Letters to the Editor

2004

April 23, 2004

The Editor
Blue Line Magazine
12A-4981 Hwy 7 East, Suite 254
Markham, Ontario
L3R 1N1
Canada

This is in response to your article entitled U.S. and Canadian officers are to be congratulated by Morley Lymburner. The article contains a number of inaccuracies which we feel must be addressed.

On February 18, 2004, three American police cruisers continued through the Rainbow Bridge border point without any advanced warning and without stopping at the Canadian Port of Entry while in pursuit of an individual wanted for several criminal incidents in the U.S. The individual was confronted and apprehended, very courageously, as you point out, by a Canadian police officer. The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) must, however, make clear that the U.S. police officers who pursued this individual into Canada without any notification or without stopping at the Canadian Port of Entry clearly did not adhere to Canadian laws, and in doing so jeopardized the safety of travellers and officers who were at this border location the evening of the incident.

The CBSA takes very seriously the enforcement of laws to prevent the illegal entry of people and goods into Canada. We are concerned with Mr. Lymburner's comment that "to stop an extremely dangerous criminal from hurting Canadians--Canada Customs, post 911, obviously feel it is not that important." and that the unofficial motto of CBSA is "Get the Cash-let the Americans worry about the terrorists." This is patently untrue. September 11, 2001 reminded all of us of how important our shared border is to the security and economies of both countries. In order to enhance border security, the CBSA has strengthened its partnership with the U.S. and has participated in the introduction of new programs and technology. Both countries are working together to improve existing programs and to finding the best solutions, including cooperation between Canadian and American law enforcement agencies, to ensuring a safe and secure North American border.

The CBSA also takes exception to Mr. Lymburner's comment of "Given Canada Customs `just go for the cash' ...renders their real authority to nothing more than the toll collectors on that bridge." The CBSA's key activities include: enforcing Canadian laws to prevent dangerous and illegal goods and contraband and people from entering Canada; protecting Canadians and the environment from prohibited, hazardous, and toxic products; managing risk at the border by facilitating the movement of low-risk goods and people while focusing on those goods and people deemed to be high risk; and ensuring the accuracy of trade data to protect the Canadian economy.

The CBSA includes approximately 10,000 dedicated men and women with some 4,000 uniformed officers at 522 border points working to protect Canadians. Every year, those officers refer approximately 2.5 million persons to secondary examination, resulting in 44,000 being denied entry to Canada, and another 41,000 being reported as inadmissible. Every year, the CBSA removes approximately 8,000 inadmissible persons from Canada. In our 2003-2004 fiscal year alone, the CBSA made 10,088 drug seizures keeping more than $408 million of narcotics off the streets of our communities. Our officers confiscated 17,801 weapons, and seized 1999 items of obscene material. In addition, approximately 100 missing children were recovered and reunited with their families thanks to the efforts of our employees.

In May of 1998 the Customs Act and Criminal Code were both amended to give Designated Customs Officers the power to arrest and detain persons suspected of or in the process of committing an offence under the Criminal Code. These expanded powers of arrest and detention have bridged an enforcement gap that previously restricted our officers from addressing Criminal Code offences such as impaired driving, child abduction, possession of stolen property, and outstanding arrest warrants. Since the implementation of these additional authorities, our trained officers have intervened in more than 11,600 Criminal Code offences.

In conclusion, the role of our officers at Canadian ports of entry is multi-faceted as every day officers contribute to the safety, security and prosperity of Canadians. To characterize our officers as `nothing more than the toll collectors on that bridge' is not only inaccurate, but insulting.

Yours sincerely,

Alain Jolicoeur
President