TORONTO - A ship carrying nearly 500 migrants, including some very young children, docked Friday at CFB Esquimalt near Victoria, sailing into a vigorous debate about how Canada should treat those on board and others who may be planning a similar voyage.

The MV Sun Sea was intercepted off Vancouver Island on Thursday and boarded by Canadians from a flotilla of vessels, including the frigate HMCS Winnipeg.

Hours after it docked, sitting largely protected from public view, Public Safety Minister Vic Toews hinted at a crackdown to prevent any future ships from setting sail.

"I think what this case demonstrates is a need to work, on an international basis, with our allies rather than viewing this as a problem that Canadians can solve on their own," Toews told reporters.

He added that Canada needs "to look at our laws to see if they are sufficiently strong."

He did not elaborate on what changes the government could make, but indicated Ottawa's focus will be on deterring human smugglers from plying their trade.

He said the MV Sun Sea is part of a wider smuggling operation. There have been reports that more boats could be headed to Canada, which Toews would not confirm.

"This particular situation is being observed by others who may have similar intentions and I think it's very important that Canada deals with the situation in a clear and decisive way," said Toews.

At around 6 p.m. Thursday, RCMP officers and members of the navy boarded the cargo ship.

Navy Capt. Dermot Mulholland said the Sun Sea was seaworthy and was piloted into Esquimalt Harbour on Friday morning.

"The scene was very calm. . . Once the RCMP and the captain of the frigate talked to the vessel, they were able to understand our orders and were compliant," Mulholland said.

Several other vessels moved within the Sun Sea's vicinity Friday as it made its way into the harbour just before 6:30 a.m.

Helicopters buzzed overhead and armed officers could be seen wearing surgical masks.

Mothers with babies in their arms and very young toddlers were among those who could be seen being escorted off the ship by RCMP and border officers.

The migrants were not handcuffed and many appeared well-kept. They carried their personal belongings in opaque plastic bags.

There had been reports many on board the cargo ship were ill, but the Vancouver Island Health Authority -- which set up a special unit for the migrants at Victoria General Hospital -- said only "a small number of patients" arrived and the majority were expected to be discharged.

The health authority declined to provide exact numbers on how many were treated at hospital and wouldn't discuss their conditions.

Members of Canada's Tamil community made the trip to Victoria to watch the ship come in with reporters before sunrise Friday.

Gary Anandasangaree, a lawyer with the Canadian Tamil Congress, said he was quite surprised by the size of the vessel.

"I was expecting it to be much larger given the number of people," he said. "It clearly gives us an idea of the type of conditions that could have been inside. Very cramped, given the size."

He said it was "quite a moving experience, actually, when you see it coming to shore. I'm sure the anticipation for the people inside is that this is a new beginning."

The cargo vessel was dwarfed by the frigate that escorted it into the harbour.

It's believed that many of the 490 migrants aboard are from Sri Lanka.

The Canadian Tamil Congress is distributing legal and medical materials to the migrants in the Tamil language. The organization is also connecting newcomers with family members and making translators available.

Dr. Vara Mahadevan, a Tamil physician who lives in Uxbridge, Ont., travelled to B.C. to offer the migrants a helping hand.

Mahadevan was born in Sri Lanka and migrated to Canada about 12 years ago.

"As a Tamil-speaking physician, I could be of some help to them," he said.

"I can actually comfort them, ask them what's going on, give them some good comfort and assurance that they'll be looked after here in Canada."

Much to his frustration, Mahadevan had yet to hear back by Friday afternoon from federal officials on whether his offer of assistance would be accepted.

The migrants were being assessed Friday to determine their identity and whether they had any health issues. Each migrant was to be fingerprinted and a criminal records check done, said Rob Johnston, the spokesman for the Canada Border Services Agency.

The process would take two to three days.

CBSA officers will "rummage" the ship, looking for any evidence of criminal activity, Johnston said, but he declined to say whether any weapons had been found.

Johnston and others at a technical briefing refused to describe the living conditions aboard. But Toews said earlier that given the relatively small size of the vessel and the huge number of people involved, it's obvious it wasn't a comfortable voyage.

While news websites carrying the migrants' story have been assailed by readers questioning why the ship wasn't simply turned back, Toews said his ministry was advised to allow the ship to enter Canadian waters so those aboard could be dealt with here.

Foreign Affairs spokesman Michael Walma said Canadian law actually prevents Canadians from boarding vessels in international waters under these circumstances.

The B.C. Civil Liberties Association called on the federal government to respect the human rights of those aboard.

"Canada must also ensure that the mistakes made in the handling of many of the Tamil migrants arriving on the MV Ocean Lady last October not be repeated," the association said in a news release.

Last October, a vessel carrying 76 Sri Lankan Tamils arrived off the coast of Vancouver Island and was escorted to Victoria.

All of those claimed refugee status, saying they were fleeing persecution from the Sinhalese government.

They were originally detained in jails and most were soon released, but the Canada Border Services Agency argued 25 of them potentially had links to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, a banned terrorist organization and separatist group that lost a 26-year civil war last year.

The agency wanted secret hearings to argue for their continued incarceration, but those hearings were abandoned and the agency never produced any evidence to support its suspicions.

By this spring, all the migrants had been released.

"Canada's conduct with respect to last October's group of Tamil migrants is very troubling," said Robert Holmes, president of the civil liberties association.

"Given that the government had no evidence showing that the refugees posed any danger to Canada, it is incredible that they were held in detention for months. ... Canada needs to ensure that the migrants now landing in British Columbia are not subjected to the same unjustified detentions."