Evidence of meeting #37 for Public Safety and National Security in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was port.
A recording is available from Parliament.
President, Canada Border Services Agency
As I say, there's never a single factor that goes into these things, so certainly, yes, there are ports of entry that would have volumes close to the Big Beaver location that we proposed for closure. But there will be other factors that we have taken into account.
Cathy, I don't know if you can comment on this.
NDP
Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC
Can I just focus on Kenora, if you know? Can you help me out as to why Kenora, with four travellers passing in a day--
President, Canada Border Services Agency
In Kenora's case, the nearest point of service is over 200 kilometres away--
President, Canada Border Services Agency
--so that might have been the reason. There would have been considerable difficulty in terms of proximity to another location.
Cathy Munroe Vice-President, Programs Branch, Canada Border Services Agency
If I might, as well, one of the criteria that we would look at is the type of port of entry. So, for example, when we talk about the three ports that we were talking about earlier, they're land border sites. Kenora is a small airport. So in terms of how we service and provide service in those locations, it's possible that there is a call-out for certain hours of the day or certain days of the week.
NDP
Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC
I see.
Now I just want to focus on security a little bit. Would I be correct that the number of border offices that we have and where they're placed would play some role in public safety, as a general proposition?
President, Canada Border Services Agency
Where they are placed is often a result of either geography or history. Some of these things have been there for decades and decades. Certainly the level of attention we give them and the kinds of services and the kinds of enforcement capabilities that we would put in a location would certainly be a function of the enforcement profile there: the types of traffic that would go through, the hours they would go through, and the sorts of things that we've seen historically.
NDP
Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC
Again, not being a security expert, I would think, as a matter of logic, that Canadians would be safer if we had more border offices rather than fewer. Would that play any role in public safety? Or, if I'm missing something, can you explain to me how that would not have a role in public safety?
President, Canada Border Services Agency
I think there are always two aspects.
First is the facilitative service aspect we provide, and that is the ability of Canadians or visitors to Canada to get into Canada in a reasonably easy way. Any time a border location is present and providing that service, there is an enforcement question.
I'm not sure I would agree with the hypothesis that simply having more border locations would provide better security. I think the sorts of enforcement and facilitation we have at our locations, combined with the kinds of efforts my colleagues in the RCMP make on locations near the border and the enforcement profiles we have there.... All of that, in combination across the full range of the thousands and thousands of miles of border we administer, would go to the level of security that Canadians enjoy.
NDP
Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC
When you close a border office, it increases the distance between border offices. Does that decision have any impact on the ability to patrol the border between those border offices?
President, Canada Border Services Agency
Obviously, it stretches the distance between ports that are open, and that would represent a different sort of workload, perhaps an additional workload for my friends in the RCMP. As far as the three ports we're closing, the distances are relatively modest, and I don't think they would represent a significant or detrimental addition to the efforts of the RCMP.
NDP
Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC
I have a question on something that came from B.C. I don't expect you to know about it, but I would like you to get back to us on it. It has to do with closing the Pacific Region Recourse Division. I understand they've written to you, Mr. Rigby. You probably haven't seen this. It says: “We would like to point out that there was never any consultation” regarding “the viability and impact of moving this Recourse work outside of the Pacific Region.” They feel it's “not effective and efficient. The amount of work is steady and not decreasing.” They say that transferring the work to Toronto or Montreal will “only increase the workload” there, and there's “no cost saving to the CBSA by eliminating the Recourse office in Vancouver”. They say they process “the greatest number of prohibited weapons disputes”, so moving that work to Toronto or Montreal will increase costs.
Do you have any information I could share with them? Can you get back to me if you don't?
President, Canada Border Services Agency
I have to apologize, Mr. Davies. I'm not immediately familiar with that issue.
Cathy, are you familiar with it.
Vice-President, Programs Branch, Canada Border Services Agency
I can only speak generally to the trend over the past few years in the number of cases of recourse that have gone to that particular office, and the decrease. Recourse isn't specifically dependent on a certain location, so certain economies were looked at in the review in being able to combine expertise and workloads. But I can't comment right now on all the specific items you have addressed.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
Thank you very much, Mr. Davies.
Before we go to the government side, I have one question I would like to ask for reference.
How many border crossings are there in Quebec?
Conservative
President, Canada Border Services Agency
That's a good question. I don't know off the top of my head, but I will get that for you.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
Are the majority of people coming across just individuals in vehicles, travellers, or is there very strong business, trucking....
President, Canada Border Services Agency
No, there is a blend. At a big location like Lacolle you will get a very significant commercial throughput. At some of the smaller crossings I think it's fair to say that the commercial throughput is much less but not nil. It varies from crossing to crossing, depending on whether it's a main highway arterial or there's close proximity to commercial entities on either side of the border.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
Do you know how many 24-hour border crossings there are in Alberta?