QUESTION PERIOD — Public Safety
Border Security
December 12, 2024
Senator Gold, I will share with you some facts and then a question, and I would like you to answer the question and not question the veracity of the facts.
Number one, the Canadian Border Services Agency admits to losing track of nearly 30,000 people who failed to attend their removal proceedings. Two, the national president of the Customs and Immigration Union revealed that less than 1% of all goods entering Canada from the U.S. are inspected. Three, there are alarming reports coming as the incoming U.S. president threatens Canada with 25% tariffs over the described porous borders. Instead of addressing these serious border security issues, your leader, Prime Minister Trudeau, chooses to personally insult the president-elect and disparage Americans for not electing a woman — that’s a fact as well, unfortunately.
Senator Gold, does Prime Minister Trudeau have a concrete plan to secure Canada’s borders and ports or is his strategy simply to continue to act like a belligerent, petulant little man?
Thank you for your question and for the preamble to the question. This government has devoted significant resources to securing our border, which is already a resource and the subject of continued and regular investments and attention of this government.
As we know, the government has announced — and the details will be forthcoming — another very serious investment in our border security.
For the record, the fact is that the Prime Minister was reflecting his disappointment that progress has not yet been made in the United States for the election of a woman president, and that is the fact.
The Prime Minister should worry about his country and not other democracies.
It is ironic for this Prime Minister to accuse others of falling short in respecting strong women in leadership. This is the same man who ousted Jody Wilson-Raybould and now seems poised to replace — and, in a de facto fashion has already replaced — Minister Freeland with, of course, de facto minister Carney. But what is stopping Prime Minister Trudeau from stepping down himself and allowing a strong, more competent woman to take over his party, which is in a mess?
Senator Housakos, at least you have the consistency of always turning this Question Period into a forum for simply making partisan points about an election. This is not a confidence chamber. I am here to represent the government in matters of legislation and policy. I do my best to answer your questions, but kudos for your consistency.
