Vic Toews: Need to fight human smuggling still exists
Posted January 19, 2011 10:14 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – The Feds are re-iterating what they say is the dire need to fight human smuggling. While they’re touting some success, News1130 is finding out why it’s taking so long to make some arrests.
You’ll remember the Ocean Lady arriving on BC Shores in 2009 and the MV Sun Sea last year. The accused smugglers are still in custody, as are most of the refugee claimants, but Public Safety Minister Vic Toews admits no charges have been laid. That’s despite repeated concerns people on board the ships may be connected to terrorism or organized crime.
Toews says, “The RCMP, I’m advised, is continuing its investigations, along with the CBSA. These are very complex investigations. Personally, I would like to see them move ahead quicker than they are.”
Toews says bill C-49, mandating tougher penalties for smugglers and stronger screening for migrants, is in its second reading in Ottawa.
There’s a Canadian Border Services hearing for a husband and wife who arrived here on the MV Sun Sea today. The agency is arguing the couple is a security threat.
