Friday, July 30

ANNE McILROY
Parliamentary Bureau
Thursday, July 29, 1999

Ottawa -- Immigration Minister Lucienne Robillard has dismissed concerns that Canada is turning into a haven for illegal aliens, but her critics say she doesn't grasp how urgent the situation is becoming.

In her first comments since 123 illegal immigrants arrived near Vancouver Island last week aboard a rusty trawler, Ms. Robillard suggested that Canada can do very little on its own to fight human smuggling.

"I think that Canada shares that problem with other countries. I think that illegal smuggling is increasing internationally, so we got a problem here," she said after a cabinet meeting. "And that's why we are working so hard with other countries to help solve the problems."

She said Canada has 27 immigration control officers around the world working to foil human-smuggling schemes before they begin. These officers are helping to train airline agents to spot phony passports and other false travel documents.

"We are doing activities, actions, to combat that illegal trafficking, but we have to do it internationally."

Yesterday, Reform Party immigration critic Leon Benoit urged the government to recall Parliament to pass proposed changes to the Immigration Act that would make it easier to refuse bogus refugee claimants more quickly.

He said New Zealand and Australia have laws under which they can turn back boats full of illegal immigrants before they land. The U.S. policy gives refugee claimants a hearing within 10 days, but those whose cases appear to be bogus are sent back almost immediately.

"Canada, on the other hand, is opening its arms to illegal immigrants with a refugee system that allows them to stay in the country for two years or more," he said.

But Ms. Robillard said the Liberal government would not even consider turning back refugees before they land.

She said Canada wants to work against the traffickers, not their victims. Smuggled immigrants arrive in foreign countries with huge debts to pay off, she noted, and often the only way they can earn money is working in sweatshops or as prostitutes.

Human smuggling seems to be on the rise. In January, Canadian and U.S. officials say, they broke up a ring that smuggled 3,600 Chinese through Canada to the United States, and earlier this year, four Chinese women were found hidden under a truck at a U.S. border crossing.

"We have to work against the traffickers, not people who are sometimes victims," Ms. Robillard said.

She said the planned changes to the Immigration Act will reinforce Ottawa's efforts.

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