OTTAWA — The Conservatives on Tuesday introduced a motion calling on the government to bar non-citizens convicted of serious crimes from making refugee claims.
The motion also calls on the government to prevent asylum claims from people whose cases are still working their way through the courts.
The motion is related to an explosion in extortion-related crimes. British Columbia Premier David Eby has called the wave of extortion cases a crisis and has asked Ottawa to close loopholes around asylum claims.
Conservative immigration critic Michelle Rempel Garner, who sponsored the House motion, told the House of Commons on Tuesday every statistic represents “real human beings who have had their lives and their communities shattered.”
“Small business owners who are receiving crude threats demanding protection money, only to have their shops shot up, homes riddled with bullets and arsons that destroy people’s livelihoods and sanctity,” she said.
Rempel Garner said more than a dozen suspects facing deportation claimed refugee status and efforts to expel the people responsible for the “extortion epidemic” have fallen through a loophole.
“The foreign nationals were identified by B.C.’s Extortion Task Force, but once the CBSA began investigating them, they claimed to be refugees,” Rempel Garner said. “As a result, deportations of the 14 suspects have been put on hold until the Immigration (and) Refugee Board decides whether they have legitimate cases for asylum.”
Several big city mayors have pushed Ottawa to address the extortion problem. The municipal council in Surrey, B.C., is calling on Ottawa to declare a federal state of emergency over the rise in extortion cases. The city reported 35 suspected incidents of the crime in January alone.
Justice Minister Sean Fraser said Tuesday extortion is a serious crime and what is happening in Surrey is “completely unacceptable.”
Fraser pointed to “tough laws” already in place and the proposed changes to bail and sentencing law to make it more difficult for repeat offenders to receive bail.
“There are solutions on the table, but we need all parties to collaborate and stop obstructing in the House to actually help to do what we can federally to bust up these extortion rings and deliver safety to communities,” Fraser said.
Delegates at the recent Conservative party convention in Calgary called for similar changes to the immigration and justice systems when they voted in favour of a policy proposal saying Canadian taxpayers should not pay for the “rehabilitation of foreign nationals.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 10, 2026.
Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press
