The president of the National Police Federation (NPF) says Canada has experienced an increase in violent crime in recent years, while also noting rising immigration numbers. However, he stopped short of directly confirming a link between crime trends and federal immigration policy.Appearing before parliamentary committee on public safety on Tuesday, NPF President Brian Sauvé was asked whether visa requirement changes over the past decade have contributed to the number of foreign nationals with criminal records present in Canada. .The question followed earlier testimony from Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officials, who described the challenge of processing removals as “trying to empty a bathtub with a bucket.”Members of the committee referenced previous evidence suggesting that federal policy changes may have made enforcement more difficult. Sauvé was asked specifically if the RCMP has observed a spike tied to visa rules.“I haven't noted that,” Sauvé replied, though he acknowledged that immigration has increased significantly. “Obviously Canada has seen, over the last eight years, a large influx of immigration. So when you increase the number of people coming in commensurate with populations across the world, you're going to increase all types of [activity].”.Sauvé did not attribute violent crime trends directly to immigration policy, instead stating that increases in population generally result in increases across a range of statistics.The discussion comes amid ongoing debate in Ottawa over crime rates, border enforcement and the federal government’s approach to immigration screening and removals.
