Parliamentary Committee Notes: Border Security
Date:
May 2022
Branch/Agency:
CBSA
Proposed Response:
- The CBSA uses intelligence and data to inform risk-based admissibility decisions for people and goods.
- The CBSA is one of eight core members of Canada’s security and intelligence community and collaborates closely with domestic partners such as Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, the RCMP, CSIS, FINTRAC, and Global Affairs Canada (GAC) to maintain the integrity of Canada’s borders and supply chains.
- The CBSA also collaborates closely with international partners, particularly authorities in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. This allows the CBSA to quickly identify threats with a border nexus, and develop and implement timely responses in all modes of travel.
- The CBSA, in partnership with law enforcement and public safety authorities, regularly adjusts its frontline posture to respond to threats presented by arriving goods across different modes.
- The five major commercial vessel ports that receive the majority of Canada’s containerized cargo – in Montreal, Halifax, Saint John, Vancouver, and Prince Rupert – have permanent radiation screening portals, designed for scanning large quantities of containers and continuously monitoring for radiation.
- All containers entering Canada by marine must report to one of these five commercial vessel ports as their first point of arrival into Canada. The containers are then screened for the presence of radiation.
The Special Economic Measures Act
- The CBSA plays a key role in the implementation of trade and economic sanctions through the management and enforcement of cross-border trade.
- As part of implementing trade and economic sanctions, the CBSA also works closely with Finance Canada, and GAC to operationalize changes to the Customs Tariff, through the use of trade tools like the Most-Favoured-Nation status, import bans, and export restrictions to disadvantage and disrupt trade to/from sanctioned states and non-foreign state actors.
- Additionally, the CBSA helps GAC administer the Special Economic Measures Act (SEMA), the United Nations Act, and the Export and Import Permits Act, and associated regulations.
- The CBSA collaborates with domestic and international partners to collect information and intelligence to help frontline officers interdict inadmissible individuals and goods listed under SEMA.
- The CBSA supports GAC and Transport Canada to ensure American and Canadian sanctions are appropriately implemented in shared waterways, such as the St. Lawrence Seaway.
- The CBSA administers the Customs Act and the Immigration and Refugee Act, to verify the admissibility of the crew, supernumeraries, passengers, cargo, and the conveyance itself.
- The CBSA also administers SEMA measures in other modes, such as rail, land, and air, interdicting cargo and persons of concern who arrive at Canada’s land borders or by air.
Background:
Imposing trade and economic sanctions against foreign states and non-state actors that have significant political influence is an important instrument for the international community in enforcing international norms and laws. The CBSA helps Global Affairs Canada (GAC) administrate the Special Economic Measures Act, the United Nations Act, and the Export and Import Permits Act and associated regulations.
The CBSA’s Intelligence and Targeting programs work with domestic and international partners to collect information and intelligence to help frontline officers interdict individuals and goods listed under SEMA and which may be inadmissible to Canada.
When goods arrive at the border, the CBSA reviews import/export documents (bills of lading, invoices and certificates of origin issued by the relevant government authority) to determine if the goods or shipment/transactions are subject to prohibition or control measures. Shipments that appear to contravene trade and economic sanctions will be detained based on the authority provided by the Customs Act. GAC is then notified of possible infractions of the legislation under SEMA for further assessment.
The CBSA also regularly receives updates from GAC regarding new individuals, entities or goods that are subject to sanctions (such as technology) and ensures frontline border services officers are well supported to prevent the entry or export of goods in all streams including marine, air, land, rail and the courier/postal stream. Additionally, GAC provides the CBSA with recommendations related to detained shipments. The border services officers apply the recommendations at the border points of entry, including potential further enforcement actions such as seizures or charges by the CBSA or the RCMP.
Timely CBSA recommendations ensure the appropriate action can be taken at the time of entry (which is docking for vessels). Should a vessel that is subject to sanctions be brought into port by the RCMP and/or the coast guard, crew and cargo will be processed as usual by the CBSA, including screening for inadmissible persons and/or goods.
Further, the CBSA supports GAC and Transport Canada to ensure that U.S. and Canadian sanctions are appropriately implemented in shared waterways, such as the St. Lawrence Seaway.
Contacts:
Approved by: Scott Harris, Vice President, Intelligence and Enforcement Branch
Approved by: Fred Gaspar, Vice President, Commercial and Trade Branch
Approved by: Denis R. Vinette, Vice-President, Travellers Branch
- Date modified: