Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Good morning. I'm Dan Anson, and I am the director general of intelligence and investigations within the intelligence and enforcement branch of the CBSA. With me is Cathy Toxopeus, DG of commercial programs within the commercial and trade branch.
Mr. Chair, members of the committee, I appreciate the opportunity to contribute to the committee's study of illegal, unreported and unregulated fisheries and share with the committee the roles and responsibilities of the Canada Border Services Agency, or CBSA, in the monitoring of fish and seafood imports and exports.
The CBSA facilitates the flow of legitimate trade and enforces more than 100 acts and regulations that keep our country and Canadians safe. With respect to fish and seafood, the CBSA plays an indirect role by verifying that other government department requirements are met for seafood being imported into and exported from Canada, as well as administering the Customs Act.
The policies governing the importation and exportation of fish, seafood, seafood products and shellfish are established by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and Environment and Climate Change Canada. The CBSA works closely with other government departments to support them and to ensure that fish and seafood importations and exports are compliant with established policies. These activities primarily include verifying that any required licences, permits, certificates or other documentation required to import and export the goods to and from Canada are provided.
The CBSA assists DFO with the enforcement of the aquatic invasive species regulations and the import prohibition of shark fins under the Fisheries Act. It also assists with trade tracking for certain species of tuna, swordfish and toothfish, as well as illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing under the Coastal Fisheries Protection Act and related regulations.
The CBSA also assists ECCC with the administration of the Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act, or WAPPRIITA, which governs illegal wildlife trade and the importation and exportation of species protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.
The CBSA is responsible for ensuring that goods being imported to or exported from Canada are compliant with partner government agency program legislation and regulations. The CBSA's role is to enforce these acts and policies as they apply at Canadian border points of entry or exit.
The agency fulfills this role by employing a layered and comprehensive risk-based approach, including assessing pre-arrival data, sharing intelligence, reviewing ongoing emerging threats, issuing targets and lookouts, conducting examinations and inspections, seizing or detaining goods where required, and issuing penalties for non-compliance. The CBSA regularly updates directions to frontline officers to manage the handling, interdiction or release of at-risk goods.
To increase compliance, the CBSA enforces an administrative monetary penalty system for contraventions to the governing legislation. Under this system, border officers may issue monetary penalties to importers and exporters who fail to provide true, accurate and complete information in the import or export declarations.
As a final point, the agency is continuously working to improve not only our relationship with our partners but also our collective intelligence and enforcement capabilities and our operations, and seeking to build on lessons learned and our successes.
This concludes my opening remarks.
Along with my colleague, I'm very happy to take any questions.
