Good morning Mr. Chair and honourable members of the committee.
Thank you for the invitation to speak to you today about the RCMP's efforts related to irregular migration at our shared border with the United States.
I’m the Deputy Commissioner responsible for Federal Policing, and with me is Superintendent Jamie Solesme, who’s in charge of our Border Program.
The RCMP has the mandated responsibility for border security and enforcement between ports of entry.
Our primary objective is to prevent, detect, and disrupt cross-border criminality and any threats that may result in harm to Canada or Canadians. We work closely with the Canada Border Services Agency as one of our core federal counterparts as well as with U.S. partners including U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Crossing the Canadian border without reporting at a port of entry is not permitted under Canadian law, and any person found committing this offence may be arrested. That being said, as per section 133 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, if an individual is seeking asylum, no enforcement action should be taken against them related to their entry. This is in line with the United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its protocol, which clearly indicate that a person who enters a country irregularly in search of asylum should not be penalized.
RCMP officers are frequently the first point of contact for asylum seekers crossing at points of entry. When an individual is first encountered, their intentions are not known. It is the responsibility of our members to determine if they pose any risk to Canada.
To make such a determination, the RCMP conducts a preliminary risk assessment, which includes an interview, background checks and document review, to determine if there has been any known involvement in illegal activities or any connections to terrorism or organized crime.
Each case is individually assessed and the necessary time is taken to evaluate activities and confirm identity before determining the appropriate course of action. An asylum claimant is only released and transferred to the CBSA for processing once our members are satisfied there is no threat to Canadian interests.
As the committee is aware, there was a significant upturn in asylum claims last year, much of which came from individuals intercepted by the RCMP. In 2017, the RCMP intercepted 20,593 people crossing between ports, with 18,836 of these occurring near Roxham Road, in Quebec. Manitoba and British Columbia were also affected, but to a much lesser degree.
The upward trend has continued into the current calendar year, with a total of 5,052 intercepts between January and March. Again, the majority, 4,828, have occurred in Quebec, but intercepts also continue to occur in Manitoba and British Columbia.
As Canada's police force, the RCMP is present in every province and territory, which allows the force to adjust enforcement efforts with relative speed to ensure our focus is always targeted to the areas of greatest need. To respond, the number of resources allocated to the border has been enhanced, with a particular focus on Quebec as the province most impacted.
The cost to redeploy resources to impacted areas was absorbed in 2017 within our own budgets, with budget 2018 allocating approximately $10 million to the RCMP for fiscal year 2018-19. This funding is earmarked for border security and our enhanced presence at the border in support of our continued and effective response to the ongoing situation.
At present, the RCMP is monitoring the border on a 24-hour basis near Roxham Road with temporary infrastructure and the necessary facilities in place to allow for the orderly, timely and thorough assessment of each individual intercepted.
RCMP efforts and those of the CBSA have been highlighted by the United Nations Refugee Agency in its positive assessment of front-line operations at the border. The RCMP will continue to work in a collaborative and co-operative fashion with all partners to ensure an effective response.
Thank you for your attention. I am happy to take any questions you may have.