Public Accounts committee  Mr. Chair, we looked at what other countries were doing. Exhibit 1.4 refers to New Zealand, Finland and the United Kingdom. In their performance reports on their venture capital activities, they include this type of performance indicators. I would also like to add that the depar

Public Accounts committee  Is the question addressed to us, or to the Department of Finance?

Agriculture committee  This would be in addition to what we recommended. What we noted was not so much an issue with the pre-clearance, but more an issue regarding the fact that the rules were not followed. It was not an issue of misclassification, per se; it was an issue of the importers importing agr

Agriculture committee  We didn't look at the pre-clearance per se, but we noted in the report that there was.... There are two heads to the beast. You have GAC on one side and CBSA on the other side, and they don't really collaborate. That, in itself, was a weakness in the program.

Agriculture committee  I think the recommendation addresses that issue indirectly when we say that both CBSA and Global Affairs should work together to make sure the licences are respected. This would imply that there will be some sort of data collection and better import monitoring of what crosses the

Agriculture committee  They did share evidence that they had intelligence regarding the marinated chicken industry. That's why they focused specifically on those importers.

Agriculture committee  I want to make clear that the penalty is imposed on the Canadian importer, not on the exporter, American or otherwise. It is therefore up to Canadian importers to ensure that they are following the rules on quota-controlled goods, for instance.

Agriculture committee  Indeed, there isn't much incentive to behave properly and follow the rules.

Agriculture committee  In paragraph 2.35 of our report, we recommend that the Canada Border Services Agency review its penalty rate scale.

Agriculture committee  The optimal penalty rate is the one that serves as a deterrent. We didn't specify an amount in the report. However, a certain degree of market discipline is necessary, and if that discipline goes hand in hand with appropriate penalties, it should serve as a deterrent.

Agriculture committee  We didn't examine resources, specifically, or assess whether the agency had the necessary resources to deliver the program. That said, during the audit, we certainly observed some frustration on the agency's part in terms of the efforts devoted to program controls. Would more re

Agriculture committee  In theory, yes. Global Affairs Canada is responsible for controlling permits issued to importers. In the course of the audit, however, we noted a discrepancy between the volume declared to the Canada Border Services Agency and the volume authorized by Global Affairs Canada under

Agriculture committee  Earlier, we were discussing incentives or the lack thereof. We didn't note that kind of thing, specifically. However, in an effort not to go over an import permit volume, someone could easily underestimate the value of their imports to keep more room as the year progresses. That

Agriculture committee  The Canada Border Services Agency does not perform front-line controls. Its mission is to facilitate trade, and since these are perishable goods, they need to move across the border quickly. They are not subject to any controls when they cross the border, including the Canada-U.S

Agriculture committee  Any control activities are performed at the destination point, at the storage facility or processing plant.