News Release – Minister Kenney wraps up visit to New Zealand and Thailand

Ottawa, August 8, 2011 — Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney left Bangkok Saturday marking the end of his official visit to Thailand and New Zealand.

Minister Kenney first travelled to New Zealand to take part in a bilateral fellowship program between the two governments. These exchanges aim to share information on how the two governments can work together to tackle common concerns. As choice immigration destinations, Canada and New Zealand face similar challenges.

While in Wellington, Minister Kenney met with government officials to discuss how New Zealand is dealing with migrant smuggling and the problems associated with it. They also discussed how their two countries can work together to dissuade potential migrants by warning them of not only the dangers of smuggling operations, but also the legal consequences of trying to enter Canada and New Zealand illegally.

“Migrant smuggling and human trafficking are not just Canada’s problem,” said Minister Kenney. “To be effective, Canada must work with allies both domestically and internationally to combat the crime and fraud associated with these illegal activities.”

Minister Kenney further emphasized the importance of combating human smuggling and protecting the integrity of the refugee system during his visit in Thailand. He went on to say, “I met with the Thai National Security Agency in Bangkok to thank them for their cooperation in combating the scourge of human smuggling.”

Canada has taken action to prevent the abuse of Canada’s immigration system by adding significant intelligence and law enforcement resources in the countries known to be transit points for human smuggling operations. As a result of increased Canadian presence and the cooperation of the local governments, including Thailand, Canada is making strides in disrupting human smuggling operations.

“I also met with great men and women from Canada’s security and police agencies who are doing tremendous work in South East Asia to protect Canada from human smuggling,” added Minister Kenney.

This visit to Thailand concludes Minister Kenney’s trip to the two countries.

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For further information (media only), please contact:

Candice Malcolm
Minister’s Office
Citizenship and Immigration Canada

Media Relations
Communications Branch
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-952-1650
CIC-Media-Relations@cic.gc.ca

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