Case Explained: Delta MP calls for parties to work together on anti-crime laws – Legal Perspective

Surrey and Delta police are scrambling to contain ongoing extortion attacks, but Delta Liberal MP Jill McKnight said the federal government is responding.

The government is advancing expanded legislative powers, “so law enforcement has the tools they need to effectively combat extortion and organized criminal networks,” she said recently in the House of Commons.

McKnight’s office provided a range of changes underway that could help combat the extortions and related shootings that have terrorized both cities for months.

Top of the list is Bill C-2, the Strong Borders Act, (at second reading), which “strengthens Canada’s border, combats international organized crime and disrupts illegal financing,” said McKnight’s office.

The bill also proposes that asylum claims cannot be made if a person has been in the country for longer than a year.

However, claimants may still apply for a pre-removal risk assessment to determine if they would be returned to a country where they’ll be persecuted, the government points out.

The bill also will require internet service providers to maintain systems that allow access in investigations, and will improve Canada’s ability to work with other countries while balancing privacy interests.

Bill C-2 also updates, “law-enforcement tools, such as search warrants, to meet modern digital challenges, including to explicitly deal with the search of computer systems and data,” the government said online.

McKnight said in an interview with the Optimist on Feb. 6, that the government is working on a range of measures to address public safety, “. . . but it’s time to do it and we’re trying to do it, to make noticeable change for Canadians.”

She said the government wants to see things move more quickly, saying what’s happening in Surrey is serious, while there are cases in Delta.

“Canadians deserve to feel safe at home, and so we need to keep advancing this.”

She said there have been delays from the Opposition in passing the bills.

McKnight said the key thing is “continued collaboration,” involving all levels of government and law enforcement and building networks between jurisdictions and giving police the tools they need.

The extortion summit in November was the first time everyone got together on the topic, she added.

Her office also said Bill C-12, the Strengthening Canada’s Immigration System and Borders Act,which also deals with asylum claims, but has broader consensus in the House, received second reading in the Senate last week, with royal assent expected soon.

Bill C-14, the Bail and Sentencing Reform Act, which proposes more than 80 changes to the Criminal Code and the Youth Criminal Justice Act, with one of the major changes being toughening bail and sentencing laws, got through committee stage last week as well, after a late-night sitting.

Bill C-9, the Combatting Hate Act, which proposes new offences to better protect access to religious or cultural places, and Bill C-16, the Protecting Victims Act, are also underway. Bill C-16 also will double the period to 180 days during which police can hold electronic devices.

However, police still cannot use surveillance or traffic cameras for real-time tracking of criminals and must instead get a warrant to view security after the fact.

McKnight’s office also pointed out that Peel Regional Police, near Toronto, have a system that now alerts them in real time, when a licence plate is stolen.

This can help police catch criminals before they’ve committed a crime, or soon after, it said.

The legal offensive has the support of Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke who pointed out Bill C-12, and Bill C-14 will remove the ability of those facing extortion charges to claim asylum.

“These changes are urgently needed, as our law enforcement officials require modern, effective tools to disrupt criminal networks, secure our border, and ensure meaningful consequences for repeat and violent offenders,” Locke said in a release Feb. 6.

“This is a moment for bipartisan leadership. The federal government has put serious measures on the table that Parliament should move forward without delay,” she said.