Since elected in 2004, I have heard from many constituents of SD & SG concerned with those who abuse our fair and generous immigration system. People reacted very strongly to ships showing up on Canada’s shores with 400-500 supposed refugees aboard. Many of my colleagues reported receiving the same feedback from Canadians across the country. That is why I am happy to report that the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Jason Kenney, listened to concerned citizens and introduced the Protecting Canada's Immigration System Act, to crack down on this abuse.

PHOTO CREDIT - GuyLauzon.ca

Cornwall - March 29, 2012 - Since elected in 2004, I have heard from many constituents of SD & SG concerned with those who abuse our fair and generous immigration system. People reacted very strongly to ships showing up on Canada’s shores with 400-500 supposed refugees aboard. Many of my colleagues reported receiving the same feedback from Canadians across the country. That is why I am happy to report that the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Jason Kenney, listened to concerned citizens and introduced the Protecting Canada's Immigration System Act, to crack down on this abuse.

This legislation will restore integrity to our asylum system by making Canada’s refugee determination process faster and fairer, resulting in faster protection for legitimate refugees and faster removal for bogus claimants. Further, it will put a stop to foreign criminals, human smugglers, and bogus refugees abusing our generous immigration system and receiving lucrative taxpayer-funded healthcare and social benefits.

There have been many stories in the news reporting on bogus refugees, serious criminals and those who have committed crimes against humanity exploiting Canada’s generosity and taking advantage of our refugee system. This type of abuse means that legitimate refugees have to wait in line while resources are used on these bogus claims. These bogus refugees aren’t actually fleeing from persecution, but seek to take advantage of Canada`s refugee system to receive our taxpayer-funded healthcare, welfare and other benefits. As soon as they land in Canada, they are eligible for many taxpayer-funded benefits and can receive these until their bogus claims are thrown out. This legislation aims to fix this problem.

I believe this legislation will give overworked immigration officials the tools they require to protect legitimate refugees and get them the help they need while at the same time, quickly removing claimants that abuse our generosity.

Guy Lauzon
Member of Parliament
Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry