Ottawa has announced amendments that will allow border patrol to “immediately” turn away individuals accused of firearm offenses and drug smuggling before they are admitted into the country.
“Our border services officers play an integral role in our fight against gun violence,” Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc said in the statement. “This new measure will be another tool in their toolbox in securing our borders and preventing guns from entering Canada.”
It’s a move that the government says helps fulfill the firearms strategy in Bill C-21, legislation that imposes handgun restrictions, increases penalties on firearms traffickers, and implements new “red flag” provisions.
Previously, individuals who were accused of these offences would be permitted into Canada for an admissibility hearing with the Immigration Refugee Board, the statement says. If the person was found to be inadmissible, a removal order would then be issued.
The changes mean these decisions are streamlined and people are turned away immediately, the statement says.
CBSA officers are required to be “satisfied” that all admissibility requirements are met before they allow a foreign national into the country, according to the government statement.
