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.