Evidence of meeting #11 for Public Accounts in the 41st Parliament, 2nd session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was cbsa.
A video is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Director General, Support Services for Federal Policing, Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Yes, there are.
Conservative
Mark Adler Conservative York Centre, ON
There are, okay. It's not a wide open space that somebody can just run across and not be detected.
Director General, Support Services for Federal Policing, Royal Canadian Mounted Police
There are spots across the country. You have to look at topography. Some places are easy to cross, such as the Prairies, which are flat and not much of a deterrent, as opposed to going up over mountains and canyons and falling down into water. We weigh some of those issues, but we truly rely on our intelligence from our partners to look at where those high-risk areas are, and where intelligence is suggesting we need to respond with resources and perhaps more technology.
Conservative
Mark Adler Conservative York Centre, ON
I'm glad you answered that, Mr. Slinn. I was feeling sorry that neither of you had any questions posed to you.
Director General, Support Services for Federal Policing, Royal Canadian Mounted Police
I appreciate that.
Conservative
Mark Adler Conservative York Centre, ON
Thank you very much for that answer.
Let me follow up with Mr. Bolduc. Walk me through what the regime will look like five or ten years from now. As a Canadian, if I go to the United States to do some shopping or on vacation and then I come back to Canada, what's that going to look like? Now we know the regime, the procedure. Is that going to change five or ten years from now?
Vice-President, Operations Branch, Canada Border Services Agency
The major difference we will see is that when you return from your day of shopping, the officer who will interact with you will have the information that you left Canada on whatever day—
Conservative
Vice-President, Operations Branch, Canada Border Services Agency
They'll get it with the initiative referred to as entry-exit, the one that I was explaining a little earlier, where the entry into the United States becomes our exit.
Vice-President, Operations Branch, Canada Border Services Agency
Exactly. We do it as partners.
Conservative
Mark Adler Conservative York Centre, ON
Okay. When I come back, they're going to have that information. They're going to know, so I can't say I was there for 48 hours, if I was just there for the day; not that any of us would ever do that.
Vice-President, Operations Branch, Canada Border Services Agency
No, but it also goes to risk assessing those travellers.
Conservative
Mark Adler Conservative York Centre, ON
As for trade and commerce, how has that entered into the equation? How will it affect trade at the border?
Conservative
Mark Adler Conservative York Centre, ON
Were there any assessments done on how it will affect trade and commerce at the border? There is a lot of truck and train traffic going back and forth.
Vice-President, Operations Branch, Canada Border Services Agency
This will apply to the truck drivers, the content of the truck, the shipment. We already have numerous programs with the United States to facilitate trade, but the entry-exit will take into account the truck driver.
NDP
The Chair NDP David Christopherson
That's good. Thank you, sir.
Now over to Monsieur Giguère. You have the floor.
NDP
Alain Giguère NDP Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, QC
Thank you to the witnesses for giving us such critical information.
In the Eastern Townships, in Quebec, there is a problem. The border crossings at Stanstead, Chartierville and Frelighsburg are open part time. Often, there is no guard or customs officer on duty. People crossing the border have to pick up the telephone and inform border services that they are entering the country. And there is another problem. The customs officers do not have the right, under the law, to pursue someone who crosses the border illegally. They have to phone Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers, who are 100 kms from the border crossings.
What could we do to solve this problem? Should we expand the authority of customs officers? Should we increase the number of RCMP staff? In the Eastern Townships, the situation has become unsafe.
My question is for Mr. Slinn or Mr. Bolduc.
Vice-President, Operations Branch, Canada Border Services Agency
One of the border initiatives will affect small offices. We will test an alternative method for processing travellers who show up at points of entry when the border crossing is closed and there is no one on site. We plan to launch a pilot project in two offices, including one in Quebec. I don't remember the name of the office, I am sorry. There, we will test new technology for clearing through customs the people who show up when the border crossing is closed.
You are correct that our officers do not have the authority to initiate high-speed chases of people who do not stop at the border. In such cases, we call upon our colleagues, be it the provincial police or the RCMP. They collaborate fully with us on this. Often, we are able to bring the people who did not stop back to the border. The majority of them are brought back to points of entry where the question is then dealt with.
If the chair will allow it, I would ask Mr. Slinn if he would like to add anything on the subject.