Canadian Conservatives are demanding the immediate deportation of non-citizens convicted of serious crimes, pressing the federal government to close legal loopholes that allow offenders to receive reduced sentences to avoid deportation.

 

Canadian Conservatives are demanding the immediate deportation of non-citizens convicted of serious crimes, pressing the federal government to close legal loopholes that allow offenders to receive reduced sentences to avoid deportation.

Key Demands and Proposals

• End Leniency: Conservatives want to stop judges from considering a non-citizen's immigration status to reduce or soften criminal sentences (often criticized as "candy sentences").
• Bar Refugee Claims: The opposition has pushed motions to block individuals accused or convicted of serious crimes from filing refugee or asylum claims to delay deportation.
• Stricter Vetting: Calls include restoring full security vetting for foreign students and workers, tightening the definition of "serious criminality," and ensuring swifter enforcement of detention orders by the Canada Border Services Agency.

Political Context

• Proposed Legislation: Conservative MPs, including Shadow Minister for Immigration Michelle Rempel Garner, have introduced measures like Bill C-220 to eliminate sentencing discounts based on immigration status.
• Parliamentary Pushback: Government and opposition MPs have clashed over these proposals. Liberal and other opposing MPs previously defeated a Conservative motion aimed at restricting refugee claims for serious offenders, with critics arguing some proposed restrictions duplicate existing inadmissibility rules while others send a hardline political message