SECTION II – ANALYSIS OF PROGRAM ACTIVITIES

Preface

In accordance with Treasury Board requirements, the CBSA has adopted a Program Activity Architecture (PAA) that includes all activities undertaken by the Agency and provides a structure to ensure that they are aligned with our mandate and priorities. The CBSA PAA reflects our operations and includes our strategic outcome and four program activities.

CBSA Program Activity Architecture

Strategic outcome:

Efficient and effective border management that contributes to the security and prosperity of Canada

Program activities:

Security
Access
Science- and Technology-based Innovation
Corporate Management and Direction

Each of these program activities has related sub-activities and sub-sub-activities. The descriptions in the following pages provide context for understanding our work and the breadth of all our activities over the planning period. Under the “Key Programs and Services” headings within each program activity, we highlight specific programs or services selected to illustrate the planned activities we will undertake in this fiscal year.

Program activity: Security

The goal of the Security program activity is to ensure the safety and security of Canadians, within the context of the government’s security agenda, through effective and efficient border management.

Departmental priorities supported by the Security program activity

The Security program activity supports three of the CBSA’s strategic priorities: effective delivery of programs and services, innovating for the border of the future and strong internal and external relationships.

Description

The Government of Canada is committed to the safety and protection of Canadians and their communities. As Canada’s first line of defence, ensuring the safety and security of Canadians is a vital component of the CBSA’s work. Whether posted abroad, working at the front-line, or interacting with other law enforcement agencies, CBSA officers exercise constant vigilance in protecting our borders from all manner of threats. The Security program activity encompasses CBSA programs and initiatives that ensure the safety and security of Canadians through effective and efficient border management, all within the context of the government’s security agenda. This program activity is divided into two sub-activities: Intelligence and Enforcement.

Sub-activity: Intelligence

The CBSA relies on intelligence-based decision making to identify high-risk travellers and contraband goods bound for Canada. In accordance with our multiple borders approach, the CBSA screens people and goods at several points along the travel continuum, at the earliest opportunity overseas, through transit, and on arriving at the Canadian border. Receiving and reviewing documentation in advance improves our ability to target and interdict inadmissible people and goods, and acts as a deterrent to those contemplating illegal immigration activities or the importation of goods that pose a threat to public health and safety. The Intelligence sub-activity includes initiatives related to the collection, analysis, distribution and sharing of intelligence regarding threats to national security, including terrorism, counter proliferation, war crimes, organized crime, smuggling, fraud and irregular migration. It also includes guiding and coordinating our intelligence operations across Canada and abroad, and providing direct support to our front-line officers.

Sub-activity: Enforcement

One of the primary functions of CBSA front-line officers is to identify and take appropriate enforcement action to minimize the risks of dangerous people and goods entering and remaining in Canada. Through the Enforcement sub-activity, we provide guidance in the enforcement of all border legislation, ensuring enhanced national security by developing appropriate policies and procedures and by equipping border officers with the tools they need to do their jobs, such as modern contraband detection equipment and x-ray and gamma-ray equipment. This work also includes building key partnerships with domestic and international law-enforcement agencies, promoting partnerships and sharing information. Additional responsibilities related to this sub-activity include: the investigation of individuals who commit offences counter to Canadian border legislation; the making of recommendations for prosecution; and the detention and removal of people who have no legal right to remain in Canada, especially those who pose a threat to Canadian society.

Security: key programs and services

CBSA’s focus within this program activity is the delivery of Security programs at the border. Of the $557.5 million in planned spending in 2006-2007 for Security, $299.1 million is allocated to our Operations Branch to support our regional activities directly. In addition to this, examples of specific activities under the Security program activity that we will pursue in 2006-2007 are included below:

Migration Integrity Officer Network

The CBSA has 45 Migration Integrity Officers (MIOs) located in 39 key locations abroad. The Migration Integrity program encompasses intelligence gathering, analysis and reporting related to visa or immigration application fraud, organized crime, irregular migration, public security and terrorism, and war crimes and crimes against humanity. Migration Integrity program policy is aimed at protecting the integrity of the Canadian immigration selection system, the refugee determination process, and the safety, security and good order of Canadian society, including the interdiction of persons inadmissible to Canada. Information is gathered through a network of contacts with host-country officials, officials from other governments in the designated region, airline personnel and law enforcement agents and is used by CBSA senior management, operational staff and other government departments such as Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

The MIOs also support the integrity of the overseas immigration program through anti-fraud activities, which include identifying fraud indicators for Visa Officers and conducting site visits in connection with suspicious applications. MIOs also provide training to local airlines and authorities to identify false and altered travel documents. These officers maintain a steady flow of information and are key to CBSA’s building sound intelligence concerning illegal migration patterns and trends, while ensuring the integrity of Canada’s immigration program.

In 2006-2007, we will continue to work with our partners at Citizenship and Immigration Canada and the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade to support our employees abroad. We will also enhance the information-sharing protocols used by our officers abroad, the CBSA’s National Risk Assessment Centre, CBSA headquarters, and other government departments. Our success will continue to be measured through a range of performance indicators, such as: the percentage of improperly documented travellers intercepted before departure, reporting from MIOs, feedback from partners and statistical information in monthly activity reports.

Canada’s Modern War Crimes Program

Canada has affirmed that it is not and will never become a safe haven for persons involved in war crimes, crimes against humanity or other reprehensible acts, regardless of when or where they occurred. This is consistent with domestic legislation as well as with Canada’s commitment to international justice. Canada’s War Crimes program is an initiative coordinated with the CBSA, the RCMP, the Department of Justice, and Citizenship and Immigration Canada. The CBSA program deals solely with modern-day war criminals (i.e., post-World War II).

Within the provisions of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, the CBSA takes a three-pronged approach in dealing with modern-day war criminals:

1. preventing suspected war criminals from reaching Canada by refusing their immigrant, refugee or visitor visa applications from abroad;
2. excluding them from the refugee determination process in Canada; and
3. removing, through the immigration admissibility hearing process, war criminals who have already entered Canada.

In 2006-2007, the CBSA and its program partners will continue to implement their realigned priorities to provide a highly effective service to protect Canadian values. The program partners have developed a Results-Based Management and Accountability Framework (RMAF) to guide them over five years in the two pillars of the program: operational coordination and allegation management. Within CBSA, we will measure our success in terms of the number of persons complicit in war crimes or crimes against humanity who are refused visas to enter Canada, removed from Canada, or excluded from the refugee determination process as a result of their prior actions. In 2006-2007, we will also focus increasingly on international liaison activities, forming partnerships with other like-minded countries to share information and best practices to maximize program effectiveness.   

Removals

The protection and the safety of Canadians is a top priority for the CBSA. The CBSA’s removal priorities continue to be security threats to Canada, such as allegations of terrorism, organized crime and crimes against humanity, serious criminality, followed by criminality, failed refugee claimants, and other people who did not comply with the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

The CBSA may remove from Canada any person who is found to be inadmissible to Canada. There are three types of removal orders and each has different consequences. Departure and exclusion orders are usually issued in less serious situations, whereas persons removed by a deportation order are permanently barred from returning to Canada unless they receive written permission from an officer designated by the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. Once a removal order has been issued, the CBSA removes the person from Canada as soon as possible, taking into account the rights of individuals for redress under the Act, and taking the appropriate security measures where necessary.

As part of the Four Country Conference, Canada, the U.S., Australia and the United Kingdom are coordinating their efforts to encourage countries to honour their international obligation to accept the return of their nationals. Increased cooperation has been established with the U.S. in particular, including joint charter flights for high-risk removals. In 2006-2007, we will continue to explore collaborative means for removals, in addition to tracking the number of removals of persons who have no legal right to remain in Canada.

The CBSA will make the most effective and efficient use of its resources by focusing on the removal of high-risk individuals. We will assess our success through the number of inadmissibility reports written, the number of arrests made, and the number of removals concluded.

Criminal investigations

The safety of Canadians is enhanced by the investigation and prosecution of border security offences, such as the use of fraudulent documents to gain access to Canada, and the smuggling or unlawful import or export of controlled, regulated or prohibited goods. Pursuing crimes related to the movement of goods promotes economic security, ensures the business community maintains confidence in Canada’s trade and border legislation, and promotes a level playing field for Canadian businesses.

With the integration of border services at the front lines, the CBSA has reviewed its criminal investigation activities. For greater security and efficiency, we will take on responsibility for the majority of immigration criminal investigations, as well as for certain criminal investigations related to importing food, plant and animal commodities at airports and land borders. These activities will be added to the variety of criminal investigations already undertaken in relation to the import and export of goods. We will put these changes into effect in 2006-2007.

This integrated approach will allow us to concentrate on CBSA law enforcement priorities. We will gauge the success of integrating our investigation programs by the numbers of investigative referrals received, cases investigated and prosecutions conducted by the Department of Justice.

Partners in Protection

Through the Partners in Protection (PIP) program, the CBSA and private industry have combined efforts to enhance border security, combat organized crime and terrorism, increase awareness of customs compliance issues, and help detect and prevent contraband smuggling.

Under this program, the CBSA has developed strategic partnerships with private industry to secure the flow of low-risk, legitimate goods and travellers across our border. By signing a goodwill arrangement with the CBSA, a business or organization commits to developing a joint plan of action, conducting security assessments, participating in awareness sessions and consulting with the CBSA. The arrangement aims to enhance the security of the partner business or organization, facilitate the exchange of information between partners, and develop joint awareness and information initiatives.

The PIP program is currently undergoing a review and evaluation to assess its effectiveness, to ensure compliance with the World Customs Organization (WCO) Framework of Standards to Secure and Facilitate Global Trade and to identify possible avenues to make PIP and the U.S. counterpart program, Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT), more compatible. The CBSA has confirmed its commitment to implement the Framework of Standards adopted by the WCO in June 2005. The WCO Framework of Standards requires the establishment of minimum security criteria for customs-to-business partnership programs to qualify member companies for designation as authorized economic operators. These standards were developed to address potential terrorist threats and transnational organized crime. Mandatory minimum security requirements are a main feature of both the WCO Framework of Standards and the U.S. C-TPAT program.

In order to meet the requirements of greater compatibility with C-TPAT and comply with WCO requirements, the PIP program will require a major transformation. Additional funding for this program was announced in Budget 2006. Once funding is provided to the CBSA, PIP membership requirements, regional delivery capacity, officer training, operational and administrative support, and enforcement measures will be re-examined and upgraded to provide a much stronger and more effective security program.

Human resources impact

Supporting the CBSA innovation agenda and associated action plans such as the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP) means that there is an ongoing demand on our organization for specific skills related to border management. Development of new national and international programs and systems requires input from employees with recent relevant field experience. At the same time, these skill sets are required to maintain our operations in the regions at the ports of entry and abroad. Our challenge is to balance the need for skilled employees to develop new programs and systems and to ensure a skilled and knowledgeable workforce in the field through adequate internal and external recruitment strategies.

Other programs and services

For a list of other programs and services that contribute to this program activity, please see Appendix A.

Program activity: Access

The goal of the Access program activity is to ensure the lawful flow of people and goods, promote compliance with border legislation, and ensure a level playing field for legitimate trade and travel.

Departmental priorities supported by the Access program activity

The Access program activity supports the CBSA departmental priorities of effective delivery of programs and services, innovating for the border of the future and strong internal and external relationships.

Description

The mandate of the CBSA is to ensure the lawful flow of trade and travel, while protecting the safety and security of Canadians and supporting Canada’s prosperity. Access to Canada and the Canadian market is a vital component of that role, and the CBSA is committed to maintaining the programs and services that facilitate the entry of low- or known-risk people and goods. The Access program activity includes those CBSA functions that ensure the lawful flow of people and goods, promote compliance with border legislation, and ensure a level playing field for legitimate trade and travel. This program activity consists of four sub-activities, Trade, Goods, People/Travellers, and Recourse. This program activity includes the delivery of front-line operations, as well as policy direction and guidance related to the processing of people and goods at our borders.

Sub-activity: Trade

One of the key elements of the CBSA’s border management responsibilities is the administration of a facilitative and transparent trade program that supports the competitiveness of Canadian business. This includes the development and delivery of national programs and policies relating to the administration of international trade agreements and domestic legislation with respect to trade in commercial goods. The national trade program also provides functional guidance and interpretation for CBSA officers in the field, and for the importing community. Some of the specific activities include tariff classification; valuation and origin; administering trade incentives; refusing entry of prohibited importations; collecting duties and taxes; taking anti-dumping and countervailing actions; conducting origin audits; and conducting compliance verification activities to ensure compliance with the law.

Sub-activity: Goods

By managing the entry of thousands of trucks, ships and aircraft carrying millions of dollars in goods arriving at Canada’s borders each day, the CBSA serves a vital role in ensuring access to the Canadian economy. In support of the ever-increasing volumes of trade, within this sub-activity, we develop and deliver national programs and policies related to the admissibility and processing of goods. This includes providing outreach services to importers and working with multiple federal partners to administer an extensive variety of legislation. Our officers working in the highway, air, marine, postal and courier modes conduct inspections to ensure compliance with all border laws.

Sub-activity: People/Travellers

Developing and delivering national programs and policies related to the admissibility and processing of people/travellers and their goods includes customs processing as well as the processing of plant, animal and food products accompanying individuals at the border. We also develop the policies, procedures, alliances and working partnerships needed to maintain immigration border control, while facilitating the entry of lawful people. CBSA officers are responsible for examining foreign nationals seeking entry into Canada, and for making appropriate decisions regarding their status. Within this sub-activity, we are working to explore all options to simplify and accelerate the entry process for eligible individuals, including alternative inspection programs and low-risk traveller programs such as NEXUS Highway, Air and Marine, and CANPASS Air.

Sub-activity: Recourse

Fair treatment and a commitment to the rights of the individuals and groups with whom we interact are fundamental pillars of our relationships. Within this sub-activity, the CBSA develops recourse-related programs and policies and delivers the administrative review of CBSA decisions related to trade programs and enforcement sanctions. Our goal is to provide clients with fair, impartial and timely resolution of disputes. Our recourse programs provide policy and procedural clarification not only to the importing/exporting community, but also to federal and international partners on border management matters. Through this sub-activity, we also manage the appeals process for disputes before the Canadian International Trade Tribunal, the Canadian Human Rights Commission and the courts. Our recourse programs ensure a level playing field for travellers and traders.

Access: key programs and services

This program activity is substantial, encompassing regional border operations, headquarters and support services involved in managing access to Canada. Of the $768.3 million in planned spending for Access in 2006-2007, $577.9 million has been allocated to our Operations Branch for activities in the regions. Given the scope of these activities, it is vital that we work to understand our current operating environment and processes fully, and look for new and innovative ways to improve the processing of people and goods. To this end, we are reviewing and modernizing our frameworks for the movement of people and goods, and for our core services.

The following examples represent some of the activities under the Access program activity that we will pursue in 2006-2007:

Movement of People Framework ($506,000 in 2006-2007)

The objective of the Movement of People Framework is to develop a long-term strategy for the movement of people across Canada's borders. The Framework is a combination of program review and strategic visioning that will examine CBSA business processes to integrate customs, immigration and food inspection functions. This will allow us to determine the best way to use our innovative inspection programs to improve the processing and streaming of persons arriving at our borders, expediting the flow of low-risk travellers and concentrating on high-risk travellers. In 2006-2007, we will conduct a study of the primary inspection line and secondary inspection functions to develop more efficient and effective processes. This will allow us to identify strengths and weaknesses of current business flows and develop statistical performance and compliance measures that take into account business needs and the requirements of other government departments.

Movement of Goods Framework ($500,000 in 2006-2007, including AMPS)

The objective of the Movement of Goods Framework is to confirm a defined commercial direction with respect to the movements of goods across Canada's borders. The Framework is a combination of program review and strategic visioning that will ensure that we have the policy and regulatory framework to support initiatives such as Free and Security Trade (FAST) and Advanced Commercial Information most effectively. For these innovative programs to be successful, we must have confidence in the integrity of our programs and processes and know that they will meet our future needs. Therefore, in 2006-2007, we will begin the review of all our policies and programs related to commercial goods, including the licensing of customs brokers, cash management, warehouse and carrier, cargo and release policies, and other government department requirements. Reviewing policies and programs related to commercial goods in a modern border management context will allow us to ensure that they are consistently developed, harmonized and applied. We will also initiate reviews of the postal and courier programs and our special service regulations.

Administrative Monetary Penalty System (AMPS)

The Administrative Monetary Penalty System (AMPS) provides a means for the CBSA to ensure that goods are properly reported, duties and taxes paid, and accurate trade statistics are collected. We accomplish this by issuing civil monetary penalties for infractions of customs legislation and regulations.

In 2006-2007, we will conduct consultations within the CBSA and with representatives of the trade community. This will allow us to begin simplifying the penalty system for our clients and make it easier for our officers to administer. We will work towards a fair, transparent and consistent penalty system that is adaptable to new and emerging programs. Our planned improvements will result in fewer cancelled penalties and client complaints as the process for Canadian importers will be simpler. This review will be funded through the Movement of Goods Framework.

Core Services Policy Review ($351,000 in 2006-2007)

The constant increase in international trade and travel has meant an increase in requests for new and enhanced publicly funded services. To meet these demands and ensure a fair and equitable approach, the CBSA will review its approach to publicly funded core services and services provided on a cost-recovery basis. In 2006-2007, we will determine options for a policy framework for defining publicly funded and privately funded services. We will also develop economic models to assess the potential economic benefits of new services. This will allow for the best distribution of CBSA resources to provide services where they are most needed.

Human resources impact

Managing the flow of people and goods at the border places constant demands on the CBSA’s human resources capacity. Operating in a 24/7 environment means that we must maintain our staffing levels with a knowledgeable, representative workforce. We will work to strengthen the CBSA’s ability to provide services in both official languages in all regions.

Other programs and services

For a list of other programs and services that contribute to this program activity, please see Appendix A.

Program activity: Science- and Technology-based Innovation

The goal of the Science- and Technology-based Innovation program activity is to support efficient and effective border management, and to protect Canadians from existing risk and emerging threats through the design, development, implementation, delivery and maintenance of cost-effective technology and scientific solutions in partnership with the other program activities.

Departmental priorities supported by the Science- and Technology-based Innovation program activity

The Science- and Technology-based Innovation program activity supports the CBSA departmental priorities of effective delivery of programs and services, innovating for the border of the future, strong internal and external relationships and a modern management regime.

Description

The Science- and Technology-based Innovation program activity implements new methods and ideas to improve the quality of service provided to gather and analyse advance information, deliver innovative solutions in a timely manner, lessen the compliance burden, and facilitate legitimate trade and travel. It includes a diverse range of scientific, analytical and technology services and solutions for the CBSA to help identify and interdict high-risk people and goods, collaborate and share information with program partners, and provide systems and scientific solutions to process people and goods effectively in a risk-based environment. This program activity also provides laboratory and scientific services that include forensic and scientific research and analytical and technical advice to support the CBSA in achieving its mandate.

Sub-activity: Business Solutions/Projects

Included in this sub-activity are the design, development and implementation of science and technology solutions to support delivery of border services. We use our expertise and an innovative approach to interpret business requirements and translate them into technological and science-based solutions for effective border management. This includes new systems for facilitating the entry of travellers and goods, such as NEXUS and FAST, and risk-assessment systems supporting border security. We also place a strong emphasis on planning and architecture to maximize efficiency and ensure interoperability with other systems within CBSA and with external partners.

Sub-activity: Information Technology Infrastructure and Operations

Innovative, reliable systems are essential for effective border management. Within this sub-activity, we provide secure information technology (IT) infrastructure, maintain quality performance of operational systems, and operate and maintain national systems supporting the movement of people and goods arriving at our borders. This includes researching security-based technological solutions and best practices to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of border operations, security and enforcement. We also provide support to users in the field and partners in other organizations.

Sub-Activity: Laboratory and Scientific Services

The CBSA is proud of its world‑class laboratory, which offers a diverse range of scientific, analytical and research advisory services. Within this sub-activity, we provide laboratory and scientific services to the CBSA and other external partners, departments and agencies. Our research into scientific products and solutions aids to modernize border management further, and increase the effectiveness and efficiency of border operations, particularly in relation to security and enforcement. We also have the capacity to perform in-house physical and chemical analysis of industrial commodities and forensic examination of documents.

Science- and Technology-based Innovation: key programs and services

The following are examples of activities under the Science- and Technology-based Innovation program activity that we will pursue in 2006-2007:

Information Technology Infrastructure and Operations / Enhancements and Maintenance

The CBSA maintains and enhances over 50 national systems that operate on a 24/7 basis to support commercial and traveller programs, ensuring high availability of critical systems to the CBSA staff and stakeholders. Within this program activity, we are working to standardize and share IT infrastructure across client groups, applications and business lines. This program activity provides a partnership with Canada Revenue Agency and Citizenship and Immigration Canada to leverage capabilities, facilities and existing technologies and to share costs of implementing new technologies.

