CANADA STRENGTHENS BORDER SECURITY
On June 3, 2025, Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree introduced the Strong Borders Act – a decisive move aimed at tightening border controls, fighting transnational crime, and reforming Canada’s immigration system.
🎯 Key highlights of the Bill include:
🔹 Expanded powers for the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA):
- Ports of entry/exit will be required to provide infrastructure for inspections and detention of goods.
- CBSA will be authorized to access warehouses and transportation hubs to inspect goods intended for export.
🔹 Security mandate for the Canadian Coast Guard – Canada’s marine patrol agency:
- Empowered to conduct security patrols, collect and share intelligence for national security purposes.
🔹 Protecting the asylum system:
- Introduces new eligibility criteria to manage sudden surges in asylum claims.
- Grants IRCC broader authority to cancel, suspend, or refuse immigration applications.
🔹 Enhanced information sharing:
- Expands IRCC’s ability to share client data with federal, provincial, and territorial partners.
🔹 Combating drug trafficking and organized crime:
- Creates a fast-track process to regulate precursor chemicals used in fentanyl production.
- Updates laws to allow law enforcement and intelligence agencies easier access to data from electronic service providers.
- Authorizes the inspection of mail by police under judicial warrant, including through Canada Post.
🔹 Tightening anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing measures:
- Imposes new restrictions on large cash transactions and third-party deposits.
- Increases FINTRAC’s authority to monitor and exchange financial data with other federal regulators.
👉 This Bill represents a legal turning point with wide-ranging implications for Canada’s immigration, asylum, and border control systems. It not only enhances national security but also reshapes how immigration and asylum applications—and even cross-border financial transactions—are processed and assessed.
