Madam Speaker, I am pleased to speak to this important bill, Bill S-23.
First of all, I must say that I will not be using the 40 minutes allotted me, nor will I be inviting the member for Wild Rose to share my time.
As I was saying, Bill S-23 is an important bill. It is vitally important but, unfortunately, it does not seem to interest my colleagues in the House.
What needs to be understood is that we must at all costs improve the flow of goods and people, as well as the movement of travellers through customs at the Canadian and U.S. borders, but still maintain complete security.
It must also be recalled that, since 1991, the number of vehicles crossing the border has increased by 11% a year because of free trade and various other factors.
In order to illustrate just how much transportation has changed in recent years, I will give a few statistics for the year ending August 2001. They are quite recent.
The number of vehicles crossing border points using bridges or tunnels between Canada and the United States between August 2000 and August 2001 was 45,587,344 automobiles, 8,306,261 trucks and 348,639 buses, for a total of 52,242,244 vehicles in all.
The Ambassador Bridge between Detroit and Windsor was crossed by 8,592,000 vehicles, 3,332,960 of them trucks. I could go on.
I did not do the math, because I did not have a calculator. With the volume of trucks and cars regularly crossing the border, —I would estimate that this comes to over 50,000 cars a day using the tunnels or bridges between Canada and the United States alone. I did not check the other border points.
Hence the importance of rapid and effective movement and good service at border points, so as not to hold up truckers and motorists for hours on end. Hence the importance of seeing the real danger that exists in transporting people: There must be security for people and for goods. Just about anything can be taken past these border points.
Despite a few reservations, the Bloc Quebecois will be supporting Bill S-23.
Bill S-23 is more than just sheets of paper, more than words or a wish list. It is a bill. What is important? To be able to implement the provisions of this bill. A piece of legislation with no one to enforce it is worthless. We need bodies. Canada needs more customs officers. The number of customs officers must absolutely be raised because of the heavy car and truck traffic going through customs.
As well, customs officers must be better trained in order to enhance their skills and enable them to do their job better. They must be provided with modern techniques. The Minister of Revenue referred to iris readers to identify people. Is this wishful thinking or reality?
This is why we presented an amendment at the report stage asking the minister to come before the Standing Committee on Finance a year after the bill is enacted to tell us “This or that thing is not going at all well, can it be changed?” Thought must be given to the conditions in which we have been living since September 11. If things were normal, perhaps nothing would have to be changed, but the conditions are far more serious.
The other question I have is this: how are our neighbours to the south, our American neighbours, going to see Bill S-23? Only this past weekend, hon. members will recall, New York state Senator Clinton was at Champlain, which is very close to Montreal. She spoke of a total perimeter for all of the Americas, with customs control and points of entry and exit at customs. That is not the position of the government across the way.
It is time to start thinking of a common ground. All we need is modern and efficient equipment, adequate numbers of staff and staff that is efficient and well trained, as well as a rapid information exchange system among all departments, in order to determine precisely which individuals are considered a low, medium or high risk. Customs officers must have the tools and information right at hand in order to function effectively. Otherwise, the paper on which Bill S-23 is written will merit nothing more than a fast trip to the round file, file 13.
I hope with all my heart that Bill S-23 will successfully improve border crossings and border security. The Bloc Quebecois will be supporting this bill.