Immigration minister says intercepted Tamil ship was believed headed to Canada
Posted July 12, 2011 7:27 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Federal Immigration Minister Jason Kenney says an intercepted human smuggling ship believed to have been “destined for Canada” reinforces the need to pass the Harper government’s anti-smuggling legislation.
Kenney says the boat was seized by Indonesian officials, whom he called an important ally in battling human smuggling operations.
He says passing the legislation would sent a clear message to human smuggling syndicates who want to treat Canada like a doormat.
Kenney concedes there’s speculation the ship might have been destined for New Zealand but says many smugglers have “open-ended” contracts with passengers that don’t guarantee the destination.
Human smuggling is already a crime in this country, but there have been few successful prosecutions and the government says the act would strengthen Canada’s ability to prosecute such crimes and deter queue-jumping in the immigration system.
Two ships of Tamil migrants have arrived off the coast of British Columbia since October 2009, with nearly 800 people authorities believe were the human cargo of smugglers.
