Evidence of meeting #58 for Public Safety and National Security in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was cbsa.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Manager, Travellers Unit, Advance Information and Programs, Canada Border Services Agency
We have arrangements in place that dictate what they should do. Do we go and audit other countries' systems? Likely the answer is no.
NDP
John Rafferty NDP Thunder Bay—Rainy River, ON
Are there countries that you don't have any agreements with and don't care to have any agreements with?
Manager, Travellers Unit, Advance Information and Programs, Canada Border Services Agency
It's not for me to answer.
NDP
John Rafferty NDP Thunder Bay—Rainy River, ON
Okay.
One of the problems the Privacy Commissioner had with this particular amendment was whether it is regularly reviewed to ensure that measures being taken are appropriate. I wonder if you could just make a comment on that.
Manager, Travellers Unit, Advance Information and Programs, Canada Border Services Agency
Absolutely. I would defer to Kristine to add to anything I say.
We have regular audits in place. We have a joint review with the European Union. We regularly respond to questions from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner. We regularly respond to access to information requests.
NDP
John Rafferty NDP Thunder Bay—Rainy River, ON
Thanks.
Can I get a quick cargo question in here on that amendment? Who would I ask?
Have I run out of time?
NDP
John Rafferty NDP Thunder Bay—Rainy River, ON
I don't know who will answer this question.
Am I to take it from this amendment that there are now going to be safeguards in place? I'm thinking of Canada-U.S. here and travelling by road. Someone could pack freight in Winnipeg and have it checked by customs, which I think used to happen years and years ago. Then it would be locked or sealed. They could travel south of Winnipeg and come through Minnesota, and then into my riding, which is on the other side of Minnesota. Would this amendment allow that to now happen, as it used to I think years and years ago?
I ask that because it's been a problem. We've lost a number of services in my part of Ontario because they can no longer do that. So Greyhound, for example, no longer services any of our area. I wonder if you could comment if that's what's going to happen now. Is that what this amendment...?
Director General, Pre-Border Programs Directorate, Canada Border Services Agency
No. The amendment for the cargo is to allow CBSA to collect the information about cargo, again, destined for Canada in advance. So we can basically...sorry, the preload information, so that we can make the decision to—
NDP
Director General, Pre-Border Programs Directorate, Canada Border Services Agency
Yes. That's in transit.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kevin Sorenson
Thank you.
I think these were all good questions. It's been educational, I guess, for us to sit here.
Thank you for the very good work that you do. We appreciate your appearing here before our committee today.
Perhaps, because we don't have the Privacy Commissioner, we will suspend momentarily and move in camera to deal with the other portion of the letter we received from Mr. Rajotte, the chair of the finance committee, to come forward with some recommendations.
thank you very much for appearing before us.
[Proceedings continue in camera]