Mr. Speaker, in the short time I have before the bells ring, I would like to tantalize the House with a few remarks, so that members will come back tomorrow and hear the conclusion. I will just have a chance to get members interested in this very important topic.
I am proud to rise in the House today to promote Bill C-26, an act to establish the Canada Border Services Agency. I would like to begin my remarks with a word of appreciation for the chair and members of the subcommittee on public safety and national security.
Recently the subcommittee held in-depth discussions on this very important piece of legislation, discussions that have enriched our understanding of issues pertaining to border services and integrity.
Let me begin with a brief description of the Canada Border Services Agency. It is part of the portfolio of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness. Its role is to manage the country's borders by enforcing some 90 domestic laws and regulations, as well as international agreements governing trade and tourism.
Upon their arrival in Canada, whether by air, sea or land, people must report to a port of entry of the Canada Border Services Agency and declare any goods. Employing a workforce of some 11,500 civil servants, the Agency is present in 100,369 service points throughout Canada and in 39 locations abroad. In addition, some particularly busy offices are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
I would like to speak briefly about some widely held but spurious notions surrounding the integrity and security of Canada's borders. I would like to recount for my hon. colleagues the work being done on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border to ensure we are all safer. I know this will surprise members, but some myths do exist.
Take for example the myth that the 9/11 hijackers had entered the United States illegally from Canada. Ultimately, the former U.S. attorney general admitted himself at a press conference in December 2001:
--the stubborn facts are that these individuals did not come to the United States through Canada.
The U.S. justice department confirmed a year later in The Washington Times that all 19 hijackers had legally entered the U.S. on tourist or student visas.
The day America's sense of security collapsed cannot easily be forgotten, so it will not surprise anyone in this House that our American neighbours are still asking themselves if they are any safer. What the scores of experts and officials agree on is that as safe as we have become, we still have much farther to go and I look forward to discussing it in more detail tomorrow.