The CBSA will establish a number of key components of its IT infrastructure strategy to provide a framework for future investments and management of information technology and systems, including the development of policies and sourcing options.

The majority of expenditures under the Science- and Technology-based Innovation program activity will ensure the ongoing operation, maintenance and enhancement of 51 critical and 47 non-critical applications and provide analytical, research, forensic and scientific advisory services to CBSA and its partners.

The financial resources for many of the initiatives developed under this program activity are reported under the Security and Access program activities. Examples of initiatives that span Science- and Technology-based Innovation and Security or Access program activities are:

Radiation Detection Equipment ($4.9 million in each of 2006-2007, 2007-2008 and 2008-2009)

The CBSA uses a variety of technology to help prevent contraband and dangerous goods from entering Canada. The use of contraband-detection technology enables CBSA officers to conduct effective, non-intrusive inspections, and allows us to focus on high-risk individuals and goods. Over the past several years, the CBSA has made significant investments in technology, which assists border officers in detecting drugs, weapons, explosives and other dangerous goods. These investments have included innovative ion scanners that can identify trace amounts of narcotics; remote-operated vehicles for underwater inspection of marine vessels; and gamma-ray systems for scanning the contents of baggage, marine containers, rail cars or trucks.

Within this context, the CBSA has also developed the capacity to screen for radioactive materials at critical border points in its highest-risk modes. The Radiation Detection Project is an initiative intended to safeguard Canada’s trade and to combat terrorism. It enhances the safety of workers, who might be exposed to radiation from dangerous goods, and protects critical infrastructure at border points, which might be the targets of terrorism. To this end, CBSA has introduced both hand-held and mobile systems for detecting radiation in cargo entering Canada. It has also purchased fixed or “portal” radiation detectors and has begun installing them at various sites across Canada. These portals enable radiation detection in an automated, comprehensive and non-intrusive manner.

In 2006-2007, the CBSA will undertake a significant expansion of this radiation portal network at four ports of entry. The success of this project will depend on working closely with other law-enforcement agencies and industry stakeholders to ensure effective implementation of the new portals.

Planned spending for Radiation Detection Equipment is included in the Security program activity.

Enhancements to the Commercial Risk Assessment System ($3.6 million in 2006-2007)

Historically, the targeting process has been labour intensive and burdened by a paper-based environment. In order to achieve faster, more efficient processing with better risk-management capability, the CBSA has developed an enhanced risk-assessment system that is capable of automated screening of advance commercial information. This enhanced risk-assessment system has already been implemented in the marine mode and will be expanded to cover all shipments arriving by air in 2006-2007.

System enhancements will continue to build on the CBSA’s electronic manifest-processing capability to support a fully electronic system for goods processing. These enhancements will result in the capability of assessing every electronic cargo transaction in air mode, and will provide CBSA officers with greater flexibility to address new and emerging risks, and contribute to the safety of Canadians. When fully implemented, our officers will use this enhanced risk-assessment tool to provide the CBSA with additional strategic risk analysis.

Enhancements to the Travellers Risk-assessment System ($31.3 million in 2006-2007)

We are improving our risk-assessment system to allow CBSA officers to perform risk assessments on both vehicles and travellers at land-border crossings across Canada. This enhanced risk-management assessment process at land borders will improve the accuracy of information captured when people arrive in Canada, and allow officers to access both CBSA and Citizenship and Immigration Canada enforcement databases quickly to ensure that they have the information required to process travellers efficiently and effectively.

Advance Interdepartmental Reporting Initiative ($2.0 million in 2006-2007; $4.2 million in 2007-2008; $3.8 million in 2008-2009)

The Advance Interdepartmental Reporting Initiative enables the CBSA to work with federal and industry partners to expand advance electronic reporting to administer the programs of other government departments and agencies at the border.

CBSA will consult federal and industry partners to identify candidate programs for single-window processing. We will identify data requirements for agriculture and health-related federal programs and work to harmonize these requirements with the CBSA, using the World Customs Organization’s Customs Data Model.

Human resources impact

The cutting-edge programs and initiatives we are developing require specialized technological and scientific capabilities. To support our evidence-based, decision-making capacity, we employ experts in fields such as technology, chemistry, physics, engineering and mathematics. The information technology field is extremely competitive, and the CBSA must maintain a top-notch workforce composed of experienced and knowledgeable departmental employees to deliver its mandated projects.