SECD – Opening Statement – February 9, 2026
The Honourable Lena Metlege Diab, E.C.N.S., K.C., P.C., MP
Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
Standing Senate Committee on National Security, Defence and Veterans Affairs
C-12 – Strengthening Canada’s Immigration System and Borders Act
February 9, 2026
506 words (~5 minutes)
Thank you, Chair.
As senators know, Canada’s immigration system is expected to do many things at once. It must support economic growth and labour market needs. It must provide protection to people who face real risk. And it must process large volumes of applications fairly.
Bill C-12 updates a set of practical tools that support how Canada’s immigration system functions, including asylum processing, information sharing and program integrity. It does so without changing Canada’s commitment to protection, due process or the fairness of decision making.
The pressures facing the asylum system offer a clear example of why these updates are needed.
Canada’s asylum system relies on credibility and timeliness. When claims accumulate faster than they can be processed, delays grow and create uncertainty.
Bill C-12 introduces two new ineligibility rules that apply in situations where claims are not brought forward in a timely way or are used to bypass regular immigration processes. These measures help prevent backlogs and allow the Immigration and Refugee Board to focus on active claims.
Individuals whose claims are found ineligible for referral to the IRB continue to have access to a pre-removal risk assessment before removal. This means that even when a claim cannot proceed through the full IRB process, no one will be returned to situations of risk.
The bill also makes practical improvements to how asylum claims move through the system. A single online asylum application will improve consistency and eliminate the requirement for applicants to provide duplicative information to multiple organizations. By increasing the number of hearing-ready files referred to the IRB and removing abandoned claims, the system can keep its focus on active cases and timely decisions.
Bill C-12 also addresses how information is shared with federal, provincial and territorial partners.
When information cannot be shared clearly or consistently across government, it becomes harder to plan services, manage programs and combat fraud.
The bill modernizes information sharing within the federal government and with provinces and territories for clearly defined purposes. These authorities embed strong privacy safeguards, including mandatory written agreements that tightly control use and impose strict limits on the disclosure of information to foreign entities by provinces and territories. This is about better coordination within Canada, not about sharing that information outside the country.
The bill also introduces new document control authorities to manage immigration documents and application intake in exceptional circumstances, such as systemic error, fraud or public safety concerns. These authorities are not always about cancelling large numbers of documents. They are about allowing flexibility to adjust when in the public interest.
During consideration in the House, adopted amendments clarified the limits of document control authorities and strengthened oversight. These included new reporting requirements to Parliament when the authorities are exercised, and clear constraints on their use. Amendments also clarified how ineligible claims are handled.
In closing, the immigration measures in Bill C-12 reflect a careful balance. They preserve access to protection and due process, while strengthening the system’s ability to function effectively under sustained pressure.
Thank you. I look forward to your questions.