Elizabeth May (Saanich—Gulf Islands)
2020-07-08 13:41 [p.2551]

Madam Chair, I would be very happy to ask the Conservatives that, but I am afraid questions go to the government members.
My question now for the government members is this. We are having a lot of concern, particularly in areas such as Saanich—Gulf Islands near the U.S. border, about what is being called the Texas loophole. I do not think we actually meant to put in place something called a Texas loophole. I spoke with the Minister of Public Safety.

What we are going to do to ensure that the Canada Border Services Agency does not let tourists into Canada for less than essential purposes, potentially spreading COVID-19?

Hon. Bill Blair (Scarborough Southwest)
2020-07-08 13:41 [p.2551]

Madam Chair, in response to the ongoing COVID pandemic, we have agreed with the United States to restrict all non-essential travel for such activities such as tourism and recreation right across the border. Should travellers be admitted, they are provided with information that indicates they are not to make any unnecessary stops. We know there have been a number of cases. The RCMP and the police of jurisdiction have begun to determine whether there are violations, and enforcement has begun on these matters.

We want to discourage people from entering our country, crossing that border, for non-essential purposes while these restrictions remain in place.

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Elizabeth May (Saanich—Gulf Islands)
2020-05-27 13:52

My next question will be for Minister Blair, but as an aside, I will say that last answer completely fails to meet the legal requirements of the Paris Agreement to file a new target this year.
To save some time, Minister Blair, let’s pretend to go back to the questions from my colleague MP Paul-Hus and to your last answer. This is dealt with on a case-by-case basis by CBSA agents. There are thousands of them. They are exercising personal, subjective judgment. This is not acceptable.

I’m begging the minister. Could the minister please put out a directive, advice to every CBSA agent on the ground, that when a non-status entry point sees a non-status direct relative—husband, wife, child of a Canadian citizen—that relative be deemed to be entering Canada for an essential purpose?

Lib. (ON)
Hon. Bill Blair (Scarborough Southwest)
2020-05-27 13:53

I’d like to thank the member for bringing this issue forward again. It’s an important one.

We have been working very hard to ensure that we do everything possible to keep families together. At the same time, we’ve been working with the provinces and territories, listening to the concerns of Canadians about ensuring that travel across our international border, particularly with the United States, is limited to essential travel. As I’ve indicated, I’ve had a number of important conversations and necessary conversations with our provincial and territorial partners. I believe there is a consensus on the right way forward on this, and we’re working very diligently to put it in place. I want to assure the member opposite that we have given very clear direction to our CBSA officers. I believe our border services officers have been doing an extraordinary job for us in the exercise of their discretion. At the same time, they have been doing the important work of ensuring the health and safety of Canadians at our border.

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With all respect to the hon. parliamentary secretary, I suggest to him that his three tiers are not enough. We have to have airport security as a priority and border security as a priority.

When the unions that represent border service agents say they think smugglers will get the upper hand, Canadians should be worried.

When the RCMP officers are pulled from our airports for austerity reasons, I think we should all be concerned. It is a small amount of prudence for a large amount of benefit.

Pierre Poilievre: Mr. Speaker, the RCMP as the police of jurisdiction will continue a police presence at the Kelowna and Victoria airports with routine patrols and in response to 911 emergency calls for service. I assure the member that the RCMP is well equipped, well trained and well positioned to continue to carry out this essential function. We will support our national police force in so doing.

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As well, the RCMP presence was withdrawn from Kelowna. Although Kelowna is in quite a spectacularly beautiful part of Canada, in the Okanagan, it happens to be, according to security experts with whom I have consulted, something of a thoroughfare for the smuggling of drugs and weapons. It is in an area where there are significant markets in northern Alberta and, without the RCMP detachment at the Kelowna airport, there is a concern that there will be an increase in drug dealing and other offences.

This comes at the same time as significant cutbacks in border security agents. According to the union representing the border guards, the Canada Border Services Agency has had cuts of up to 1,000 people. A lot of us saw the news coverage of the loss of the canine division, which was very efficient, effective and accurate at detecting the presence of illicit drugs and narcotics and so forth at borders. We have lost the canine division, we have lost the workforce of Canada Border Services agents who worked with that canine force, and we are losing security along the Canada–U.S. border at the same time that these cutbacks at the RCMP have lost us protection in our airports.

