A government pledge to cut down on the number of immigrants who end up in detention centres is actually building on work already being done by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) — work that has hit at least one stumbling block over the last few months.
Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale announced on Monday morning that the Liberals would undertake a $138-million overhaul of the immigration detention system, with $5 million going directly toward finding alternatives to locking people up.
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But the CBSA is already a few steps ahead of the minister. Three months ago, the agency put out a “request for interest” document asking for feedback from the private sector that would help inform a new model for monitoring, or detaining, immigrants whose identities can’t be confirmed, who are considered a flight risk, or who pose a danger to the public.
The CBSA got just three responses back, according to spokesperson Line A. Guibert-Wolff.
“Response to the first (request for interest) was limited, and as a result we have relaunched this process in hopes of garnering greater interest,” Guibert-Wolff said in an email on July 20.
“Our goal is to identify non-government areas of interest/expertise that may be able to provide enhanced alternatives to detention in the form of community-based services and programming.”
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The deadline for that second set of submissions was last Monday, Aug. 4, but it’s unclear if the results were more promising. Global News has submitted a request for updated numbers.
Detention of new arrivals should always be the “last resort,” Goodale told reporters on Monday in Laval.
Currently, “there aren’t enough other choices to make,” he explained.
Beginning this summer, the minister promised, the government will hold consultations on increasing the number of alternatives. It is unclear if those consultations will be separate from the CBSA’s recent requests for interest.
CBSA already using electronic monitoring
Alternatives to detention could include (but are not limited to) a community supervision program, electronic monitoring, establishment of a bondsperson, or acceptance into a bail program for a new immigrant, Guibert-Wolff said.
The CBSA already uses electronic monitoring in “select situations,” she confirmed.
“Electronic monitoring is most effective in situations where the person is likely to be compliant, and where on-going monitoring is necessary.”
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The Canadian Red Cross Society has found numerous shortcomings at facilities for immigrant detainees, including overcrowding and lack of mental health care. Newcomers are often held in provincial jails or police facilities alongside suspected gang members and violent offenders.
The planned improvements announced on Monday are designed to reduce reliance on provincial facilities. The bulk of the $138 million will go toward building new facilities in Laval, Que., and Vancouver, with additional money devoted to mental health and medical services for detainees in federal holding centres.
— With files from the Canadian Press.
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