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Status Report on Major Crown/Transformational Projects

Temporary Resident Biometric Project

Description

The Temporary Resident Biometrics Project is a Citizenship and Immigration Canada led major Crown project, in partnership with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). The business objective of the Temporary Resident Biometrics Project  is to streamline identity management within the Government of Canada temporary resident program. Against the backdrop of the rise of identity fraud globally and the use of ever-more sophisticated means to evade detection, a key challenge in Canada's immigration program is identifying applicants and managing their identity with confidence. The Temporary Resident Biometrics Project is not aimed at a re-engineering of processes and systems, but rather an enhancement to existing visa, study and work permit application and visitor entry processes, and leveraging of investment in existing Citizenship and Immigration Canada, CBSA and RCMP systems to the maximum extent possible.

Budget 2008 provided the CBSA with funding in the amount of $12.67 million. With this funding, the CBSA will design and develop a photo verification solution at all ports of entry, as well as a discretionary biometric verification solution in secondary inspection at selected ports of entry. The CBSA is currently on schedule to implement the above-noted work components by March 2013.

Project Phase

The Temporary Resident Biometrics Project is currently in the analysis and design phase.


Leading and Participating Departments and Agencies

Lead Department Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Contracting Authority Public Works and Government Services Canada
Participating Departments Canada Border Services Agency and Royal Canadian Mounted Police


Prime and Major Subcontractor(s)

Prime Contractor n/a
Major Subcontractor(s) n/a


Major Milestones

Major Milestone Date
Business requirements for Phase 1 (re-scoped option) April 2010
System requirements for Phase 1 (re-scoped option) Fall 2010
Memorandum to Cabinet December 2010
Effective project approval submission December 2010
Posting of the requests for proposals March 4, 2011
Evaluating responses to the requests for proposals Spring-Summer 2011
Business use cases for Phase 1(re-scoped option) February 2011
Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat approval March 24, 2011

Project Outcomes

  • Migration that significantly benefits Canada's economic, social and cultural development, while protecting the health, safety and security of Canadians. Related program activities: the Immigration Program and the Temporary Resident Program.
  • International recognition and acceptance of the principles of managed migration consistent with Canada's broader foreign policy agenda, and protection of refugees in Canada. Related program activities: Canada's role in international migration and protection, and the Refugee Program.
  • Successful integration of newcomers into society and promotion of Canadian citizenship. Related program activities: the Integration Program and the Citizenship Program.
  • Canada's population is safe and secure from border-related risks. Related program activities: Port of entry operations (Conventional Border).
  • Legitimate travellers and goods move freely and lawfully across our border. Related program activities: Port of entry operations (Conventional Border).

Beneficiaries

  • The affected client groups are primarily applicants for temporary resident visas. In 2006, Citizenship and Immigration Canada received over 1.2 million applications abroad in the temporary immigration program. The volume of temporary applications has been increasing in recent years and is estimated to reach roughly 1.6 million by 2012.
  • Canadian society will be the prime beneficiary of this initiative. Strengthened identity management will provide for increased security and reduced abuse of the immigration program. These are key elements of ensuring the safety, security, and health of Canadian society and maximizing the economic benefits of immigration. A March 2007 survey by Ipsos Reid found that 88 percent of Canadians were supportive of the use of biometrics in verifying the identity of foreign nationals applying for a visa, and 90 percent supported conducting background checks on foreign nationals seeking to enter Canada.

Progress Report and Explanations of Variances

  • With the $12.67 million that the CBSA received in Budget 2008, the project has been re scoped to include only photo verification at all Canadian ports of entry, and discretionary fingerprint verification in secondary inspection at selected ports of entry.
  • Amended preliminary project approval was received in April 2010.
  • The Memorandum to Cabinet to re-scope the project and secure funds was approved in December 2010.
  • Various documents in support of overall project management have been prepared, such as a project charter. In addition, business requirements and business use cases to support the reduced scope are well underway.
  • In order to procure required equipment and be ready to implement for March 2013, the request for proposals was posted on MERX on March 4, 2011.
  • The CBSA has completed its business requirements and business use cases and has begun its system requirements. The Agency has also completed its Training Strategy and begun the Statement of Requirements and Statement of Sensitivity (SOR/SOS), and is currently on schedule to design and develop photo verification at all Canadian ports of entry and discretionary biometric verification at secondary inspection at selected ports of entry.
  • The CBSA is currently operating within budget, as allocated by the Department of Finance Canada for the reduced scope project option.
  • The CBSA will be ready to implement the Temporary Resident Biometrics reduced scope solution by March 31, 2013, as originally envisioned.

Industrial Benefits

Given the greater assurance of an individual's identity due to the addition of biometrics, Canadian society will be the prime beneficiary of this initiative. Strengthened identity management will provide for increased security and reduced abuse of the immigration program. These are key elements of ensuring the safety, security, and health of Canadian society and maximizing the economic benefits of immigration.

