Public Safety committee  I think what the member may be getting at is that, ultimately, perhaps it helps travellers get across the border if the Americans have this power that they could use in the final analysis. We think that they just shouldn't be given this power. Of course, if someone consents to it

Public Safety committee  Obviously, both Canadian and American officers have a duty to protect border safety and security as well as that of travellers and of course themselves, airport staff, and other port staff. We don't think someone should be required to answer questions on withdrawal, as you know.

Public Safety committee  Our position is that there should be no foreign agents conducting strip searches here in Canada, period. We think it's bad policy. We are already asking U.S. officers to learn Canadian law and standards, to keep abreast of that at the same time as they have to know their own la

Public Safety committee  Clause 22 says the U.S. has the power to detain individuals for a strip search. Our understanding of that is, once so detained, they're no longer going to be able to withdraw. They are now under detention, first of all. Second of all, subclauses 22(1) and (2) are fine. We would b

Public Safety committee  If you mean going to a Canadian supervisor, well sure, why not? If rank and file border services officers of CBSA make a particular call, obviously they can be—

Public Safety committee  You meant an American supervisor.

Public Safety committee  No. We just don't see that there's any rationale for any American or American supervisor to be able to have these strip search powers. There are CBSA officers at all of these Canadian airports where this would be likely happening. There are CBSA officers in other locations. The

Public Safety committee  Members won't find it surprising that our association also finds that problematic because, if you're giving people these directions that they're legally required to do things, I think they need to be able to understand what those things are. Of course, regulations would spell tho

Public Safety committee  I will answer in English because I am having trouble hearing the interpretation into English.

Public Safety committee  If I understand your question, you're asking whether or not we agree that in a pre-clearance area, it should always be the Canadians conducting the strip search, even when it's U.S. pre-clearance on Canadian soil? Is that what you're asking for us to clarify?

Public Safety committee  I think there definitely could be things done to tighten up the withdrawal questions. We would start by saying that, people should simply still be allowed to withdraw and we've noted that in our recommendations. If the person had reasonable grounds to suspect that there had bee

Public Safety committee  Sure. What the minister had said to the committee was that Americans would only be able to conduct a strip search if a Canadian officer were unavailable and that would be a fairly rare occasion, but the bill permits the Americans to strip search not only if a Canadian officer isn

Public Safety committee  All circumstances. In really exigent circumstances, they are entitled to use force, they are entitled to restrain—these are the U.S. officers—they are entitled to detain. We might quibble around the edges with some of that stuff, too, but if you have someone now locked down, we c

Public Safety committee  Thank you, Mr. Dubé. One recommendation that we provide—and by the way, to answer Mr. Clement's question from the other day about recommendations, by now you should have our full brief in translation, with recommendations in it—is that it needs to be made clear that the refusal

Public Safety committee  I agree with Minister Goodale that it's better for these things to take place on Canadian soil. I don't see the option for most travellers as being between doing it on Canadian soil and doing it on American soil, because pre-clearance exists in much of the country already. I thin