On Parliament Hill

Are you thinking of taking a vacation to the US this summer? Maybe even just a quick trip to Grand Forks?

I think most of us have been stuck in a massive lineup at the border on our way back to Canada and we know how frustrating it can be. However, those long lineups usually only occur on Sunday evenings or on the Monday of a long weekend. Well, that may change. Get ready for long lineups at the border all summer.

Why? More than 800 border agents are being moved to Quebec to try and deal with the huge influx of illegal migrants into Canada and this will naturally leave a big hole to fill. Because of Justin Trudeau’s misleading rhetoric that made coming to Canada legally sound more like a mere suggestion, these public servants will be in Quebec helping people who have illegally crossed into Canada, instead of here serving tax paying Canadians.

Which border crossings will be affected, and how severely? We don’t know the answer to that question because the Liberals refuse to tell us. But with a massive migration of border agents heading to Quebec it’s probably safe to assume that border services across the country will be greatly affected.

So who will be manning our border crossings here in Manitoba? Maybe Justin Trudeau will give illegal migrants the positions since he’s already expedited their work visas. It’s a perfect “Liberal-logic” plan. Almost as good as “the budget will balance itself.”

All kidding aside, so far, Justin Trudeau’s answer is that he will use summer students to man our border.

To you and me, that may sound ridiculous. But who would have thought two years ago that we would have tens of thousands of people, hundreds per day, pouring over our borders illegally? Who would have thought that we would provide them with better services than many of our own citizens receive? Who would have thought we would build footbridges to help them navigate effortlessly across our border? Who would have thought we would build a tent city to house them? And lastly, who would have thought that our own prime minister would get this all started by recklessly tweeting “Welcome to Canada”.

Canada is a generous and accepting country and our immigration system reflects that. However, we also need to protect the integrity of our international border and ensure that our refugee system remains consistent and fair for everyone patiently waiting to come to this great country of ours.

Justin Trudeau needs to start taking the job of prime minister seriously, show some leadership, and close the loophole that’s allowing all this to happen.