On Parliament Hill

Over the past two weeks we’ve all heard about asylum seekers crossing the border near Emerson.

As Canadians, we are aware of the oppression and pervasive violence and the millions of displaced people around the globe. Many thousands of these people are waiting patiently, dreaming of the day that they can come to Canada.

Canada is a welcoming country, a country of immigrants. As a nation we have a responsibility to do our part in alleviating suffering and providing safety.

But we need to be clear – the migrants that are crossing into Canada illegally in the dead of night are not refugees. The United States of America is a safe country and there is no such thing as a “refugee” from the U.S. They are not being persecuted there.

There is a safe, legal process in place at every Canadian airport and land border crossing for people to claim refugee status. These migrants are being coached to purposefully avoid border crossings and are taking advantage of a loophole in the existing law.

We need to be generous but we also need to ensure the integrity of our border. We must always consider our national security and do our due diligence to make sure we know who is entering our country, where they are entering and why.

We also need to ensure that the system is fair to all those seeking to make Canada their new home.

I will continue to push the Liberal Government to close the loophole that is currently being exploited and I will continue to voice the concerns of my constituents living along the border near Emerson who are expressing safety concerns within their communities.

We must ensure the integrity of our shared border with the United States and protect our generous immigration system. The residents living along the border in communities such as Emerson and the thousands of people patiently waiting to come to this great country of ours deserve no less.