enforcement activities, such as examination and security
screening at ports of entry, more detailed screening of refugee claimants
already in Canada, and increased detention and deportation.
These resources are in addition to funds Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC)
obtained in Budget 2000 and which were applied to its enforcement program.
CIC will continue to work closely on security and intelligence issues with
the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency, CSIS and the RCMP, as well as with U.S.
and international counterparts in the fight against terrorism.
The Government of Canada’s Anti-Terrorism Plan has four objectives:
- stop terrorists from getting into Canada and protect Canadians from
terrorist acts;
- bring forward tools to identify, prosecute, convict and punish
terrorists;
- prevent the Canada-US border from being held hostage by terrorists and
impacting on the Canadian economy; and
- work with the international community to bring terrorists to justice and
address the root causes of such hatred.
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