Canada to crack down on smugglers

21 October 2010 04:30 am

New legislation designed to discourage human smuggling would allow Canadian authorities to detain passengers and crew aboard migrant ships for up to one year, CTV News has learned.

The new measure would buy Canadian immigration officials time to confirm the identity of migrants and human smugglers.

Immigration Minister Jason Kenney and Public Safety Minister Vic Toews are set to unveil the new legislation on Thursday in Vancouver.

Under its terms, asylum seekers whose claims are deemed to be bogus would remain behind bars until they are deported from Canada. Captains and the crews of migrant ships would also face heavy fines and mandatory minimum jail sentences, CTV's Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife reported.