Ottawa – New regulatory amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR) will help improve processing efficiency at the border, strengthen border integrity and enhance public safety.
The regulatory amendments allow a Minister’s Delegate to issue a removal order directly at the port of entry for straightforward transborder criminal offences such as carrying a concealed weapon, smuggling drugs or the unauthorized possession of a firearm.
Under the previous framework, the individual who committed this type of offence would be admitted into Canada for an admissibility hearing with the Immigration Refugee Board (IRB). A subsequent removal order would be given if the IRB determined the individual was inadmissible.
By allowing the Minister’s Delegate to issue a removal order for straightforward transborder criminal offences at the border, inadmissibility decisions are streamlined and offenders are turned away immediately. These amendments also help fulfill the Government of Canada’s objectives for the firearms strategy outlined in Bill C-21 by strengthening the enforcement of certain firearms-related offences.
“Our border services officers play an integral role in our fight against gun violence. This new measure will be another tool in their toolbox in securing our borders and preventing guns from entering Canada.”- Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions, and Intergovernmental Affairs