I have to say that I find this rather baffling, coming from an administration that has fashioned itself as being tough on crime and as being one that wants to protect Canada and Canadians from the threats of violent crime and the threats of illegal and illicit activity. This is in fact not just affecting particularly the Canada Border Services agents, not just affecting so-called backroom arrangements, agents and operations, but actually will affect the front-line operations of border security agents in such a way that the president of the union feels that smugglers will get the upper hand.

It really would be appropriate for the federal government to revisit these ill-advised cuts and to restore and replace the presence of RCMP officers in the class 2 airports, such as in Victoria and in Kelowna, and at the same time to revisit the cutting of border security agents. These are ill-conceived cuts that will cause far more damage through the loss of security than they can possibly gain in austerity.

Pierre Poilievre: Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for Saanich—Gulf Islands for providing me with the opportunity to respond to some of her concerns. Like other police services across Canada, the RCMP in British Columbia provides on-site policing at airports. Airport security in Canada is designated into three tiers across the country.

Tier 1 includes larger airports with policing detachments such as Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Vancouver and similar other larger centres. The policing detachment in each tier 1 airport is provided by the police of the jurisdiction in that municipality where the airport is located.

Tier 2 airports are located in medium-sized municipalities that include cities like Kelowna or Victoria.

Tier 3 airports are located in small communities across Canada and do not have dedicated police presence as part of their security measures.

Security assessment of all airports is a continuous effort of Transport Canada.

The funding for airport security measures is paid directly by Transport Canada to the airport authorities and the municipality.

The RCMP provision of policing services under contract is conducted through co-operation with the municipality and the chief operating officer in each airport.

Total security operations for each airport include various measures, for example, perimeter fencing, employee security passes and controlled access zones. Budget allocations by Transport Canada are based on the assessment to determine the risks and need for security at each airport.

In 2012, Transport Canada estimated that existing security measures as a whole at tier 2 airports, including Kelowna and Victoria, other than dedicated police officers and detachments, were sufficient to ensure public safety at these airports.

We have confidence in Transport Canada’s assessment that the overall security package at Canadian airports, including Kelowna and Victoria, provide maximum security and safety measures for all Canadians. Let me assure the House that the policing presence at Kelowna and Victoria airports is ongoing through routine patrols and by responding to all emergency 911 calls for service.

With that being said, I thank the member for her query and I now anticipate her follow-up.

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The meeting on 30 October, 2012 involved the following witnesses: Wayne J. Edwards, Chair and Vice-President (Canadian Anti-Counterfeiting Network); Vladimir Gagachev, Manager, Regulatory Affairs, Electrical Sector (Eaton Yale Company); Terry Hunter, Manager, Anti-Counterfeiting and Intellectual Property Enforcement (Canadian Standards Association); and John McDougall, President (National Research Council Canada). Mr. Edwards, Mr. Gagachev and Mr. Hunter emphasized the urgent need to fight the rising counterfeiting crimes in Canada. Among the major recommendations they mentioned included adopting a system where IP rights holders may record their rights with the Canadian Border Services (CBS) so that counterfeited products may be identified, empowering the CBS with an authority which enable them to target, detain, seize and destroy counterfeit goods and educating the young. Mr. McDougall reiterated on the role of the NRC, which has become less scientist-driven with more industrial financial involvement. As such, the NRC foresees more industrial type publication in the future. Mr. McDougall was also requested to provide some form of document which further elaborates the new direction for the NRC.

On November 1^st, the committee heard testimony from the following witnesses: Rami Abielmona, Vice-President, Research and Engineering, Larus Technologies Corporation; Gordon A. Davies, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary, Open Text Corporation; Karna Gupta, President and Chief Executive Officer, Information Technology Association of Canada; and Martin Lavoie, Director of Policy, Manufacturing Competitiveness and Innovation, Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters. The Minutes can be found here.

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