Air Cargo Security

Description

The primary objective of the Air Cargo Security Program is to develop a comprehensive air cargo security regime in Canada that is in line with international partners and that will mitigate the risks associated with the introduction of explosives in cargo or mail and the use of cargo aircraft as weapons. Supply chain programs to identify low-risk cargo will be developed, and procedures to screen high-risk and targeted cargo will be identified.

Project Phase

Implementation of the Canadian Air Cargo Security Program major Crown project priority initiatives in 2010–11.

Leading and Participating Departments and Agencies

Lead Department Transport Canada
Contracting Authority Public Works and Government Services Canada
Participating Departments Canada Border Services Agency


Prime and Major Subcontractor(s)

Prime Contractor n/a
Major Subcontractor(s) n/a


Major Milestones

Major Milestone Date
Air Cargo Security privacy impact assessment TBD
Memorandum of Understanding for the exchange of information between Transport Canada and the CBSA TBD
Interoperability between Transport Canada and the CBSA 2011–12
Agreement on the risk assessment process for Transport Canada participants TBD

Project Outcomes

Air travellers will benefit from this program. Benefits include:

  • enhanced regulatory regime;
  • oversight, training and compliance;
  • screening technologies and processes;
  • mutual recognition and interoperability;
  • support for risk assessments undertaken by Transport Canada; and
  • screening of air cargo items at small and remote Class II and Class Other airports.

Progress Report and Explanations of Variances

A review of the Air Cargo Security privacy impact assessment has now been completed by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner. The December 2010 response included concerns and made recommendations for the Air Cargo Security Privacy Impact Assessment. Those concerns are currently being discussed between the CBSA and Transport Canada legal services. Therefore, completion of a Memorandum of Understanding and the agreement on risk assessment with Transport Canada is pending the results of the privacy impact assessment. Recently, significant delays in project deliverables have been caused by the release of the final report by the Commission of Inquiry entitled Air India Flight 182: A Canadian Tragedy in June 2010, and by disruptions following the discovery in October 2010 of two U.S.-bound parcel bombs concealed inside printer toner cartridges sent by air from Yemen.

Industrial Benefits

  • Protect the Canadian public and those working in the air cargo supply chain.
  • Streamline trade through risk management.
  • Promote the movement of goods both domestically and internationally through effective trade supply chains.
  • Improve the ability of the CBSA to detect high-risk cargo.
  • Improve controls and make better and more efficient allocations of CBSA resources.
  • Ensure the efficient flow of goods contributing to Canada's economic prosperity.

Please note that the lead for Air Cargo Security is Transport Canada. Only CBSA information is included above as a participating department.

eManifest

Description

One of the strategies that the CBSA employs in managing the border is the use of advance information to identify and stop high-risk people and goods before they arrive in Canada. Having successfully implemented the marine and air components of the Advance Commercial Information initiative, the CBSA is now implementing Phase III, which is known as Electronic Manifest, or eManifest.

eManifest is the next critical step required to improve the ability of the CBSA to detect shipments that pose a high or unknown risk to the safety and security of Canadians. The objective of eManifest is to implement electronic processes based on advance electronic cargo information to effectively analyze risk, ensure efficient border procedures and secure the international trade supply chain. Under eManifest, highway and rail carriers, along with freight forwarders and importers in all modes, will transmit advance cargo, conveyance, crew and importer advance trade data prior to the arrival of the cargo at the border. eManifest will complement and build upon the risk management strategies currently employed in both the air and marine modes, by enhancing the risk assessment capacity and scoring methodologies for all modes. This initiative focuses on pushing the border out by getting the right information at the right time in order to protect Canadians from health, safety, and security threats related to commercial goods before they arrive in Canada.

eManifest will feature the following:

  • reporting using electronic data interchange;
  • a Web portal;
  • automated risk assessment;
  • an enhanced client notification system;
  • a data warehouse and associated business intelligence tools; and
  • compliance management and management information reporting.

Project Phase

eManifest has multiple components in different project phases, including several items that have been implemented, and others in the analysis and design, and construction and development phases.

