Public Safety Minister Vic Toews says the freighter that carried 500 Tamil migrants to Canada had been renovated to accommodate a large number of people and "maximize profit".
Toews says the owners of the MV Sun Sea always had their sights set on Canada and were part of a criminal enterprise, possibly the Tamil Tigers.
Toews says the small ship had sanitation facilities that had undergone major renovations to accomodate hundreds of people.
The MV Sun Sea arrived near Victoria on Friday carrying about 490 people from war-ravaged Sri Lanka who are expected to make refugee claims.
Toews says the government may look at new laws governing the shipping industry.
He says airlines, for example, are subject to rules requiring them to be liable for any passengers who arrive without proper documentation.
