Government puts focus on migrants and guns
OTTAWA • Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has assigned sweeping responsibilities to Bill Blair, the new minister in charge of border security and organized crime, tasking him with leading the file on irregular migration and examining whether Canada should ban handguns and assault weapons.
In a freshly minted mandate letter made public Tuesday, the prime minister asks Blair to lead conversations with the United States on the Safe Third Country Agreement, working with Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland and Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen.
The agreement stipulates that asylum seekers are required to make their refugee claims in the first “safe” country in which they arrive — meaning those who come into Canada at an official land border crossing are sent back to make their claim in the U.S.
The agreement does not cover irregular asylum seekers — those entering Canada at unofficial points, most notably in Quebec.
Blair’s work will be supported by the departments of Public Safety, Immigration and Foreign Affairs, the letter says. Blair will report to Public Safety.
Trudeau is also ordering Blair to examine a “full ban on handguns and assault weapons in Canada” while taking care not to impede the lawful use of firearms.
Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale told reporters in July — after a deadly shooting in Toronto that saw an 18-year-old woman and a 10-year-old girl killed and 13 others wounded — that the government is prepared to consider tightening handgun laws.
The Canada-U.S. relationship has surfaced in other mandate letters being made public today, including issues around trade and energy.
International Trade Diversification Minister Jim Carr is being tapped to boost trade in key markets “whether or not a trade agreement exists.”
His mandate letter tells him to focus on trade with Asia by moving the needle on trade talks with China, India, and regional pacts in the Pacific and South America. Carr is also asked to help with trade talks with the U.S.
Natural Resources Minister Amarjeet Sohi has been asked to help workers caught up in trade disputes, while also working with the U.S. and Mexico on “energy security.”
Trade among provinces is the focus of Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc’s mandate letter. His letter emphasizes working with provinces and territories to eliminate internal trade barriers.
Spending federal money faster is a key focus for new Infrastructure Minister François-Philippe Champagne, who takes over a portfolio where slower than expected federal spending has been a constant thorn for the government.
Seniors Minister Filomena Tassi is being told to implement the government’s promise to shift how the government calculates increases in seniors benefits. Her mandate letter has a heavy emphasis on protecting seniors from a litany of issues: fraud, elder abuse, scams, and “potential harms” when seniors deal with banks and telecommunications companies.