Summary#

This bill is a broad public safety and immigration package. It aims to tighten border controls, speed up action against illegal drugs and money laundering, change parts of the asylum system, and update how agencies share information.

• Requires airports, ports, bridges, and similar sites to give the border agency free space and access to inspect exports.
• Lets Health add drug precursors (chemicals used to make illegal drugs) quickly and confirms police can be exempt from some drug‑crime rules during lawful undercover work.
• Moves the Canadian Coast Guard to the Defence Minister and adds security and intelligence roles.
• Expands information‑sharing by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) with other governments under written safeguards.
• Changes asylum rules (ends the “safe country” list, adds new ineligibility rules, tighter timelines, and allows cases to be paused if the person is outside Canada).
• Gives the federal cabinet power to pause, suspend, or end processing of certain immigration applications and to suspend or vary visas and permits in the public interest, with reports to Parliament.
• Strengthens anti‑money‑laundering law with higher fines, mandatory compliance agreements and orders, and enrollment of more businesses with FINTRAC (the federal financial intelligence unit).
• Updates the Sex Offender Registry to add reporting duties and allow CBSA to share border‑crossing data with police.

What it means for you#

• Exporters, carriers, and port/airport operators

  • Border officers get more access to goods, warehouses, and export areas. Expect more inspections and the need to open packages on request.
  • Owners of international bridges, tunnels, railways, airports, wharves, and docks must provide CBSA facilities free of charge.

• People seeking asylum in Canada

  • The old “designated countries of origin” system ends.
  • New ineligibility rules: if you entered after June 24, 2020 and wait more than one year to claim asylum, your claim can be ruled ineligible (with possible exceptions set by regulation). If you crossed the U.S.–Canada land border between official ports and miss the set time limit to claim, you can be ruled ineligible.
  • If you leave Canada while your claim or appeal is pending, it will be paused; if you voluntarily return to the country you fled before a decision, your claim or appeal is deemed abandoned.
  • You must give documents and information within set deadlines or risk your claim being deemed abandoned before it is even referred to the Refugee Board.

• Immigrants, students, and temporary workers

  • The federal cabinet can, for public‑interest reasons (e.g., fraud, public health or security), order pauses on accepting certain applications, suspend or end processing of pending applications, or suspend/vary documents and impose conditions. Fees can be repaid without interest if processing is ended.
  • Officers can require you to answer questions and appear for an examination, including while outside Canada, to confirm you still meet visa or permit requirements.

• Families and communities

  • The Coast Guard shifts under the Defence Minister and is given clearer security and intelligence roles. Expect closer coordination on marine security along with continued search‑and‑rescue and icebreaking.
  • The Sex Offender Registry adds details and deadlines (like reporting changes to vehicles) and allows CBSA to share travel in/out of Canada with law enforcement to help prevent and investigate sexual offences.

• Businesses that handle money or value (banks, fintechs, money services, casinos, real estate, dealers in virtual currency, and others listed in law)

  • You may have to enroll with FINTRAC (even if not previously registered), keep risk‑based compliance programs, and meet stricter recordkeeping and reporting.
  • Penalties rise sharply, including potential fines tied to a percentage of global revenue. After a violation, you must enter a compliance agreement; ignoring a compliance order carries even higher penalties.
  • FINTRAC can share certain intelligence with the Commissioner of Canada Elections.

• Police and public safety

  • Undercover officers, when acting lawfully under designated rules, can be exempted from “inchoate” drug offences (like conspiracy) during investigations.
  • Monthly public reports will show how many removal orders were enforced and reasons for delays.

• Privacy and data sharing

  • IRCC can share personal information within the department and with other federal and provincial bodies under written agreements that set limits and purposes. Provinces cannot pass that info to foreign entities without the federal minister’s consent and safeguards.

Expenses#

No publicly available information.

Proponents' View#

• Strengthens border security by giving CBSA better access to export goods and facilities, helping stop guns, drugs, and other contraband from leaving or entering Canada.
• Speeds action against illegal drugs by quickly controlling new precursors used to make substances like fentanyl, and by clarifying police powers for undercover operations.
• Improves the asylum system by ending the “safe country” list, setting clearer deadlines, and reducing backlogs through abandonment/withdrawal rules and monthly removal reporting.
• Gives government tools to quickly respond to fraud, surges, or health/security risks by pausing or adjusting immigration streams, while reporting these actions to Parliament.
• Cracks down on money laundering and terrorist financing with higher penalties, mandatory compliance steps, and wider coverage of businesses, protecting Canada’s financial system.
• Enhances safety through better sharing of sex offender travel data and more complete registry information to help prevent sexual crimes.
• Moves the Coast Guard under Defence to better coordinate marine security while keeping essential services like search and rescue.

Opponents' View#

• Grants broad executive power to pause, suspend, or end immigration processing and to suspend or vary visas, which critics say could harm fairness for applicants and create uncertainty for families and employers.
• Adds new asylum ineligibility rules (late claims and irregular border entries beyond a time limit) that may bar people with real protection needs who face barriers to filing quickly.
• Expands information‑sharing by IRCC and CBSA, raising privacy concerns about how personal data is used, stored, and shared across governments.
• Increases inspections and obligations at export sites and warehouses, which could slow trade and add costs for exporters and operators.
• Significantly raises compliance costs and legal risks for banks, fintechs, real estate, and other businesses; small firms may struggle with the burden and higher penalties.
• Police exemptions during drug investigations and moving the Coast Guard under Defence may be seen as expanding security powers in ways that could affect civil liberties or “militarize” some services.