CBSA - Blueprint 2020 Report - December 2016
Be a leader at any level: let the CBSA Leaders' Profile be your guide

In late 2016, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) introduced a Leaders' Profile, which illustrates the behaviours that are expected from all leaders across the Agency. It provides information on how CBSA leaders should behave – from employees to those at the most senior levels. The Profile supports all essential qualifications and expectations needed to perform at work, and it enriches formal and informal discussions about talent development. The Leaders' Profile is modeled after the Key Leadership Competencies for the federal public service and tailored to our unique operating environment at the Agency. Management at all levels and employees across the organization were consulted to develop the Leaders' Profile. This year, the CBSA President's Awards categories were adjusted to align with the Leader's Profile competencies. Through this project, our Agency has clearly defined positive leadership qualities throughout the organization, ensuring a bright future for the CBSA. Find out more from some of our leaders – in their own words!

Your Job, Your Story - I Work for Canada is an annual Prairie Region video series, with new episodes released during National Public Service Week. Each video profiles a local CBSA employee and how they contribute to protecting Canadians through their day-to-day work, whether directly or indirectly. It is an opportunity to celebrate and recognize the various important roles our employees play in the Region. Employees are also encouraged to nominate co-workers for a future segment.

Our leaders videos

Achieve results

2016-09-06
Caroline Xavier, Vice-President of Operations, Canada Border Services Agency, speaks about achieving results, empowering staff and working towards a common goal.

Transcript

Caroline Xavier, Vice-President of Operations, speaking on-camera.

Caroline: As the VP of Operations achieving results is in the DNA of what we need to do and what we need to do for Canadians.

And it's a personal commitment of mine that when I wake up every day, what am I trying to achieve? What is the ultimate result I'm aiming for? And I try and bring a little bit of that in what I do at work.

I make timely decisions. I like to make decisions. I'm not one that likes to linger too long in the domain of uncertainty.

So for me some of the behaviours that I think I demonstrate in order to achieve results that are really important for me is ensuring the empowerment of my staff. Ensuring that they understand the ultimate goal that we're aiming for so that we as a team can work towards achieving that goal.

So one of the examples that I think of and I'm most proud of when I think of achieving results is the one related to the Operation Syrian Refugees. And the reason why that's such an important one for me or one that really demonstrates a great example of achieving results is because that's exactly what we did; we achieved results. And because the time constraints were tight, it was an ambitious objective, an ambitious goal. It brought a series of people together. We had to bring a team together from all aspects of the agency. But then not only that but from other departments. Everybody had to row in the same direction towards achieving this target. And then we also had to take on this risk management mindset. We really had to be focused with regards to what it is we're aiming to achieve and really think outside the box in aiming to achieve that result.

It was a real challenge that we put our minds to and we really worked hard and really proud to say we achieved that result on behalf of the agency but for Canadians.

© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, represented by the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, 2016.

Canada.

Mobilize people

2016-09-06
Éric Lapierre, Quebec Region, Director St. Lawrence District, Canada Border Services Agency, talks about how everyone contributes to the mobilization or motivation in the workplace.

Transcript

Éric Lapierre, Quebec Region, Director St. Lawrence District, speaking on-camera.

Éric: For me, mobilizing people is something that's very important. It's a quality and skill that's very important as a leader at the CBSA. You have to understand that it's not a question of one person. There's not a model. The notion of a hero, who's in charge of mobilization in a workplace does not exist. It's every one's business. So everyone contributes to the mobilization or motivation in a workplace. The human aspect is very, very important. Listening to our people. Talking with our people. Understanding the realities of employees. Understanding also the reality of managers. So this human-aspect is very, very important because it's the foundation of being able to mobilize.

I'm moved to know that my people are stimulated and happy at work. A while ago, I was Chief of Operations at Trudeau Airport in Montréal. And we had between 270 to 300 employees. I would go around, from time to time. I would go around to hand out pay stubs. People had an opportunity to talk for 5 or 10 minutes, even 2 minutes sometimes… just to know how their day is going. And, I would tell you that this mobilized tremendously; this made people talk!

© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, represented by the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, 2016.

Canada.

Promote innovation and guide change

2016-09-06
Mark Rantala, Northern Ontario Region, Border Services Officer, Canada Border Services Agency, talks about the importance of having a positive outlook on change in general and says we can all be agents of change.

Transcript

Mark Rantala, Northern Ontario Region, Border Services Officer, speaking on-screen.

Mark: We can all be agents of change. We can all put our more or less our stamp on things, much like when we stamp somebody's passport. I mean honestly, if you want to get out there and you want to try and change something, you have to get involved.

One of things is you have to have a really positive outlook on change in general. You have to bring that positive aura into the workplace with you. That helps when it comes to facing any kind of change in the organization or here in the Agency itself.

Any change that comes our way I definitely want to learn more about it. I want to know how it impacts me. I want to know how it is going to enhance our ability to provide good client service. You know, and I think that's very important.

When you look at what we do here those changes can more or less help our ability to provide good client service to the public, on a daily basis, but also when we ask questions, it's how do those changes also benefit our traveling public, our clientele. And the only way that we can figure that out is by asking. We need to have good communications skills. We need to be able to challenge the status quo.

I think at the end of the day, you know when we talk about change there is a lot of resistance to change. But a lot of that resistance comes from the unknown. We don't like to be in the unknown. We would like to know what it is that is occurring or what will occur.

The only way that we can find that out is by either researching or asking questions. If you ask the questions, you get the research, you get the answers. And then by discussing with your fellow co-workers, what have you done, you broadcasted all that information out and now there is a greater level of understanding and you have just enhanced the knowledge base of that particular change that's upcoming and I think that is the best way that we can approach organizational change within the CBSA.

© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, represented by the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, 2016.

Canada.

I work for Canada videos

I work for Canada video profile - Travis Palmquist

2016-06-17
Travis Palmquist, Prairie Region, Border Services Officer, Canada Border Services Agency, explains how he contributes to the enforcement team in Calgary, Alberta.

Transcript

BSO Travis Palmquist on-camera.

Grounds person loading baggage onto baggage cart with BSO standing by.

BSO Travis Palmquist back on-camera.

Airplane lands at airport with BSOs patrolling area.

Travis: Well I started in 2006 as a summer student. I was working in Winnipeg, Manitoba at the commercial office there. I got on full-time in 2009 at the Boissevain land border. I was there until 2012 then transferred over to Calgary where I've been ever since. I joined up with the enforcement team in 2014 and I've been with the enforcement team ever since that time.

BSO inspecting the inside of an aircraft.

BSO Travis Palmquist back on-camera.

BSO inspecting the inside of an aircraft.

BSO Travis Palmquist back on-camera with colleague on a runway.

Traveller claiming luggage at luggage carousel in airport.

Travellers being processed in Primary Inspection Lane.

The purpose of the team is to be help out in other aspects that people aren't actually positioned to cover. So our job is to go to these focal points and then actually intercept goods coming into Canada that are prohibited. And that's our role, to be in these different areas and also be successful in interdicting prohibited items as well. So it's essential for us to go to these places, to be present, to help deter or intercept things that are actually coming into Canada. I think it's pivotal.

BSO Travis Palmquist back on-camera.

BSO inspecting luggage coming off of airplane.

BSO Travis Palmquist driving vehicle on a runway.

Every day is a new experience and that's the joy of coming into work each day. And there's been lots of different aspects that we have covered and it's been neat to see everyone on the team have their successes and help them support one another to make everyone better as a whole. So it's been a lot of fun.

Two BSOs on a runway.

BSO Travis Palmquist back on-camera.

Two BSOs approaching airplane.

BSO inspecting pet carriers on baggage ramp.

BSO inspecting inside of aircraft.

Two BSOs inspecting inside of aircraft.

BSO Travis Palmquist back on-camera.

Yeah, it's just something I enjoy doing. I like coming to work. I enjoy the job I do here. I feel like it has a beneficial impact. When you are able to focus on the things you find important, that the agency finds important as well, it gives you that drive as far as finding new trends, learning from other people's experiences, talking with colleagues, finding better ways to do things to do your job efficiently and helping those around you.

I'm Travis Palmquist and I work for Canada.

© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, represented by the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, 2016.

Canada.

I work for Canada video profile - Sherese Tardif-Cress

2016-06-17
Sherese Tardif-Cress, Prairie Region, Border Services Officer, Canada Border Services Agency, talks about her role in southern Saskatchewan and how unique and important the position of a Border Services Officer is.

Transcript

Two BSOs and a grounds person docking airplane.

Two BSOs moving away from airplane.

BSO inspecting baggage on baggage ramp.

BSO inspecting cargo.

BSO walking beside passenger truck and trailor.

Belongings in the back seat of a vehicle.

BSO Sherese Tardif-Cress inspecting inside of passenger truck.

Narrator: The Border Services Officer is such a foundational part of the CBSA that we can sometimes forget just how unique and important this position is. Just ask North Portal BSO Sherese Tardif-Cress – part of the Prairie Region's frontline in southern Saskatchewan.

BSO Sherese Tardif-Cress on-camera.

BSO Sherese Tardif-Cress inspecting passenger vehicle.

Sherese: Every day we have enforcement, and every day we let in hundreds of travellers and thousands of good...A lot of people in our area don't realize the kind of things that we see. They watch the TV show Border Security, and they don't realize that that's happening 20 minutes down the road.

Narrator: Sherese started working with the CBSA as a summer student six-and-a-half years ago, and admits that she really didn't know much about what the Agency did until she started. That changed shortly after when she helped make a significant enforcement action.

BSO Sherese Tardif-Cress placing baggage in x-ray machine and inspecting baggage.

North Portal port of entry.

Sherese: Third day on the job, I had someone that was working in Canada without authorization, and who got arrested for smuggling a gun into Canada, and that's when I really fell in love with the CBSA, because I got to see the full grasp of what we do.

Narrator: Sherese says one of the hardest parts of her job is dealing with upset travellers, as it can be hard not to take their words personally. But she says that's offset by the reward of being the first glimpse of Canada many others see.

BSO Sherese Tardif-Cress back on-camera.

Sherese: I really enjoy when we get to impact our country by stopping those people and things that aren't allowed to be in Canada, but at the same time, when you get to land a person and tell them congratulations, you are now a permanent resident of Canada, that is something that is day-to-day for us, and we sometimes don't even realize the impact we have on people's lives.

BSO Sherese Tardif-Cress working on a computer.

Picture of finger print on computer screen.

Narrator: Sherese says the team at North Portal is close-knit, in part because many of the staff aren't originally from the area and are friends outside of work, too. She notes that she is proud of what she does – both on the enforcement and facilitative side.

BSO Sherese Tardif-Cress back on-camera.

BSO processing documents at counter.

BSO inspecting baggage.

BSO talking to a passenger.

Canada Border Services Agency sign.

BSO inspecting commercial truck at Primary Inspection Lane booth.

Canada Border Services Agency badge on BSOs shoulder.

Sherese: A lot of people will say I'm cheesy for saying this, but I really do love our job. My husband also works for CBSA and so does my sister, and I think that shows. My husband joined CBSA because he's seen how much I like working for the Agency, and it's just a great place to work.

© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, represented by the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, 2016.

Canada.

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