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Canada’s illegal immigration crisis

August 16, 2018   ·   0 Comments

For the first time in Canadian history there are more people illegally entering the country than there are legally seeking asylum. This is a major issue because of the sheer number of illegal migrants crossing into Canada. In the first three months of 2018 over 5,000 migrants crossed into Canada illegally. This is after close to 20,000 people already crossed illegally into Canada in 2017.

Add those figures together and you have the equivalent of a town not much smaller than Orangeville entering Canada illegally every 15 months. Understanding the magnitude of this issue, I wanted to see it for myself. Over 95% of all illegal border crossings into Canada happen on Roxham Road and so I personally travelled to the infamous crossing to see the crisis up close.

I saw dozens of migrants illegally crossing into Canada. Our RCMP officers lack the legal ability to stop the crossings and though they consistently warned migrants crossing was illegal, they were routinely ignored. I saw Canadian citizens on behalf of NGOs coaching migrants what to say, what not to say, to successfully cross. With the exception of a meek, ineffective sign warning people not to cross illegally, there was nothing to stop this from happening.

Conservative Immigration Critic Michelle Rempel is correct in saying we must legally designate the entire Canada-USA border as an “official port of entry.” Under the Safe Third Country Agreement, this would enable our RCMP and CBSA officers to deny entry to people who should be making a refugee claim in the USA where they are already. In addition to this legal solution, I believe we also need to construct a permanent physical barrier at the Roxham Road illegal border crossing.

This is a much more practical solution than the current status quo of tent cities, law breaking, and years of refugee claim backlogs. Consider for a moment that less than 10 km either East or West of Roxham Road is an official border crossing. A simple Google Maps search shows a 10 minute drive either way. If an individual can make it to Roxham Road to come to Canada, then they can make it to the Hemmingford or Lacolle crossings and cross legally.

We need to make it easier, physically and bureaucratically, for legitimate refugees to follow the proper legal process, than to break the law. Only then will we see this issue improve for the betterment of all involved.

Standing up for our community and ensuring our voices are heard in Ottawa is why I’m running to be Dufferin-Caledon’s next Conservative Member of Parliament. Please visit my website, www.kevinweatherbee.ca to learn more about me and my campaign. I’d love to hear from you to talk about this and other important issues facing our communities.

Kevin Weatherbee

Conservative Party Nomination Candidate

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