MONTREAL 芒鈧珺次元官网网址� Canada must act immediately to stop illegal immigrants from entering the country, Conservative leadership candidate Steven Blaney said Tuesday.

Amid a recent influx of people fleeing the United States after planned crackdowns on immigration in that country, Blaney has proposed a series of measures aimed at tightening the border. 

Blaney said he wants Canadian authorities to have the right to immediately return illegal immigrants to their American counterparts.

"What I'm asking the current government is to ensure cohesion regarding the way we are dealing with illegal immigrants 芒鈧珺次元官网网址� both at the port of entry and along the border 芒鈧珺次元官网网址� and take any step that is needed that could require a legislative change," he told a Montreal news conference.

He also called on the government to hire an additional 200 RCMP officers and an extra 200 agents at the Canada Border Services Agency.

The new hires would cost about $40 million, Blaney said.

The MP for Bellechasse-Les Etchemins-Levis also called on cities to fully co-operate with authorities, especially with regard to illegal immigrants who have criminal records.

The Canadian Press