Public Accounts Committee on Dec. 9th, 2013

[C/Supt Eric Slinn]

Allow me to answer your question in English, otherwise you will be here until 11:00 p.m.

There was a project undertaken in Quebec called Project Concept, which was a cooperation with CBSA, the Sûreté du Québec, and the RCMP. We took approximately 35 resources and put them along a 120-kilometre portion of the border that covered Lake Champlain, and a few other things.

We instituted four key pieces with that. One was community engagement, which is critical from our standpoint. If you have community eyes and ears out there, you will be extremely successful. Sometimes it's better than the technology we have out there. That was one piece. There was a uniform presence. There was the deployment of technology. We also had an integrated joint operations centre. I believe that was in 2011. Through that, there were significant interdictions of people trying to cross unmanned border crossings.

That project was extremely successful. It resulted in a bit of a spike, I think, in the numbers of people trying to cross the border. Those resources are still in place, not all 35-plus, but Project Concept still continues. I think it was an excellent example of using technology, human resources, and some integrated policing and community engagement to protect those borders.

[Alain Giguère, NDP, Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, QC]

The Auditor General's report provided us with information about information transmission problems. We know that there is an extremely promising biometrics project, with electronic passports, which would allow for verification of undesirable individuals. Unfortunately, it seems that electronic information is not circulating properly.

In addition, we have heard, unfortunately, that Canadian citizens' medical records had been communicated by your services—I don't know which ones—to a foreign government. This is extremely embarrassing and it undermines all of the progress that we could be making on biometrics. Biometrics will never be allowed if a foreign government has access to Canadians' private and critical information. Can you tell us how you will solve these problems of information transmission and information safety?

[Martin Bolduc]

Personally, I have never heard that our organization, the CBSA, had communicated personal information, such as a citizen's medical record. Unfortunately, I am not aware of any such thing.

[C/Supt Eric Slinn]

It's the same for the RCMP. I'm not aware of that. We have very strict protocols on information or intelligence sharing when we're sharing with foreign governments, for obvious reasons, whether it be national security or transnational organized crime. We're very cognizant of the rules in protecting Canadian citizens in that regard.

[The Chair, NDP, David Christopherson]

Okay, time has expired.

The matter did come up in the House of Commons. I don't know whether Monsieur Giguère wants to follow up. He'd certainly be invited to do that if he has specifics to forward. However, thank you.

We go now to Mr. Woodworth.

[Stephen Woodworth, Conservative, Kitchener Centre, ON]

Thank you very much Mr. Chairman.

Good afternoon and welcome to our witnesses.

I have some questions on section 5.35, which is on page 14 of the English version. Since I am not sure how to say this in French, I will speak English.

Primarily my questions will be for Ms. Loschiuk and Monsieur Bolduc.

I want to begin by asking about advance notifications.

Ms. Loschiuk, can you tell me what is the total number of advance notifications that occur in a year in the CBSA?

[Wendy Loschiuk]

Mr. Chair, the advance notifications that we looked at in paragraph 5.35 were for one month. I don't have the number for the whole year, but I could inquire and get back to you on that.

[Stephen Woodworth, Conservative, Kitchener Centre, ON]

You looked at 34 advance notifications. From what you just said, should I take it there were only 34 advance notifications in that month?

[Wendy Loschiuk]

In February 2013.

[Stephen Woodworth, Conservative, Kitchener Centre, ON]

All right, so 34 in one month. All things being equal, if I multiplied by 12, I might come out with a total.

[Wendy Loschiuk]

Possibly.

[Stephen Woodworth, Conservative, Kitchener Centre, ON]

I would like to know whether 34 is a reliable sample for a year, or a period, in any case. I think knowing that they are all for one month helps me. Thank you.

Mr. Bolduc, what are the circumstances that would hinder or prevent an examination from occurring when an advance notification has been received?

[Martin Bolduc]

With the permission of the chair, Lesley, could you respond?

[Lesley Soper]

We looked closely at each of the cases that were reviewed. I think a number of things can contribute to the lack of an examination. In the first instance, in some of these cases, there was evidence to show that the person didn't actually arrive after a primary inspection. There may have been a target sent to CBSA, to the port, but the person never arrived in the first place.

[Stephen Woodworth, Conservative, Kitchener Centre, ON]

I note there was one such case out of the five.

[Lesley Soper]

Out of the five. Further, there was a case where we couldn't determine through our information systems that an examination had taken place. There may well have been an interaction with the border services officer, one that wasn't determinative, but it was never noted. This is precisely where we're looking to have 100% closure on these cases, and that they're always annotated regardless of whether there was a positive decision for a person to be entered into Canada.

[Stephen Woodworth, Conservative, Kitchener Centre, ON]

Mr. Bolduc, is the goal then that there should be—and pardon me if I don't know ranks. How should I refer to you, Mr. Bolduc?

[Martin Bolduc]

You can call me Mr. Bolduc.

[Stephen Woodworth, Conservative, Kitchener Centre, ON]

Thank you very much.

I saw you in uniform and I wondered.

Is it the goal, then, that for every advance notification there should, in fact, be an examination?

[Martin Bolduc]

An examination, or what we are requesting from our officers is that we are able to close the loop. Whatever the result is of that interaction, it's entered into the system. It also helps feed the whole intelligence cycle. One of the things highlighted in the report was that we weren't always closing the loop, so now it's mandatory for all front-line officers to close the loop on targets and lookouts.

[Stephen Woodworth, Conservative, Kitchener Centre, ON]

I understand that as a result of the internal audit, a lookout action plan was developed. Could you describe for me what the elements of that plan include?

[Martin Bolduc]

There are a few key areas, and I would ask my colleague to complete it if I miss anything.

One area is training for our front line and for our intelligence officers who are responsible for issuing lookouts. Another is more rigour in, as I mentioned, closing the loop, making sure that the results of the examination are noted in the system. We've also conducted a review of every lookout in the CBSA database, over 100,000 individual files reviewed, to make sure that they were still valid and that the proper intelligence cycle had been applied on every lookout.

Did I miss anything?

[The Chair, NDP, David Christopherson]

Go ahead, very briefly, please.

[Lesley Soper]

I would only add that commencing this month, we're undertaking compliance audits of all our ports to ensure that those procedures put in place for 100% close-out are being done.

[Stephen Woodworth, Conservative, Kitchener Centre, ON]

That sounds excellently thorough. Thank you.