Leading and Participating Departments and Agencies

Lead Department Canada Border Services Agency
Contracting Authority Canada Revenue Agency and Public Works and Government Services Canada
Participating Departments n/a


Prime and Major Subcontractor(s)

Prime Contractor n/a
Major Subcontractor(s) n/a


Major Milestones

Major Milestone Date
  • Readiness activities – Information technology prerequisites and deployment of the Synchronous Technology and Application Release configuration
Implemented November 2007
  • Readiness activities – Automated in-transit pilot project (Phase I)

Implemented June 2008

  • Rail reporting (Phase I)
Implemented March 2009
  • In-Transit Highway Pilot (Phase II)
  • Customs electronic commerce platform capacity upgrade
Implemented October 2009
  • Highway carrier reporting
  • Client notification
  • Passage (interim enhancements for highway)
  • Infrastructure capacity upgrade (Phase I)
Implemented October 2010
  • Highway Web portal
  • Infrastructure capacity upgrade (Phase II)
Summer 2011
  • Risk assessment (Phase I)
  • Rail reporting (Phase II)
  • Passage (interim enhancements for rail)
  • Commercial reporting

Spring 2012


Project Outcomes

eManifest will feature:

  • implementation of critical information technology prerequisites activities;
  • advance electronic crew, cargo, conveyance and advance trade data information from highway and rail carriers, freight forwarders, and importers and customs brokers;
  • a Web portal for clients to facilitate compliance;
  • automated risk assessment in advance of the arrival of goods to Canada's border;
  • streamlined border processing through integration of systems for CBSA officers; and
  • development of a data warehouse and supporting business intelligence software, which will include the centralization and integration of data from various CBSA systems in order to support intelligent risk assessment of eManifest pre-arrival information through pattern detection and trend analysis.

In addition, some of the products and features listed above will also be retrofitted to the air and marine modes.

eManifest will also allow for:

  • enhanced knowledge and capacity to risk assess pre-arrival data and for trade community compliance;
  • enhanced cooperation with U.S. Customs and Border Protection through harmonized commercial processes;
  • enhanced innovative systems and technology to effectively and efficiently assess data;
  • increased success of detection activities to intercept high-risk goods and travellers;
  • increased compliance by trade community with CBSA legislation.
  • enhanced flow of low-risk people and goods; and
  • improved stakeholder satisfaction.

Progress Report and Explanations of Variances

  • eManifest received effective project approval from Treasury Board on November 29, 2007, as a major Crown project with an approved budget of $396 million (net of goods and services tax) over five years. 
  • Subsequent to effective project approval, the project completion date was revised to reflect a shift in project funding over two years, as part of CBSA's contribution in support of Canada's Economic Action Plan. The impact of the funding realignment has extended the completion date and has necessitated a realignment of project deliverables and implementation time frames.
  • vAs a result of the extended time frame, eManifest's funding profile required a reallocation of funds for 2012–14 where there was no Treasury Board funding originally allocated.
  • Agency reference levels still reflect preliminary project approval funding amounts. This has resulted in annual internal carry-forwards to align funding to effective project approval plans.
  • Expenditures were reduced in 2009–10 as a result of a re-profile of project funding to future years (2012–14). The realignment of funding is attributed to a delay in the implementation of business intelligence and data warehouse infrastructure technology, a delay in end-state Passage functionality at first point of arrival, and associated costs related to the uptake of highway carriers. Synergies of staffing amongst CBSA major projects have also been realized.
  • eManifest is to be completed by 2015.

Throughout 2010–11, the eManifest project team has made significant progress in carrying out various project activities. Highlights included:

  • Implementation of highway carrier reporting. Electronic Data Interchange systems are now available to highway carriers who have completed registration and testing of their systems with the CBSA to begin transmitting their pre-arrival cargo and conveyance data before arriving at the border. The CBSA continues the registration of new carrier clients.
  • Passage enhancements to the existing system to provide border services officers with the ability to retrieve, view, update data online and through reports, log arrival of the conveyances in highway, make decisions and retrieve trip information by alternative keys.
  • Phase I of infrastructure upgrades to support an expected increase in eManifest volumes and process requirements for highway carriers.
  • Completed development of the Agency's first Internet-based service window, the eManifest Portal, with delivery to the business community expected in the summer of 2011. This secure data option was developed primarily for small to medium-sized enterprises to facilitate their compliance and make the transition from paper to electronic reporting more manageable.

The 2010–11 reporting period also included significant stakeholder engagement activities related to the implementation of eManifest in the highway mode and the deployment of the Web portal. These activities include:

  • the distribution of the Electronic Commerce Client Requirements Document for highway carriers to the trade community; and
  • the gathering of stakeholders and Agency representatives through the eManifest Stakeholder Partnership Network and other consultative forums to discuss the design, development, implementation and communication activities of eManifest.

Industrial Benefits

As eManifest will help provide CBSA officers with the right information at the right time, Canadian industry will benefit from more certainty at the border and from streamlined release processes. This will enable both industry and the CBSA to manage commercial import volumes more effectively. In addition, eManifest functionality will enable the seamless movement of goods through secure international trade-supply chains. With improved controls along the international trade-supply chains, the CBSA can more efficiently allocate resources to ensure that integrated border services further national security and safety priorities, while continuing to facilitate the free flow of low-risk people and goods.